'He needs to grow up' – Mike Tomlin blasts Steelers WR George Pickens for antics against Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a George Pickens problem. Sure he makes a lot of plays, and yes he was a pivotal part in the team's historic win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But he also had three personal fouls on Sunday, a trend that has become all too common, and is going to cost him and […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a George Pickens problem.
Sure he makes a lot of plays, and yes he was a pivotal part in the team's historic win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
But he also had three personal fouls on Sunday, a trend that has become all too common, and is going to cost him and the Steelers:
Mike Tomlin Sick of the George Pickens Drama
'He's just gotta grow up," said Tomlin when asked about George Pickens penalties during the game. "This is an emotional game man. "These divisional games are big. He's 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."
If you're wondering what exactly Pickens was penalized and sure to be fined for, it started after he punted the ball into the stands after scoring a TD, was followed up by a taunting call after he stepped over a defensive back, and ended with him pointing to the crowd with a gun like gesture:
"Yeah, they said they got the gesture wrong," said Pickens when asked about his posting to the stands in his postgame presser. "You know what I mean? [The refs] thought it was something else. You know, you can't hurt the team. I never intend to hurt the team. But he just thought the gesture was different. I'm not sure [why] I was doing the first down. He said he thought [it was] something else."
Whether he meant anything by it or not, where there's smoke there tends to be fire with George Pickens. He has already been fined for three separate incidents this season, and the NFL let him off easy after last week's fight on the last play of the game against the Cleveland Browns.
He's a problem child, to say the least, and whether he wants to acknowledge the eyes on him or not, his resume brings extra attention.
"I hope not," said Pickens when asked if he had a target on his back like Coach Tomlin said. "I'm only out here just playing, like every other receiver in the league, certain calls don't go my way. You know, all you do is just keep playing."