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Steelers' George Pickens Opens Up About Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers star wideout discussed his coach's impact since entering the NFL.

Ari Meyer

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) breaks a tackle by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis (2) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) breaks a tackle by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis (2) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is in the middle of controversy this season, but even with Mike Tomlin having to discuss behavioral concerns for the star wideout, Pickens has plenty of good to say about his head coach.

Speaking with ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pickens dove into his time with Tomlin and the impact he's had on him since entering the NFL.

"He's probably one of, if not the greatest, coach I have ever been around," Pickens said. "Or in the NFL, in my eyes. Just because of his mentality and how the way he thinks of things. You guys probably hear all the phrases all the time, but those are real true phrases that uphold to life."

Pickens delivers quite the praise for Tomlin, a coach he has played under since joining the Steelers in 2022 after being selected 52nd overall in the second round of that year's NFL Draft.

Pickens notably played under another great coach while he was in college at Georgia, playing under Kirby Smart and winning the 2021 FBS National Championship with the Bulldogs. But Tomlin has made a significant impact on the young wideout since coming to Pittsburgh.

To no surprise, some of that impact comes in the form of Tomlinisms. There are many to choose from, but one stands tall for Pickens, as it came his first season, and has stuck ever since.

"My rookie year he used to say cut your eyelids off. That might sound crazy, but in terms of everything, when you go into a game, cut your eyelids off. Do your detail, just focus on yourself and dont think about it all. Cut the noise off," Pickens said.

After a frustrating streak of games with the Steelers losing back to back games to the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys, it is quite possible that Pickens has had to keep what Tomlin taught him in mind as he moves through the season.

His game against the Cowboys was particularly frustrating as he had just three receptions for 26 yards and was on a snap count, according to Tomlin.

Pickens' performance has already seen quite a lot of backlash and scrutiny, with the amount of snaps he received being questioned as well as his play in those limited snaps. He wil have to "cut his eyelids off" in order to carry on and rise above the comments as we get into the thick of this year's NFL season.

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Ari Meyer
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