The Pittsburgh Steelers are letting Russell Wilson cook, and consequently, George Pickens is eating more. Even if he doesn’t always manage to find his mouth with the fork. Ray Fittipaldo believes Wilson is an asset to the young wide receiver far more than just on the field. Pickens is getting more high-quality chances because of him, but it’s more than that.
“I think tremendously. I think Russell [Wilson] said after the game, he would talk to George [Pickens] during the week and get in his head before the game got there that he was gonna try to get him involved and he has to be patient”, Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan when asked about how much he believes Wilson is helping Pickens.
“I just think, with [Wilson’s] accomplished resume, I think George [Pickens] probably knows in the back of his head that things are gonna be better each and every week”, he continued. “He’s gonna get maybe not more targets, but more opportunities to make big plays within this offense. I think you’ve seen that come to fruition in these first two starts for Russell Wilson”.
Russell Wilson, of course, has been in the league for over a decade and has all the credentials. While George Pickens has some solid numbers and a stellar highlight reel, he still has a long way to go. And if somebody can help him grow off the field, it could go a long way on it as well. Especially if it’s the same guy throwing him the ball.
Let’s face is, Ben Roethlisberger is the only reason Antonio Brown remained as sane as he did in Pittsburgh. Without such a tremendous advocate on and off the field, he would have been hosting CTESPN in his head much earlier. One can argue that George Pickens has never had a Ben Roethlisberger until now in Russell Wilson.
We can go back through the Rolodex of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitch Trubisky, and Justin Fields, none of whom come close to Wilson’s combination of experience, talent, and leadership. You can romanticize Pickens’ brief affair with Rudolph at the end of last season if you want, but was he going to keep Pickens’ head on straight when the going got tough?
Since the moment the Steelers drafted him, George Pickens’ story has always been about reaching his potential. Up to this point, in spite of an admirable highlight reel, he hasn’t. But the Steelers have not empowered him to fully realize his potential due to the quality of play at the quarterback position. That is where Russell Wilson is making the biggest difference in his career, by a wide margin.
