Steelers' George Pickens gets frustrated with new WR coach after heated exchange during practice

It may have only taken one day, but Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens is already generating headlines.

Sure he made a couple of nice plays , but it was what happened when practice was over that is garnering attention.

Per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette , Pickens and new WR Coach Zach Azzanni had a heated exchange, with Pickens frustrated by Azzanni’s words.

Pickens frustrated with Azzanni

New receivers coach Zach Azzanni and George Pickens got into a heated exchange late in practice when Azzanni didn't like the way Pickens executed his assignment. Pickens didn't take kindly to Azzanni's words. Some of the other receivers approached Pickens after the exchange, but Pickens was visibly upset.

- Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Now, while it may not be totally fair to Pickens to judge him off one exchange, we have precedent when it comes to some of his behavior concerns , particularly as it pertains to effort, which was reportedly the crux of the issue during Thursday's practice.

Pickens was the talk of the NFL last season after visibly deciding not to block for Jaylen Warren against the Colts. Mike Tomlin's choice not to discipline Pickens was an interesting one, with some hypothesizing that his lack of action may come back to bite him with Pickens.

Fittipaldo took a different stance however, suggesting that it won't be the Steelers who end up as the loser, but rather Pickens if his actions don’t change.

"Listen, George is a pretty sharp guy. He's gotta see the writing on the wall, right? I mean, they got rid of Diontae Johnson because he was a problem. And George Pickens has to know that if he doesn't turn around his act and act in a more appropriate manner on and off the field this season, that he might be the next guy out the door," Fittipaldo told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "Or, at the very least, he's not gonna get a second contract with the Steelers. So, I think George is smart. I think, after today, he probably realizes if he didn't already know it, he is gonna be coached hard...

"...This is a new offensive staff, it's not gonna be the same. And we'll see how this goes, but I thought that was a pretty interesting development that it happened today late in practice."

While I see where Fittipaldo is coming from here, the Steelers don't have a proven commodity in the WR corps outside of Pickens. And sure, I realize Fittiplado is talking about the future and not the present here, but Pickens is only 23 years old and with some hard coaching, (like what happened on Thursday) I'm sure he will continue to develop and mature.

So does Pickens need to get used to a new staff and more specifically a new WR coach thats going to ride him hard?

Yes, he does. But I don't expect this to be the last time Pickens and Azzanni butt heads, and I think it will be beneficial for all parties involved.

Related: Steelers HC Mike Tomlin gives update on Pittsburgh's QB situation following Russell Wilson's injury