Opinion: Steelers’ George Pickens might be his own biggest problem

The NFL Week 14 notebook takes a closer look at George Pickens’ volatility, Chargers safety Derwin James, Bill Belichick’s future and more.

It seems rather apparent, and pretty shameful that George Pickens has little, if any, respect for the Cleveland Browns.

After the Browns gutted out a 24-19 thriller in a snowstorm to snap the Pittsburgh Steelers’ five-game winning streak in Week 12, the big-play receiver for the losing team that night declared that he didn’t see Cleveland as “a good team at all.”

Then Pickens went on to add some nonsense about the weather, maintaining that “the conditions kind of saved them.”

Now it’s Week 14 and the Browns (3-9) are headed to Pittsburgh for the AFC North rematch. And Pickens still shows little respect for this particular opponent, which includes the cornerback, Greg Newsome II, with whom he scuffled at the end of the game in Cleveland. Add rivalry subplot.

According to reports from Pittsburgh on Friday, Pickens still isn’t giving the Browns much due. He said, “I just go by the record.”

Asked about engaging with Newsome, he replied, “I don’t even know who that is.”

Ouch.

In many cases, such messages might be considered good ole-fashioned trash talk. Bulletin board material. Because it’s coming from Pickens, though, there’s another layer of context.

As much as Pickens has demonstrated the skill to rank among the NFL’s elite receivers, the third-year pro has repeatedly shown immature, knucklehead tendencies that can undermine his star track – and his team (9-3), which is trying to close in on a division title.

It’s no wonder that after Pickens drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties last Sunday in Cincinnati, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, “He’s got to grow up in a hurry.”

Last weekend, Pickens hauled in a reception of at least 30 yards for the seventh game in a row. He is an electric difference-maker, a big play waiting to happen, a perfect complement for the resurgence that Russell Wilson has had. Wilson can still throw his deep passes – aka “the moon ball” – with lethal precision, but Pickens has made that even more threatening because of his uncanny knack to make acrobatic catches and tendency to win on contested catches. On the season, he’s averaged 15.5 yards on 55 catches for 850 yards.

Yet Pickens, 23, also has the look of a ticking time bomb. The scuffle with Newsome – after the game had ended with a failed Hail Mary attempt – had to be broken up by stadium security and others. In Week 4, there was also an incident at the end of Pittsburgh’s loss to the Cowboys, when Pickens yanked Dallas cornerback Jourdan Lewis to the turf by his facemask.

Throw in the penalties from last weekend and it’s not a stretch to conclude that Pickens’ biggest enemy might be himself. One of the flags came when he threw the ball at a group of Bengals defenders; the other came as he celebrated making a first down and officials deemed that his gesture mimicked shooting a weapon. It’s one thing to disrespect an opponent, but silly penalties show a lack of respect for your team, too.

“I was telling him on the sideline, when you’re one of the best in the world, you expect to make those plays and you don’t need to do anything extra,” Wilson said. “He’s learning it as we go. He’s got to be smarter, too, and he’s going to do that.”

And Wilson is hardly the only teammate in Pickens’ ear. Left tackle Broderick Jones was a college teammate at Georgia. Speaking to reporters after the game in Cincinnati, Jones described their relationship as such that they can check each other with constructive criticism. He, too, weighed in on the penalties.

The gist of his message to Pickens: “Everybody knows you’re a playmaker. We’ve just got to stop the stupid stuff.”

During his midweek news conference, Tomlin refused to elaborate on what may be in the works behind the scenes with Pickens. Undoubtedly, Tomlin, who has never had a losing season in 18 campaigns as Steelers coach and got several All-Pro seasons from wide receiver Antonio Brown, has his ways.

“Being transparent with you guys doesn’t necessarily help or accelerate the growth process,” Tomlin told reporters. “And that’s my agenda, not necessarily feeding the best.”

After last week’s game, Tomlin acknowledged the emotions of the game and Pickens’ status as a key player as factors. It’s just that managing his responses apparently has not been as easy for Pickens as it may be for others. In any event, the influence that Tomlin and others, including teammates, can have on the situation could be a key factor on whether the Steelers can have a deep playoff run. Or any type of playoff run.