Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was the topic of conversation at head coach Mike Tomlin’s impromptu press conference on Wednesday.
Pickens told reporters on Tuesday that he didn’t block on a Jaylen Warren run last Saturday because he didn’t want to get injured and said he believed the media has singled him out during a frustrating season for the entire team. On Wednesday, Tomlin said he would like Pickens “to be more professional in terms of addressing his shortcomings with you guys” because “he’s not helping himself’ with comments similar to the ones he made this week.
“When you’re winning and doing your jobs, a lot of the attention is on things such as that,” Tomlin said. “When you’re not doing your job and losing, you better keep your damn mouth shut and understand that that tracks a certain type of attention, as well. And usually that’s vulture-like attention.”
Tomlin said that he and Pickens meet regularly and called the second-year wideout “very much a work in progress” who is “growing in a lot of ways in regard to football and life.” He said the team is committed to Pickens’ growth as both a man and a football player.
“He’s got talents, we want to utilize them,” Tomlin said. “He’s very much in growth and development, but it would be the same if we were winning games or if he said appropriate things to you guys yesterday. You guys might have gone away, but that wouldn’t have made me any more comfortable about this process that he’s going through. It is ongoing and continual and it will continue to require our attention.”
Tomlin said any actions that might be taken in regard to Pickens’ actions are not something he will “discuss with you guys” and confirmed that Pickens will be in the lineup against the Bengals this Saturday for what the Steelers hope will be a more positive day on the field.