George Pickens had some interesting comments following the Steelers’ loss to the Ravens in the Wild Card. The wideout was asked if he has any hope for the offense in the future, and his answer was candid, to say the least. It grabbed the attention of Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, who debated whether it reflects who Pickens is as a player.
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Pickens was asked following the 28-14 loss if he has seen any growth in the Pittsburgh offense since he arrived three years ago. He said he has seen growth. But when he was asked in a follow-up if that growth gives him any hope for the future, he had a different answer.
“Nah,” Pickens said, shaking his head and looking down. It’s almost like he knew what he had said would create a headline.
The candid response caught the attention of Sharpe and Johnson on their show Nightcap. Sharpe thought it was a clear indication of Pickens being a “diva” who doesn’t consistently give his full effort. However, Johnson liked the honest response and thinks players around the league should do it more.
“Well, I’m not optimistic that he’s ever going to be anything but a pouting diva,” Sharpe stated. “Doesn’t give effort on every play… I don’t want it to be one-sided that the players get to tell the truth, but the team and other players don’t get to tell the truth about said player.”
It’s a valid take from Sharpe. While Pickens might be defended by some for his honest response in a world full of “PC responses” from players in the media. It still came across as unprofessional. He can’t let his intrusive thoughts slip out when every journalist is ready to turn it into a story. Pickens is still young and has room to grow; let’s just hope he learns from this without facing harsher consequences.
For Johnson, though, he liked the response from Pickens. He belongs to the crowd that encourages players to be straightforward with the media. Johnson also believes Pickens shouldn’t be criticized for giving a truthful answer to a question he was asked.
“Would you be optimistic if you were him?” Johnson asked. “You got to get the young bull involved. I know he’s had his issues and problems. The effort, the being lazy, the loafing, the not blocking, the penalties. I know that. But he has no reason to be optimistic with understanding what you just saw tonight.”
Johnson has a point as well. Pickens finished with five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, leading the way for Steeler’s receivers. But most of his work came after the fact that they were down by two or three scores. For Pickens, that must feel unacceptable.
But he shouldn’t have let the media know about his feelings on the matter. It would’ve been more mature to bottle up the thoughts and take them up with coach Mike Tomlin. Now he has just attached himself to a comment that could affect his relationship with other players on the team.
Maybe the Steelers haven’t shown any growth offensively in the past three seasons. But Pickens should’ve just acted like everything was okay and addressed the issue in private. Now he’s left us with an eerie comment as the Steelers go into the offseason.
