Mike Tomlin has a go-to answer when asked about a notable player, whether it’s an opposing player or someone on the Steelers.
“He needs no endorsement from me,” a classic Tomlinism that could be used to describe George Pickens, the Steelers’ rising star wideout whose balletic catches have largely backed up any praise he has received as he enters his second NFL season.
While he has already received plenty of praise, Pickens recently received more from one of his teammates. Allen Robinson, a 10-year veteran and former Pro Bowler, has been impressed with what he’s seen from his 22-year-old teammate.
“The sky is the limit for George,” Robinson recently said on “The Jim Rome Show.” I think for our room in general, it’s one of the best rooms that I’ve been a part of. We have tons of different skill sets. Calvin Austin, Gunner [Olszewski], Miles Boykin, Diontae Johnson, myself, we have many different flavors.
“For George, the sky is the limit. He had a really good rookie season. I think he’s looking to take his game to another level.”
The Steelers have had several prolific QB-WR duos over the years, from Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann and John Stallworth to Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward and Antonio Brown. It appears that the Steelers have another budding QB-WR duo in Pickens and Kenny Pickett. They developed instant chemistry during their rookie season, and that chemistry has continued this summer.
“We had a lot of success down the field last year together,” Pickett said of Pickens during an interview with NBC Sports. “I’m looking forward to building on that success. … His catch radius, you just have put it in his zip code. That’s what he says, just like, ‘Just put it up for me and I’ll come down with it.’ It’s been the truth, every time. When I put the ball up for him, I have no doubts that he’s going to make the play. And if he doesn’t, he doesn’t, we’ll just go back to him again. I have a ton of confidence in him.
“He wants to improve his route running and have a [bigger] route tree, which he’s continuing to do, which is great to see. I’m really excited for him. The sky’s the limit for George.”
Pickens has shown he has the talent to be a top-tier receiver. Dealing with adversity, however, is something that Pickens and other young players must learn to deal with in the NFL, when statistics can at times be hard to come by. That’s one of the things that Robinson is trying to help his younger teammates with.
“I think the thing for me, from the mental game standpoint with my group, is making sure that they stay locked in day in and day out,” said Robinson, who is in his first season with the Steelers. “It’s a long season, there’s going to be ups and downs, there’s going to be adversity. But for us, it’s about treating prosperity and adversity the same.
“Our approach can’t change. We’ve got to approach every day the same.”
While Pickens is garnering the most attention, the Steelers’ receiving corps also includes two former Pro Bowlers in Robinson and Johnson, the only Steelers receiver besides Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season since 2012. The group also includes Austin, a fellow second-year player who is hoping to add big-play potential to the Steelers’ offense after missing his entire rookie season with an injury.
In Robinson, the Steelers have a veteran player who doesn’t appear to be too concerned about individual accolades. And while he, like Pickens, needs no endorsement, Robinson recently received one from his new quarterback.
“I’m really excited to have him here,” Pickett said of Robinson. “The knowledge that he has of the game, understanding offensive and defense football. “He really sees the field like a quarterback. So when you have a receiver like that with that kind of IQ who’s played a lot of ball, it’s really nice to have out there. Kind of like having a security blanket in terms of a guy who knows how to sit down in zones and things like that and knows how to get open.
“I’m really happy to have him on our team.”
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
August 31, 2023 | 5:06 pm
