Mike Tomlin didn’t mince his words when talking about his young receiver George Pickens. In a way, the best thing for Pickens is to be with a coach like Tomlin. He’s going to let you do you and be who you are, but still uphold a standard in the locker room.
Which is why he didn’t lay into Pickens after picking up two penalties in the game for unsportsmanlike conduct. He just simply said Pickens has to grow up.
“He’s just got to grow up man,” Tomlin said per Mike DeFabo’s X platform account, formerly known as Twitter. “It’s an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He got a target on his back because he’s gorge. He understands that. But he’s got to grow up. He’s got to grow up in a hurry."
Mike Tomlin puts George Pickens on blasts, but respects the player he is
One of the best things a coach can do it let a player’s personality show game in and game out. Tomlin isn’t trying to change Pickens at all. He embraces Pickens’ hot-head mentality. He’s simply telling him to not let himself go off the rails.
We can all agree Pickens has some maturity issues when it comes to his tantrums and outbursts during games as well as how easy it is to get in his head. But in a way, you need players like that on the roster.
You need players that are going to test boundaries, incite teams and opposing players at times; in hockey they’re called enforcers. But you also have to know to manage that, not let it affect the game’s outcome and know when to turn it on and turn it off.
Tomlin isn’t saying he doesn’t want Pickens to continue to be himself. He just wants him to learn when to turn it on and turn it off. That way he can avoid unnecessary penalties that can cost the them.
Or he can keep from having outbursts during the game or after the game when things don’t go his way. Tomlin is saying everything he needs to challenge his young receiver.