Will George Pickens sink or swim under Zach Azzanni’s hard coaching?
The Pittsburgh Steelers expect a lot out of WR George Pickens—which may be why Zach Azzanni is here. They parted with former wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson this offseason, replacing him with the more disciplinarian Azzanni. We are already seeing the differences in the way Jackson and Azzanni coached, but how will Pickens respond?
This is not the first time that the Steelers have made a similar change at wide receivers coach. Although they lost Scotty Montgomery to another opportunity, to reel in the Young Money Crew, Mike Tomlin brought in the old-school disciplinarian, Richard Mann, followed by Darryl Drake. Since then, other coaches have offered less discipline—and didn’t stay long. Jackson only lacked as long as Pickens has been in the league: two years.
The new wide receivers coach seems to prioritize holding all of his players accountable and treating and coaching them the same way. During OTAs, reporters already talked about how Azzanni was pushing George Pickens. Now we have seen it for ourselves during the first day of training camp, but was that typical or new?
Pickens was reportedly “visibly upset” towards the end of practice after Azzanni got on him about something. But practice is a time for coaches to push their players, so that’s not necessarily abnormal. Yet even reporters who have covered the team for years are raising concerns—largely thanks to Pickens himself.
After all, we’re talking about this because Pickens has a history of maturity issues. For much of the second half of last season, his coaches and teammates repeatedly talked about how he needed to grow up, in so many words. This isn’t new, and the team has been on the record about it.
So the question is, with a stricter coach in Zach Azzanni, will George Pickens respond effectively and appropriately, or will he shrink or lash out in response? I’m sure the Steelers would like to know the answer by next camp, when they might be talking contract extensions.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
