Monday, Mike Tomlin said WR George Pickens’ frustration wasn’t solution-oriented. At some point this week, the two sat down to figure out a better way of handling things.
In his weekly interview with Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola, Tomlin said he sat down with Pickens during the week, re-watching last Thursday’s loss to the New England Patriots and seeing how Bill Belichick and company limited Pickens’ impact on the game.
“Education. He and I had a great meeting this week, Tomlin told Labriola via the team website. “We were just talking about the New England agenda. I’m familiar with the agenda because I’ve just been a component of it in the past. When you have a dynamic player, oftentimes from a game playing perspective, you’ll pick a block of time or block of plays where you’re just going to deny that guy the ball and make others beat you.”
Pickens had a minimal impact in the loss, finishing with five catches for 19 yards. Of wide receivers with at least five receptions in a game, his 19 yards are the fewest in team history. Pickens’ day was spent catching underneath throws against off coverage. It was clear the Patriots had no intention of letting him win over the top, another example of Belichick taking away your “fastball,” the things you do as an offense. Tomlin pointed out teams like the Patriots place an emphasis on manufacturing that frustration, often paying special attention to playmakers at the start and end of games.
“And the agenda is to keep the ball out of the hands of a significant player, but also if it’s a significant player it’s to create angst within him and within that unit.”
Throughout the game, Pickens’ frustration was evident. Later this week, he told the media he couldn’t produce big plays based on his current route tree that involved so many shorter routes.
While there’s no question Pickens has to handle his feelings better, an issue throughout the year for a 22-year-old like him still figuring out the NFL, Pittsburgh has to find ways to get him the ball in situations he’s best at. The Steelers lack a passing game identity. Ostensibly, it’s to get Pickens and WR Diontae Johnson the ball on the outside but they have struggled to do that. Mitch Trubisky will have to reverse that today if the Steelers want to hang with the Indianapolis Colts, a top-ten scoring unit.
