Two days, two moments of Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens venting frustration over a training camp rep. On Thursday, he got into a heated exchange with tough-love WRs Coach Zach Azzanni. On Friday, Pickens was upset over not being targeted by Justin Fields on an early practice rep. For The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, Pickens must mature faster to be the focal point of the Steelers’ passing game.
“George Pickens needs to grow up,” Kaboly told 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller following Friday’s practice. “Grow up in the sense of he needs to be a leader of this wide receiver room because so much success depends on this offense, depends on what he does. How he acts, how he moves forward.”
While the initial reports on Pickens haven’t spoken highly of his maturity, context is key. As we’ve noted, Azzanni is a no-nonsense coach. Friction between players was to be expected and part of a long process of his coaching. Azzanni’s hire was a departure from some of the seemingly more mild-mannered coaches the Steelers have had in year’s past. That’s not to say someone like Frisman Jackson wasn’t good at his job but his demeanor might not have been the right fit for young receivers.
The moment in question came during the third team period session, a play where Justin Fields threw to a well-covered Calvin Austin III on a fade down the left sideline. A play where George Pickens wanted the ball instead. But it’s hardly the first sign of a receiver frustrated with not getting the ball in the moment and the rest of his practice was seemingly uneventful in any negative ways. Fields looked his way plenty, including linking up on a 51-yard completion down the middle late in the day, a good palate cleanser for any anger Pickens had.
Considering the saga it became last year, Pickens’ demeanor is a story more than with other receivers. Still, it’s easy to hyper-fixate on every moment of his that isn’t pure bliss. He’s never going to be Larry Fitzgerald, the epitome of an amazing teammate who takes everything in stride. But pearl-clutching over every one of his actions is overkill and, frankly, low-hanging fruit. Instead, as was the case last year, George Pickens should be viewed throughout the entire process. By the end of last season, Pickens was seemingly in a much better place.
Still, Kaboly’s point has merit. Pittsburgh needs a leader in the receiver room and Pickens is the only established guy. And aside from rookie Roman Wilson, Pickens is the only one guaranteed to even make the team. The rest are focusing on their jobs, not leading. While Pickens has admitted he’s more of a quiet leader, players emulating what he does instead of giving “rah-rah” speeches, that means his actions will be under the microscope all the more. Including for the rest of camp where any steam coming out of his ears will shoot to the top of every newspaper, radio station, and blog like ours.
