Former Buffalo Bills general manager and Pittsburgh Steelers pro personnel coordinator, Doug Whaley, made a bold prediction during 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show on Wednesday. He believes George Pickens will ultimately burn his bridges with the Steelers organization and have an Antonio Brown-like exit.
“Everybody knows, it’s going to come to an end very badly,” Whaley said. “He is talented and what I call talent is this great seductress. So Medusa is there. And you keep Medusa until it comes to an end just like it did with AB, just like Santonio Holmes. Just keep on running down the list. But I would do it just for right now because you got a window, the defense is hanging on by a thread. You sign Russell for three or four years, keep ’em together ’cause you have a target and a talent. Add some talent, when the other talent you add start to overtake him and he starts to, when his production dips when you can’t tolerate anymore, get rid of him.”
Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch believes George Pickens is a terrible loser. He got in a post-game skirmish with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II last Thursday night. In addition, he was docked $10,230 for throwing Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis down by his facemask at the conclusion of the Week 5 loss. A hefty fine is looming for Pickens after what happened in Cleveland.
Pickens was reportedly fined over $200,000 by the team and league last year.
“If you’re starting to play the game for free, if that’s not resonating to you, then I don’t know what else will,” Batch said on the DVE Morning Show. “Those veteran guys, they’re gonna have to continue to tame him down a little bit. If you get two personal fouls, guess what? You exit the game. Is that the next phase of it? Now you’re really hurting your team. All I know is George Pickens is a terrible loser, and I’m okay with that because this is the most that he’s lost ever in his entire football career. So you’re trying to learn how to lose, and for him it’s just a little bit more of a challenge.”
Pickens also got some heat from Ben Roethlisberger for “fighting” before the Hail Mary pass in Thursday night’s loss to the Cleveland Browns. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson believes Pickens got interfered with on the play, however.
“George is always trying to make a play, obviously. Unfortunately, I believe he was getting pushed out and he was trying to get to the spot,” Wilson said on Wednesday. “It’s an unfortunate situation. He was trying to get to the spot where I threw it to, and he got carried out of the end zone on that, unfortunately. He was trying to fight for the ball, you know. We have so much believe in George and obviously he has proven that with what he’s been able to do for us. He’s one of the world’s best at what he does.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had a similar response as Wilson during his Tuesday press conference. He pointed the finger at Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II, who had a post-play skirmish with George Pickens.
“I think their actions had something with (Pickens) not being in position to (make a play on the ball),” Tomlin said with a laugh.
Tomlin also seemed fine with Pickens’, “’I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all” comment.
“I am not gonna add color to (any of his players’) comments,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “Their comments and thoughts and feelings are their own. I don’t want them to be robots; I don’t tell them what to think or say. I have just learned over the years just to not add color to what people say or their comments. Those are their comments and thoughts.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.