As many of the players on the Pittsburgh Steelers are, George Pickens is one frustrated dude. And he has every right to be after how he’s been misused this season. He’s been open more times than we can count and has acted out when overlooked.
But as a professional, there’s a time and place to vent those frustrations — behind closed doors.
Take it from … Antonio Brown.
“It starts in practice. You can’t come to the game and just be emotional about the ball. It starts in the meeting room, going and talking to coach Tomlin,” Brown said in a Dec. 11 Spaces on X via Steeler Nation.
“Coach Tomlin will take you to the offensive coordinator. They used to make a little box for me because I was one of those guys that needed the ball, and I love those guys who want the ball because they want to be great. But you’ve got to control that frustration because you don’t want the quarterback to get stressed out by you and not want to put you in the position you want to be in.”
Though it’s been counterproductive, Pickett being stressed out by Pickens’ antics could be what’s led to him being virtually ignored.
Brown suggests getting back in the good graces of his coach and teammates by communicating.
“You gotta play smarter, you gotta be willing to learn different positions, and you gotta be quarterback-friendly,” Brown said. “I advise GP to go talk to Pickett, go talk to Tomlin, go talk to the offensive coordinator. And get you a play box so when stuff breaks down, or the game is not going well, you can still be involved to do what you desire to, and that’s help the team win. It all starts with leadership, communication, and being on the same page with the people around you. You’re only as good as the people around you.”
It sounds like Brown doesn’t know that Pickett won’t be the quarterback going forward, possibly for the remainder of the regular season. No matter who’s at the helm, the advice remains the same. But that will require a lot of growing up, something that Pickens hasn’t shown he’s capable of.
Pickens has averaged just 3.5 targets per game over the last six weeks. In the first half of the season, with Diontae Johnson sidelined, the Georgia product registered three 100+ yard games, all wins.
