George Pickens has had an interesting season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s clearly been their best wide receiver, but he’s also been one of their biggest headaches. Pickens is supremely talented, but at times, he’s allowed his emotions to control him on the field. Even during their last game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Pickens was visibly frustrated on the field. However, it doesn’t sound like Mike Tomlin is too worried about that.
“Just saw him in the training room, he has a smile on his face,” Tomlin said Monday via the team’s YouTube channel. “Was good to have him back. Certainly, the game didn’t unfold the way he or we would like, but as I mentioned, frustrations are a component of losing.
“I tend to focus my energies on constructing victory and worry less about those things. We got good people, including George [Pickens]. We’re able to get over some of those bumps in the road that’s associated with failure and keep it moving.”
It is true that a majority of Pickens’ worst outbursts have come in losses. When the team is winning, he usually isn’t a problem. It’s not like he’s the only one who gets upset when his team loses, either. Many other Steelers have been frustrated during this losing streak as well.
This season, Pickens’ attitude has been a problem. He’s been called for more than a couple unnecessary penalties that did hurt the team. Tomlin hasn’t been shy in criticizing Pickens when that happens. He even made a statement during a press conference saying Pickens needs to grow up. It’s not like he just lets Pickens do whatever he wants.
Therefore, if he doesn’t sound overly concerned here, then that’s probably the truth. It’s not like Pickens threw his helmet to the ground or fought anyone. His body language was rough, but considering the way the Steelers played, that’s not exactly surprising.
Players have done worse things when their team is losing. Pickens has even committed worse acts this year. This instance just receives a bigger spotlight because Pickens is a repeat offender.
Pickens does need to work on better controlling his emotions. That’s been his Achilles heel. When his head is in the game, he’s one of the best receivers in the league. He shouldn’t be so visibly irritated when the Steelers are losing.
However, there’s no reason to dwell on this particular outing. The Steelers are about to head into the postseason, and they need Pickens if they want to make any noise. Their whole team has been disappointing recently. Pickens is part of the problem, but Tomlin is right not to single him out and scold him for his actions against the Chiefs.
