See, I don’t think he’s talented enough for the headache. Tomlin sucks but throwing fits about not getting the ball enough isn’t going to go away with a more strict coach.
I honestly feel like Pickens isn’t a great route runner and struggles to get open. He’s fantastic at winning battles in 1 on 1 balls but I don’t think the rest of his skill set is on par with that.
He's not the best route runner, but he's big, fast, physical, has great hands, great body control. He's not AB, but he'd be in the running for the 2nd most talented WR that Tomlin has had.
I'm not trying to defend him. Again, I was pointing out the red flags last year. I think someone even called me racist for it. He needs to handle it better, but the frustration is understandable. If the offense was putting up 30 points a game and they were winning and he was doing this, that's a cut bait and run type of situation.
Good coaching can and should keep most of in check, but Tomlin doesn't even see it as an issue. It's "a pebble in his shoe". He doesn't need to be a saint for it to be worth it either. People forget that Ward held out and had public fights with Ben. Shit happens on a team, but the team leaders, be it players or coaches, need to resolve it when it happens. That type of leadership is long gone in this franchise, though, and that's why things like this keep happening over and over and over again.
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