Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens wasn’t just in a festive mood on Saturday.
He was also in a delightfully petty mood as he told all the folks at home he’s not interested in hearing any complaints about his style of play.
Earlier in the month, it seemed like Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was giving Pickens some tough love about his on-field effort on a quiet night.
Last week, Pickens admitted to not blocking for Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren on a touchdown attempt near the end zone because of injury risk. Warren said he would’ve blocked for Pickens in a similar situation while saying he understood where the wideout was coming from.
The moment sparked former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward to call Pickens entitled and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher to advocate for Pickens to receive consequences for his lack of blocking on the play.
Well, Pickens apparently heard the message loud and clear as he thrashed the Cincinnati Bengals defense on Saturday to the tune of nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches.
Pickens also looked into one of the game cameras during his incredible performance and mouthed his hand like someone talking before covering his ears. His gesture clearly indicates he’s not here for any of the jeers.
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📺: #CINvsPIT on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/yewPow3ekF pic.twitter.com/J7ddBvJVow— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2023
Pickens is a budding superstar, and performances like Saturday’s reinforce his sky-high potential.
However, his message to the camera also shows why he’s one of the game’s signature personalities and why he’s seemingly not going to let any slander sent his way slide without a response.
