PITTSBURGH, PA — Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher isn’t pleased with where his old team is and the issues they are having effort-wise on the field. And during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, he didn’t hold back on what he felt the issues were.
After wide receiver George Pickens admitted he didn’t block on a potential touchdown run because he was worried about getting injured, many in the fanbase and media began criticizing him. Once Cowher was on the McAfee Show, it didn’t take him long to toss out there that he believes the wideout is some sort of issue that needs to be dealt with.
“It is disappointing to see and hear what George Pickens talks about, because culture really is about commitment and sacrifice,” Cowher said. “You’re not just playing with one another, you’re playing for one another.”
Cowher said he believes Pickens should face discipline from the team after his lack of effort on the field. Head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed earlier in the week that Pickens would play against the Cincinnati Bengals because “he’s got talents, we want to utilize him.”
“To me, it’s all about effort,” Cowher said. “We’re going to make mistakes, I get it, and sometimes we don’t make the right call. But the one thing that should never be questioned is your effort and your ability to be there for your teammate, picking somebody up.
“That is very bothersome. I think there’s got to be consequences for that, so we’ll see what happens with it. He’s going to be held accountable, because you have to have accountability. If you don’t do anything and there’s no consequence to the choice that he made, now you’re losing accountability, and I think that’s a very important element that you have to have in that building.”
While the culture of the Steelers has been in question for several weeks, the Hall of Fame coach doesn’t believe it’s something that can’t be fixed. Unfortunately, it likely won’t be done until after the season.
“Can it get turned around? Yeah,” Cowher said. “I think you have to sit back when the season is over and see what you want to do on the offensive side of the ball. Bring in someone who is established who is going to bring in his system that is going to get back to what Steelers football is all about.”
