Antonio Brown Offers Steelers' George Pickens Strong Constructive Advice On How To Get The Ball

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not strangers to diva wide receivers. After supporting uber-diva Antonio Brown, and keeping him relatively under control, the organization is not new to dealing with the frustrations that sometimes come with professional sports. With the Steelers having a challenging season so far in 2023, they are facing issues from frustrated wide receivers. Both Diontae Johnson and George Pickens seem to feel that they are the answer to the team's offensive woes. However, instead of finding a way to positively support his team, Pickens is acting out, including recently liking a post about his quarterback's injury. Brown, whose specialties are both acting out and getting the ball, has offered some advice to the rising star.      

Pickens is in his second year with the Steelers and has displayed a remarkable ability to make incredible contested catches. When his quarterback puts the ball over his back shoulder, he seems to reel it in as his toes tap the sideline every time. However, Pickens doesn't believe he has been getting the ball enough. Of course, no wide receiver ever feels they get the ball enough. These players all want the opportunity to help their team. 

The Steelers have had two very ugly losses in a row to the Arizona Cardinals and the New England Patriots and Pickens could be seen open multiple times during the game, and then seen expressing his aggravation over not being targeted. While some of his frustrations might be warranted, the behavior hasn't.

Recently, Brown led a Spaces discussion on X and was asked about Pickens and his attitude. Does Brown think that Pickens' poor behavior is leading to him being frozen out of the offense? Brown was happy to offer Pickens some advice on how to get more on track with his whole team, but especially his quarterback and offensive coordinator.  

"It starts in practice. You can't come to the game and just be emotional about the ball. It starts in the meeting room, going and talking to Coach Tomlin. Coach Tomlin will take you to the offensive coordinator. They used to make a little box for me, because I was one of those guys that needed the ball, and I love those guys who want the ball because they want to be great. But you've got to control that frustration because you don't want the quarterback to get stressed out by you and not want to put you in the position you want to be in," suggests Brown.

Brown both understands and empathizes with Pickens' frustration, he has been there himself. But he said he learned that communication was key. Pickens needs to work with Head Coach Mike Tomlin, the interim offensive coordinator duo of Mike Sullivan and Eddie Faulkner, as well as quarterback Kenny Pickett. 

On top of the need to communicate, Pickens also needs to understand how football morphs as the season goes on. Once the season starts to wind down, headed toward the playoffs, your opponents have lots of film on you and have been watching all season how you are beating, or not, other teams. This means that defensive coordinators will likely double-team Pickens or find creative ways to shut him down. He has to find other ways to help his team and recognize that the group effort matters. Brown said it is important that Pickens finds a way to get involved without turning his teammates against him. 

"You gotta play smarter, you gotta be willing to learn different positions and you gotta be quarterback-friendly. I advise GP to go talk to Pickett, go talk to Tomlin, go talk to the offensive coordinator. And get you a play box so when stuff breaks down, or the game is not going well, you can still be involved to do what you desire to do and that's help the team win. It all starts with leadership, communication, and being on the same page with the people around you. You're only as good as the people around you," said Brown.

Brown said something which was successful for him, was to help the offensive coordinator and the quarterback find those plays that work for everyone. Those magical plays that you can pull out when you need them and they always work. These are the plays that help change the momentum of the game and that is what the Steelers need. 

The Steelers go up against the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis for their next game. It is a must-win contest for both teams and they are desperately trying to hang on to a Wild Card spot for the playoffs. Currently, the Cleveland Browns, who won their Week 14 matchup, hold the fifth seed. The Steelers are sixth and the Colts are seventh.

The Steelers Need To Get On The Same Page According To Antonio Brown

Pittsburgh's second-year quarterback Pickett was injured just before halftime during the Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. This led to veteran backup Mitch Trubisky taking over under center. While Pickett was not playing lights-out football by any means, he was better than Trubisky. 

According to Brown, the team needs to get better in sync. The whole offense has to work together regardless of who the quarterback is. He thinks that lack of familiarity among the players is part of what is going wrong with the offense right now. 

"I feel like these new players, they need to put a lot of time in. Timing is everything - working with the quarterback, being on the same page, being familiar with the quarterback, knowing if the game is not going our way in the first two quarters of the game, what can we go to that we are comfortable in? I'm not saying the Steelers get into anything that they're comfortable in going down the field. I feel like if you're making the guys uncomfortable, then they just stay more and more uncomfortable."

The Steelers seem to be missing that offensive adjustability. Earlier in the season, they were staging a lot of late-game comebacks, but in the past two weeks, they haven't been able to do this successfully. While they tried against the Patriots, it was too little, too late. The team has lacked creative play-calling all season and while it seemed to get a little better after the firing of Matt Canada, it is not enough to satisfy fans. 

What do you think about Brown's comments? Click to comment below. 

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