Steelers' Mike Tomlin Addresses George Pickens Behavior

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed George Pickens' behavior and decrease in playing time.

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) runs after a catch against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Dallas won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin offered some transparency on the decision to curtail wide receiver George Pickens' snaps against the Dallas Cowboys while also discussing some of his recent behavior.

During his postgame press conference on Sunday, Tomlin told reporters that his decision to limit Pickens' playing time was not related to his conduct and was rather aimed at boosting his overall production by keeping him as fresh as possible.

He doubled down on that sentiment on Tuesday, and also mentioned that Pickens has not come to him and complained about a decrease in his snap count either.

He has noticeably run some of his routes with lower levels of intensity as well, which Tomlin stated factored into the decision of more or less "load managing" his time on the field in an effort to spread the wealth around the entire position group while allowing Pickens to take a step back at points.

As for any behavioral concerns with Pickens, Tomlin said that they discussed his encounter with Cowboys defensive back Jourdan Lewis at the end of the game, though he wouldn't provide details on that conversation as he prefers to keep those situations in-house. Additionally, he mentioned that he was unaware of the statement Pickens made with his eye black.

"It's certainly things that I'm open to addressing and will and do," Tomlin said. "I just don't detail them in settings like this, because it's business between he and I in terms of his growth and development as a player and as a man. I just don't think it aids that growth into the development to address it in open settings such as this. Regarding his behavior, I am aware of that, and obviously that has been and will continue to be addressed. I wasn't aware of the messaging and so, you know, I'm just giving you a knee jerk response to that."

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