Former Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark believes the team’s receiver room has been a “cancer” for years which he called “absolutely unacceptable.”
Clark made the comments on “NFL Live” Thursday, citing a lack of accountability which has allowed the problem to fester. He cited the issues within the room when Antonio Brown was present and the ones that remain with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens spearheading the group.
“The other piece of it for me is the state of the room, the wide receiver room. From Antonio Brown to JuJu [Smith-Schuster] to Chase Claypool to Diontae [Johnson] and now to George Pickens, there’s been a cancer in that room. I don’t know how it started,” Clark said, via Steelers Depot. “I don’t know if it’s Coach Tomlin’s ability or willingness to let you be authentically you. But something needs to change. What’s happened generation to generation, era to era, year to year in that room has been unacceptable.”
The Steelers’ receiver room has come under scrutiny this season for showing a lack of effort during games. Pickens notably made a business decision this past Saturday in declining to block for running back Jaylen Warren on a play in the first quarter of the 30-13 Week 15 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts (8-6).
Pickens, who drew widespread criticism for his effort on the play which prevented Warren from getting into the end zone for six, said Tuesday he didn’t want to get injured while blocking.
“I was just trying to prevent the Tank Dell situation, the same thing that happened to [him],” Pickens said. “I ain’t want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too low, you can get ran up on very easily.”
Steelers’ George Pickens calls out media for criticism
Pickens called out the media for criticizing him, saying those that are questioning him “don’t play football.”
“All the people that’s questioning my effort, they don’t play football, they do what y’all [in the media] do… all that people that got opinions, they’re media, surface guys. None of them play football,” Pickens said.
Tomlin said Wednesday he’d like Pickens “to be more professional in terms of addressing his shortcomings” with the media, but that the team isn’t giving up on helping him grow as both a player and person.
“He’s got talents, we want to utilize them,” Tomlin said. “He’s very much in growth and development. But it would be the same if we were winning games. Or if he said appropriate things to you guys yesterday. You guys might have gone away, but that wouldn’t have made me any more comfortable about this process that he’s going through. It is ongoing and continual and it will continue to require our attention.”
The Steelers have dropped three consecutive games after a 7-4 start, falling out of a playoff spot in the AFC. They look to get off the schneid in Saturday’s Week 16 home contest against the Cincinnati Bengals (8-6).
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