Wide Receiver George Pickens was conspicuously absent during various moments in the Steelers’ defeat against the Cowboys. HC Mike Tomlin gave Pickens an extended amount of rest which wouldn’t have gone down well with the WR, especially after his season-high 60 snaps the week prior. While the surprise decision by his coach may have irked Pickens, he still has a huge amount of respect for him, if we go by his recent comments.

Picked in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, Pickens has slowly grown into his role as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. Last season, he posted 1,100 yards and five touchdowns, despite the Steelers struggling in the quarterback position. This season, he was expected to take things to the next level, but so far it hasn’t gone according to the plan.

He has 23 catches for 310 yards and no touchdowns through five games this season and is playing 73 percent of offensive snaps, the lowest total in his NFL career. In the Week 5 defeat to the Cowboys, he had a career-low 34 snaps and played fewer snaps than Van Jefferson as well as Calvin Austin.

While there may be some debate and discussion over Tomlin’s game plan, which saw the Steelers suffer a second defeat in a row, Pickens has. what appears to be a strong relationship with the HC. Making an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast, Pickens had nothing but praise for Tomlin and revealed what advice the coach gave him in his rookie season.

He mentioned, “He’s probably one of, if not the greatest coach I’ve ever been around, or in the NFL, in my eyes. Just because his mentality, how the way he thinks of things. You guys probably hear all the phrases he says all the time, but those are real true things that uphold to life, if you really get what he’s saying. Just overall, he’s a life person more than he is a coach, so that really helps a lot.”

The 23-year-old then brought up one of Tomlin’s more intense nuggets of wisdom. The HC is known for his clever phrases in the media and had something similar for Pickens. The WR mentioned, “My rookie year, he used to say, ‘cut you eyelids off,’. That might sound crazy, but in terms of everything, when you go out to a game, cut your eyelids off. Do your detail, just focus on yourself… cut the noise out, don’t think about everything else that’s going on. That kind of portrays in life, too.”

Cutting out the noise is something both Pickens and Tomlin can use right now. The HC was confronted about his decision to have his top WR play fewer snaps in the Cowboys and his explanation was simply that it was down to “snap management.” According to Tomlin, he wanted to maximize Pickens’s productivity and compared it to rotating defensive linemen in and out of the game.

He mentioned, “He wasn’t less of a focal point in terms of our intentions of what we wanted to do offensively, but we did want to cut his reps a little bit in an effort to get higher quality play, just in general.” He also brushed aside any negativity around the decision saying, “It is just about snap management. It is no underlying story to be quite honest with you.”

As for Pickens bringing up Tomlin’s rookie season advice, it is something he can also put into effect this season.

Confrontation with Cowboys’ Jourdan Lewis suggests Pickens can use Tomlin’s advice

Pickens let his emotions get the best of him against the Cowboys after he pulled Jourdan Lewis down by his facemask. This was after the CB celebrated Dallas recovering a Steelers lateral on the final play.

This action was enough for Lewis to take a shot at Pickens after the game. Lewis claimed, “Pittsburgh need a receiver. George Pickens weak.” Pickens had a tough outing and caught just 3-of-7 targets for 26 yards during the contest and his limited field time meant he couldn’t have the desired impact. But his behavior against Lewis could be a bigger cause for concern for the Steelers and Tomlin and this is where he could put his HC’s advice to better use.

Tomlin’s words essentially mean Pickens should worry about himself and not give in to the provocation as seen against the Cowboys. There is still a learning curve for Pickens, with him being only 23. But at the same time, controlling his temper will be important. For now, it seems, he has a healthy bond with his HC and will do good to listen to him.