Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin's deaf ear to criticism of George Pickens shows he's not listening to his quarterbacks either

I’m sure Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin thought he was simply supporting George Pickens by turning a deaf ear to criticism of the rookie wide receiver.

But in doing so, Tomlin also turned a blind eye to the needs of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Pickens took some fan and media heat for sulking on the bench during the Steelers win Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons. Then he got even more criticism for demonstrably complaining about not getting the ball enough later in the game.

The first-year product from Georgia had just one catch for 2 yards during the game.

“I’d rather say ‘woah’ than ‘sic ’em.’ I want a guy that wants to be a significant part of what it is that we do. The appropriate and professional and mature way to express that, we’re growing and working on. But that competitive spirit, the guy that wants the ball, I want that guy,” Tomlin said during his weekly Tuesday press conference.

“This is professional football. These guys know that they have to deliver. So, for a guy that wants to do that, I’m not going to make that a negative, no matter how silly I think the commentary is or people talking about him expressing frustrations and stuff and trying to make it a negative storyline. I laugh at that. Again, that’s one of the reasons why we’re continually progressing because we’re capable of tuning that BS out.”

Well, for a guy who is “tuning out” all that BS, Tomlin sure appears to have heard a lot of it.

Here’s something else I wish he had heard, though: complaints from his quarterbacks about exactly that kind of behavior.

After the loss to the New England Patriots in Week 2, Mitch Trubisky talked about too many people calling for the ball and carping about play calls in the huddle.

“When everybody is saying ‘call this play, call that play,’ it makes it tough for everybody to do their jobs. I think everybody just needs to worry about their job,” Trubisky said on Sept. 18. “That’s my take on it. … Everyone’s got suggestions. Everybody wants the ball in their hands. I want the ball in my hands. We’ve got a bunch of talent, and we’ve just got to figure out what works best for us.”

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Shortly after Pickett took over the starting job, he was asked about that issue and said, “I just like a clean huddle. I want everyone to hear the call. I want everyone to be on their Ps and Qs of what they have to do. I don’t want to come back and hear a guy say he didn’t hear it because they were talking and stuff like that.”

Imagine how hard that is to do if Pickens is yapping in one of Pickett’s ears, and Diontae Johnson is griping in the other.

Maybe those two are saving their exasperation for sideline temper tantrums and media grumbling. But if Tomlin is going to enable Pickens like that, what’s preventing him taking his discontent into the huddle?

Tomlin can default to his old, reliable “I’d rather say woah, than sic ’em” trope all he wants. But that’s usually better served when describing a guy who is occasionally a little too aggressive carrying a block “beyond the echo of the whistle.” In this case, Tomlin shouldn’t have to say “woah” or “sic ’em.” He shouldn’t have to say anything, because Pickens shouldn’t be saying anything in the first place.

He’s a rookie. He has one 100-yard game to his credit. Be quiet. Get open. And the ball will find you.

As a fellow first-year player, don’t make Pickett’s job harder than it already is. As narcissistic as Antonio Brown was, at least he waited until he had a few 1,000-yard seasons under his belt until he turned into a diva. And at least when he was spouting off about not getting the ball against the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, he was doing it with a 13-year veteran quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger commanding the huddle that could feel comfortable “tuning out” his noise.

Pickett is a rookie. He’s still feeling out this whole NFL routine. On his podcast this week, Roethlisberger outlined how it was obvious that Pickett threw a pass to Pickens after he was spotted pouting on the sidelines, just to keep him happy. Roethlisberger could do that stuff with more than a decade of experience under his belt. It’s the last thing in the world Pickett should have to worry about.

And to be fair to Trubisky, he never should’ve had to be burdened by it either, two weeks into quarterbacking a brand new team.

Tomlin can “laugh at” criticism of Pickens all he wants. But it’s valid. It’s valid because there is on-field, actual football residue to this conversation. It’s not just about defending Pickens’ image or reputation.

If complaints from Pickens (and maybe Johnson) are the kinds of things that could negatively impact the execution of the offense and Pickett’s ability to command the huddle, then, sorry, Mike … it’s time to say “woah.”

If Pickens wants the ball, let him “sic ’em” in the other team’s secondary. The ball will find him there soon enough.