George Pickens Gets Into Heated Exchange With Steelers WRs Coach

George Pickens’ effort has been called into question before.

And the 23-year-old wideout took exception to new Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni calling him out for questionable effort during practice last week, leading to a “heated exchange” between the two, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“Pickens didn’t take kindly to Azzanni’s words,” Fittipaldo wrote . “Some of the other receivers approached Pickens after the exchange, but Pickens was visibly upset.

“…Azzanni challenged Pickens in a way that Frisman Jackson, the Steelers’ receivers coach the past two seasons, never did — at least on the practice field. Azzanni’s in-your-face style might be a change from what Pickens has been used to as a professional, but he said he has had tough coaching in the past.”

Cooler heads eventually prevailed as Pickens and Azzanni appear to be on good terms now. Pickens even praised Azzanni’s coaching style, which he likened to one of the top head coaches in college football.

“[Azzanni is] a great guy; high energy for sure,” Pickens told reporters on Sunday. “[Georgia head coach] Kirby Smart is kind of like that, so I had a coach like that in college. It’s not a huge change for me. That’s just coach Z’s personality.”

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