Steelers' George Pickens fires unprovoked shot at Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has his hands full this season. While the organization has generally avoided controversy and distractions under the leadership of Tomlin over the last 18 years, the Steelers have a lot going on in 2024. Pittsburgh is currently in the midst of a quarterback controversy as veteran passer Russell Wilson has returned from injury and is likely to take over for erstwhile starter Justin Fields .
As Tomlin weighs a potentially monumental decision for the team, he's also dealing with the antics of wideout George Pickens . Tomlin dramatically cut Pickens' reps in the Steelers' Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, citing productivity over playing time.
Pickens' reps might be down but his confidence is still sky high. During an appearance on " The Facility ," the third-year player claimed he was a top-five receiver in the NFL. When asked why he hasn't produced top-five stats, Pickens turned off his filter and offered a blunt take.
"[Scheme] is the biggest thing in football. That's how you get Amon-Ra St. Browns, you know, slot merchants that schematically get fed the ball... When it comes to that, I ain't playing QB, O-line and defensive line all at once. Schematically, I think that's the biggest thing for me to show the world a bigger platform of my game style," Pickens said on "The Facility" via msn.com
Steelers WR George Pickens – a legend in his own mind
The 23-year-old WR opted to build himself up by tearing down another player, writing the extremely talented St. Brown off as a mere product of his offensive environment. And at the same time, Pickens lowkey criticized his own offensive coordinator, as his comments implied that Arthur Smith isn't able to maximize the wideout's potential.
Interestingly, Pickens actually has more receiving yards than St. Brown so far this season. The Steelers WR has 26 catches for 363 yards and zero touchdowns while the Detroit Lions All-Pro has 31 receptions for 289 yards and three scores. In 2023, St. Brown was sensational, finishing with 119 receptions for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns – it was his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. Meanwhile, Pickens caught 63 passes for 1,140 yards and five scores last year.
Pickens is unquestionably a great talent. But coaches generally don't double down on reducing the role of elite receivers as Tomlin did with Pickens. The young wideout hasn't helped his cause this season after being fined by the league for writing a NSFW message on his eye black – it read "Open f***ing always." Tomlin comes off as a show-don't-tell kind of coach. Perhaps when Pickens demonstrates an uncanny ability to get open, regardless of scheme, his playing time will increase. Until then, Tomlin will likely continue suffering from Antonio Brown flashbacks.
