Though he claims he hasn’t seen the video of it, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he is aware that his best wide receiver was in the middle of a scuffle during a last-second desperation Hail Mary attempt during this past Thursday’s game.
But Tomlin expressed that he does not blame George Pickens for failing to perform his duties as the “point man” meant to “high-point” the pass falling in the end zone. Instead, Tomlin pointed the finger at the player Pickens was skirmishing with.
“I think their actions had something with (Pickens) not being in position to (make a play on the ball),” Tomlin said with a chuckle during his weekly news conference Tuesday.
Browns cornerback Greg Newsome was engaged with Pickens as each ran down the right side of the field in the waning moments of what ended up a 24-19 Cleveland victory Thursday. As Russell Wilson’s pass was landing — it was batted down harmlessly by the Browns — Pickens and Newsome were shoving each other out of the back of the end zone.
As the Browns went to celebrate, Pickens and Newsome remained engaged by a padded wall in front of seating in the back of the end zone. Stadium security broke the two up.
Tomlin said he had not heard from the NFL about any discipline for Pickens in regards to the sequence.
Tomlin also was evasive in reacting to Pickens’ comments after the game in which he blamed officiating and the snowy conditions for the loss and added: “’I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all.”
“I am not gonna add color to (any of his players’) comments,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “Their comments and thoughts and feelings are their own. I don’t want them to be robots; I don’t tell them what to think or say. I have just learned over the years just to not add color to what people say or their comments. Those are their comments and thoughts.”
Here’s a look at what Tomlin had to say:
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on handling the attention of HBO’s Hard Knocks covering the in-season battle for the AFC North. pic.twitter.com/ZV8uwyQPob
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) November 26, 2024
