George Pickens is taking a lot of heat today due to some on-field antics after the final whistle Thursday night in Cleveland, followed by some questionable comments in the locker room. Because he’s had similar issues in the past, it is just a reinforcement of his labels that has been affixed to him. And it doesn’t help that Cleveland Browns CB Greg Newsome II called him a “fake tough guy” after the Steelers’ 24-19 loss, which turned into a talking point on several of the national media shows on Friday.
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton came to Pickens’ defense on ESPN’s First Take this morning.
“He’s a crash-out. We love him. He’s the dog on the team. Is he fake tough? No, he’s a dog, official dog,” Newton said. “When I look at the health of a healthy team, there are certain things that you need. You need guys like George Pickens. They’re the quote unquote very talented, rebellious guys that give you that grit, that toughness. So the thing about that is you can’t have too many George Pickens on your team because it’s going to make it undisciplined. You need just a great mixture of crash-outs or rebellious guys and choir boys.”
To a certain extent, I don’t disagree with Newton’s premise. You want your team to have a little grit and a little personality. But usually those players are doing things to harm the team. I don’t have a huge problem with Pickens showing some passion and fighting a player after the final whistle, but it’s not great when that fight begins before the Hail Mary play is even over.
Also, there is no good way to spin the multiple reports that have indicated Pickens has a problem with showing up to work on time. He is 23, so there is still plenty of time to mature, but the Steelers have a contract decision coming up on him just a few months from now before he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
You have to take the good with the bad with all players. In Pickens’ case, the “good” is really, really good. He can make catches that nobody else on the planet can make, and he is the true definition of a player who is always open. Even when he’s covered, he has a good chance of hauling in anything thrown his way.
To this point, his maturity issues or some of the other “bad” things haven’t really caused large issues other than in the media and perception of Pickens. We haven’t really heard of him causing issues with others in the locker room. The problems are almost always coming during or after losses. Right now, he just needs to learn how to handle adversity a little better. I think that’s something the Steelers can deal with for the time being, with an understanding that he is the same age (or younger) than many of the rookies on the team this year.
