Steelers' Mike Tomlin: Discussing George Pickens Convos Won't Help WR's 'Growth'

Pittsburg Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin declined to entertain much discussion about wide receiver George Pickens, whose talents continue to be overshadowed by his propensity for committing unforced errors on the field.

"I'm not going to give you any detail about what goes on behind the scenes in terms of his growth and development," Tomlin told reporters Tuesday. "That's my style, and I'm going to be really consistent in it. Being transparent with you guys doesn't necessarily help or accelerate the growth process, and that's my agenda, not necessarily feeding the beast."

Pickens caught three passes for 74 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 44-38 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. What a lot of fans probably remember most from his performance were his two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, though.

In the first quarter, a 21-yard catch for Pickens became a gain of just six yards after he was flagged for taunting while celebrating the play. It was a similar story in the third quarter when the officials penalized the 6'3" pass-catcher for a gesture that resembled firing a gun. A 36-yard completion netted 21 yards in that instance.

Pickens is on pace to have his best season. He has 55 receptions for a team-high 850 yards and three touchdowns through 12 games.

But Tomlin summed it up after the Bengals game when he said the 23-year-old has "just got to grow up."

Tomlin is no stranger to an exceptionally gifted yet eccentric wideout. He coached Antonio Brown for nine seasons.

Perhaps applying the adage of praising publicly and criticizing privately is what will help make everything click for Pickens.