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When he’s at his best, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is an absolute nightmare for opposing NFL defenses. Pickens stands at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he runs a 4.47 40-yard dash and he has some of the best hands in the league.
However, too often in his brief NFL career, Pickens has been unable to get out of his own way. His career is as much a story of his immense talent as it is a story about his boneheaded decision-making that hurt his own team.
It happened again on Sunday when Pickens was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in a close game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh went on to win the game 44-38. But afterward, coach Mike Tomlin had some harsh words for his star wideout.
“He’s just got to grow up, man,” Tomlin said. “This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He got a target on his back because he’s George, he understands that. But he’s got to grow up. He’s got to grow up in a hurry.”
Pickens is in the midst of the best season of his three-year NFL career. He has 55 catches for 850 yards and three touchdowns. All of those numbers are on pace for career highs. But it’s not the first time he and Tomlin have been at odds.
“George is a talented guy but he’s growing and growing in a lot of ways in regards to football and life,” Tomlin said last season after Pickens blamed media members for his struggles. “We don’t run away from that. We run to that organizationally when we draft guys. We’re committed to being a component of their growth and development in all areas.
“When you’re winning and doing your jobs, a lot of the attention is on things such as that,” he continued. “When you’re not doing your job and losing, you better keep your d— mouth shut and understand that that tracks a certain type of attention, as well. And usually, that’s vulture-like attention.”
Tomlin wants Pickens to succeed. It helps his football team and also, Tomlin appears to want to help him grow as a person. But at some point, he may need to reach the reality that it’s just not going to happen. And with each successive issue, that point comes closer.