It was pretty evident from the first time he stepped onto the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers that WR George Pickens is a little bit of a different animal. With that comes a lot of great things like his ability to make spectacular plays with great hands and body control, but it also comes with some quirks. Right or wrong, he has been labeled as a player with some maturity issues on the field, and it showed in the Steelers’ Thursday Night Football loss to the Cleveland Browns.
He got into a scuffle with CB Greg Newsome II on the final Hail Mary instead of trying to get involved with actually making the play. He blamed the weather and said the Browns are not a good team in the locker room after the game.
Former NFL safety Rodney Harrison appeared on Pro Football Talk on Friday morning after the game and revealed a conversation he had with an unnamed Steelers coach about Pickens.
“I had a coach within the organization tell me, ‘This guy, he needs to show up on time. He needs to make the meetings. He needs to do all the little things,'” Harrison said in a video via Pro Football Talk on YouTube. “You see the talent, and it’s frustrating that you see the talent, but the work ethic isn’t there. So once he starts to really grow up and learn and mature and listen to his coaches, you’re gonna really start to see George Pickens really elevate. He’s a very talented young man, but he is always gonna be just okay because he doesn’t have the maturity right now.”
This isn’t the first report of Pickens being late to work. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo had a source tell him that Pickens has shown up late for work on multiple occasions this season. That was reported by Fittipaldo at the beginning of October.
Even though Pickens is in his third season, it is easy to forget that he is only 23 years old. The Steelers drafted him very young, and there were questions about his maturity coming out of college. Until very recently, Pickens was on an offense with barely any veterans and no solid leadership, including offensive coordinator Matt Canada for his first two seasons in the league. With the leadership of Russell Wilson, we barely heard a peep about Pickens in the media during the Steelers’ five-game winning streak.
Last night wasn’t the first time that Pickens has reacted poorly after a loss. That particular issue might just boil down to being a sore loser as these issues really only pop up after defeats.
The more concerning part of this is hearing yet again that Pickens isn’t showing up to work on time. To be fair, Harrison didn’t say exactly when a Steelers coach told him these things. Maybe this is old news, dating back to those Fittipaldo reports a month and a half ago. If not, then Pickens’ approach to team meetings and other work responsibilities is still an issue.
Though he is young, Pickens is technically the most-tenured Steeler in the wide receiver room. Ideally, he learns to step into a leadership role at some point, otherwise it is going to be difficult for the Steelers to justify signing him to a massive contract extension as soon as this upcoming offseason.
