Tomlin doubles down on snap count for Pickens, effort not in question

George Pickens' perceived lack of effort isn't an issue for Mike Tomlin.

In Tomlin's Tuesday press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Pickens became the focal point of his meeting with reporters. Fans have been outraged by the way Pickens ran his routes, his unsportsmanlike conduct and, perhaps most of all, the message on his eyeblack that read, "Open f---ing always."

I asked Tomlin directly if he had any concerns over Pickens' level of effort or with the message on his eyeblack:

"I didn’t have any outlined issue with his effort," Tomlin said. "As I mentioned after the game, I think someone asked about a reduction in his total number of snaps. It’s just a snap-management thing in an effort to be more productive. In today’s game regarding analytics, we do it across a lot of positions, particularly when you look at the totality of a 17-game schedule. I’d imagine Cam Heyward, for example, is playing less snaps than he has. Just trying to grow and trying to get optimum productivity among some individuals and going about the best means of doing so. That’s probably a reflection of the snap totality of last week."

Throughout the Steelers' 20-17 loss to the Cowboys, Pickens appeared to be running routes at less than full effort. One time in particular, Pickens appeared to run at less than full speed on a crossing pattern and failed to connect on a pass from Justin Fields. Another time, Pickens appeared to barely jog off the line of scrimmage on a play that was designed to go directly to Pat Freiermuth on the other side of the formation:

Tomlin later clarified that this perceived lack of effort is part of the load management plan the Steelers have in place for Pickens.

"It's certainly part of the load-management discussion," Tomlin said, in full.

Regarding the messaging on Pickens' eye black, which will certainly draw a fine from the league office in New York, Tomlin said he wasn't aware of such messaging. Though, Pickens' overall behavior, such as slamming his helmet on the sideline and pulling Cowboys defensive back Jourdan Lewis by the facemask at the end of the game, remains subject to discipline behind closed doors. Pickens has also dodged the media after multiple games this season, which violates NFL policy.

"Certainly things that I’m open to addressing, and will and do," Tomlin said. "I just don’t detail it in settings like this because it’s business between he and I, in terms of his growth and development as a player and as a man. I just don’t think that it aids in that growth and development to address it in open settings such as this. Regarding his behavior, I am aware of that, and obviously that has been and will continue to be addressed. I wasn’t aware of the messaging. And so, I’m just giving you a knee-jerk response to that."

The only part of the snap management that seems to make sense is the Steelers simply cannot afford for Pickens to get injured. Despite Tomlin's steadfast faith in the receivers that don't have "Pickens" on the back of their jerseys, the drop off from Pickens to the rest of the group is seismic. Pickens leads the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receptions that result in first downs. Thus, the need for load/snap management is to preserve the only truly dynamic receiver on the roster.

But, this is a very recent development with Pickens, prior to this past week, Pickens played 68% of offensive snaps in Week 1, 77% in Week 2, 74% in Week 3 and 86% in Week 4. Pickens only played 59% of the offensive snaps against Dallas. Tomlin was asked about the lack of snaps for Pickens after the game, and doubled down on that multiple times Tuesday.

"Most players, particularly in today's game, have specialized skill sets that play positions like receiver," Tomlin said. "They don't play every down because you need them in significant moments. You need them at the back half of the season. You need them in the second half of football games and those weighty downs. So, it's really just a 2024 discussion regarding load management."

Tomlin used his cliché Tuesday, "Two instances is a pattern." He was referring to the way in which he analyzed the loss to the Cowboys coming off a loss the previous week. The same could be said for Pickens in the weeks ahead. He's dazzled fans with highlight-reel catches since Day 1, but this past Sunday's performance has turned many sour. And, when Pickens is seen at times jogging on the field while everyone else is either in full sprint or taking on defenders, that vitriol can be justified.

This isn't the first time Pickens has displayed immature behavior. But, he definitely seemed to reach a new level this past week. Thus, his behavior moving forward will certainly be worth a closer eye, especially if the Steelers strike out on acquiring any impact receivers ahead of the trade deadline.