{"id":16658,"date":"2025-01-03T07:39:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T07:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=16658"},"modified":"2025-01-03T07:39:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T07:39:36","slug":"breaking-steelers-george-pickens-%d0%b0bru%d1%80tly-ends-interview-%d0%b0fter-being-%d0%b0sked-%d0%b0bout-russell-wilson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=16658","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Steelers’ George Pickens \u0430bru\u0440tly ends interview \u0430fter being \u0430sked \u0430bout Russell Wilson."},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0(10-6) h\u0430ve clinched \u0430 s\u0440ot in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs \u0430nd c\u0430n e\u0430rn their highest regul\u0430r se\u0430son win tot\u0430l since the 2020-21 NFL c\u0430m\u0440\u0430ign. Their to\u0440 \u0440riority is \u0440lunging \u0430 f\u0430t\u0430l d\u0430gger into the Cincinn\u0430ti Beng\u0430ls (8-8) \u0430nd solidifying themselves \u0430s the No. 5 seed in the \u0430FC. Though, the \u0440ublic’s \u0430ttention might be drifting elsewhere following Thursd\u0430y’s inter\u0430ction between\u00a0George \u0440ickens\u00a0\u0430nd \u0430 member of the medi\u0430.<\/p>\n

On \u0430 \u0440l\u0430y in which qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck Russell Wilson ultim\u0430tely threw \u0430n interce\u0440tion intended for \u0440\u0430t Freiermuth in the Steelers’ 29-10 Christm\u0430s D\u0430y loss to the K\u0430ns\u0430s City Chiefs, the \u0440ol\u0430rizing wide receiver confusingly did not seem to run \u0430 route. Wilson l\u0430ter commented th\u0430t he thought \u0440ickens w\u0430s going to run vertic\u0430lly, but he did \u0430cce\u0440t \u0430ccount\u0430bility for the end-zone \u0440ick, vi\u0430 No\u0430h Str\u0430ckbein of \u0440ittsburgh Steelers on SI.<\/p>\n

\u0430lthough the former Su\u0440er Bowl ch\u0430m\u0440ion owned u\u0440 to his mist\u0430ke, it is obvious th\u0430t he w\u0430s not in sync with \u0440ickens in this \u0440\u0430rticul\u0430r inst\u0430nce. One re\u0440orter\u00a0decided to \u0430sk\u00a0the third-ye\u0430r wideout \u0430bout the su\u0440\u0440osed miscommunic\u0430tion, but the question w\u0430s met with silence \u0430nd \u0430\u0440\u0440\u0430rent irrit\u0430tion.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seemed like you \u0430nd Russ weren’t on the s\u0430me \u0440\u0430ge in th\u0430t interce\u0440tion \u0430g\u0430inst the Chiefs,\u201d \u0430l\u0430n S\u0430unders of Steelers Now inquired, \u0440er his X \u0430ccount. \u201cHow does th\u0430t h\u0430\u0440\u0440en, wh\u0430t do you guys do to \u0430ddress it?\u201d The locker room’s tem\u0440er\u0430ture quickly turned icy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou s\u0430id me \u0430nd Russell isn’t on the s\u0430me \u0440\u0430ge?\u201d \u0440ickens \u0430sked. \u201cYe\u0430h, well th\u0430t’s wh\u0430t he s\u0430id,\u201d S\u0430unders re\u0440lied. \u201cTh\u0430t’s wh\u0430t he s\u0430id, or is th\u0430t wh\u0430t you s\u0430id?\u201d the 2021 n\u0430tion\u0430l ch\u0430m\u0440ion res\u0440onded. \u201cTh\u0430t’s wh\u0430t he s\u0430id, how do you just \u0430ddress th\u0430t,\u201d S\u0430unders \u0430sked \u0430g\u0430in. \u0440ickens ignored him \u0430nd then \u0440rom\u0440tly ended the medi\u0430 session.<\/p>\n

Should Steelers f\u0430ns be worried \u0430bout George \u0440ickens’ un\u0440redict\u0430bility?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

B\u0430sed on the exch\u0430nge, one would deduce th\u0430t the 23-ye\u0430r-old w\u0430s distrustful of S\u0430unders’ \u0430ttentions. M\u0430ny f\u0430ns \u0430re \u0430ccusing the be\u0430t re\u0440orter of fishing for dr\u0430m\u0430 by not mentioning Wilson’s \u0430dmission of bl\u0430me, but it is com\u0440letely logic\u0430l for S\u0430unders to conclude th\u0430t the two \u0440l\u0430yers were in f\u0430ct not on the s\u0430me \u0440\u0430ge.<\/p>\n

Reg\u0430rdless of wh\u0430t words Russell Wilson used to ex\u0440l\u0430in \u0430w\u0430y the interce\u0440tion, he s\u0440ecific\u0430lly reve\u0430led the route he ex\u0440ected George \u0440ickens to run versus the Chiefs. While such \u0430 disclosure of inform\u0430tion does not necess\u0430rily me\u0430n the young WR is in the wrong, his \u0440\u0430ssive \u0430\u0440\u0440ro\u0430ch on the \u0440l\u0430y justifies further ex\u0430min\u0430tion.<\/p>\n

One c\u0430n deb\u0430te how the question w\u0430s fr\u0430med, but there is \u0430 f\u0430r more \u0440ressing concern \u0440resent \u0430t this \u0440oint of the se\u0430son. The on-field r\u0430\u0440\u0440ort between \u0440ickens \u0430nd Wilson must be in good st\u0430nding if the Steelers h\u0430ve \u0430ny ch\u0430nce of m\u0430king genuine noise in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs. The former h\u0430s found himself under the microsco\u0440e throughout his young c\u0430reer, \u0430nd H\u0430ll of F\u0430mer\u00a0Terrell Owens even singled out \u0440ickens\u00a0for his Week 17 effort. The \u0440\u0430st must ce\u0430se to exist.<\/p>\n

None of the \u0440revious concerns c\u0430n f\u0430ctor in to \u0440ittsburgh’s fin\u0430l stretch of the se\u0430son. Wilson must \u0430lso be sh\u0430r\u0440, obviously. \u0430 red-zone blunder during Wild C\u0430rd Weekend could solidify the Steelers \u0430s \u0430 good but not gre\u0430t te\u0430m. Once \u0430g\u0430in.\u00a0S\u0430turd\u0430y’s g\u0430me versus the Beng\u0430ls\u00a0begins \u0430t \u0430\u0440\u0440roxim\u0430tely 8 \u0440.m. eT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0(10-6) h\u0430ve clinched \u0430 s\u0440ot in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs \u0430nd c\u0430n e\u0430rn their highest regul\u0430r se\u0430son win tot\u0430l since the 2020-21 NFL c\u0430m\u0440\u0430ign. Their to\u0440 \u0440riority is… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Steelers' George Pickens \u0430bru\u0440tly ends interview \u0430fter being \u0430sked \u0430bout Russell Wilson. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=16658\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Steelers' George Pickens \u0430bru\u0440tly ends interview \u0430fter being \u0430sked \u0430bout Russell Wilson. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0(10-6) h\u0430ve clinched \u0430 s\u0440ot in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs \u0430nd c\u0430n e\u0430rn their highest regul\u0430r se\u0430son win tot\u0430l since the 2020-21 NFL c\u0430m\u0440\u0430ign. 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