Browns Definitely Targeting Steelers' George Pickens Hoping To Eliminate Him With "Designed Trash Talk"

Pittsburgh Steelers mercurial wide receiver George Pickens is the latest polarizing player in the Steel City. They aren't new to this; most wide receivers tend to have a flare for the dramatic, and the Steelers have had their fair share, including Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, and Santonio Holmes, to name a few. Like so many of the ones in the past, Pickens has loads of talent, but his antics sometimes overshadow that. That makes many wonder how much their opponents plan to try to get in his head.  

After Pickens drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, Head Coach Mike Tomlin said that the receiver "has to grow up." Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith said players cannot do things that hurt the team. While Pickens said he never intends to do things that harm the team, it almost appears he cannot control himself sometimes. 

While Pickens didn't draw any flags in the Steelers' loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, it was easy to see his frustration mounting during the game. He never stopped jawing with the Cleveland defenders. Pickens tripped Grant Delpit at one point, but it led to an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Cleveland. Delpit retaliated by ripping out Pickens' mouthpiece, for which he was later fined. At the end of the game, he appeared to be pushed out of bounds by Greg Newsome II and couldn't attempt to catch Russell Wilson's Hail Mary pass. After the game ended, fans criticized Pickens for "fighting" with Newsome and not attempting to catch the pass. 

Now, the Steelers are gearing up to play their second game against the Browns, and Zac Jackson from The Athletic joined The 93.7 The Fan Morning Show for a "Behind Enemy Lines Segment." Jackson, a Cleveland insider, was asked if the Browns players and Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz would intentionally try to get under Pickens' skin. 

"I bet it's on the board," Jackson chuckled. "It's just what they do, and it drives fans here crazy because they just dance like crazy, and they are awful. But they talk, Delpit's a talker, Newsome's a talker. Obviously, Pickens and Newsome had the incident. If Newsome is covering Pickens, things have gone really poorly for the Browns. I think it will mostly be Denzel Ward. I look for some designed trash talk and trying to draw 15-yard penalties, trying to force Tomlin into a spot where he has to yank Pickens off the field because obviously there's a big drop off when that happens."

It is easy to understand why the Browns would want to eliminate Pickens. He is the only consistently elite receiver the Steelers have, and his talent is indisputable. He has a knack for getting open and creating separation, and almost no one is better at contested catches. 

After the game ended, Pickens called the Browns "bad," which many criticized, considering they'd just beaten the Steelers. Over the past two weeks, his actions have made himself a hot topic; many feel he is a ticking time bomb. 

Steelers Already Have The Browns Wound Up

Let's face it: beating the Steelers occasionally is the Browns' version of the Super Bowl. However, it isn't hard to understand the venom these two teams feel for each other. The Steelers need to be careful with this team. They have nothing to lose and need to win this game to even sniff the playoffs.

The Browns say they aren't that worried about coming to Pittsburgh. Delpit recently told the media that the Steelers are the ones who need to watch out, adding that they are going to let Pickens do what he does and "be bad." 

Schwartz defended Newsome's fight with Pickens and said that emotions are high. That's how Pittsburgh-Cleveland games go. He said they know what this rivalry is about and are ready. 

How do you think Pickens will do against the Browns? Click to comment below. 

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