Adages. They are all old. I mean, there aren’t really any new ones.
But this is one of the oldest ones in the NFL --- players are expected to make a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2. Especially the good ones.
That is to say, a marked improvement is projected from a guy like Steelers receiver George Pickens, who in his rookie season showed some brilliant flashes. The second-round pick who is still just 22 reeled in 52 passes for 801 yards and four touchdowns last season.
He did this while also playing largely with a rookie quarterback.
Make no mistake, however, more is expected.
After all, that 6-foot-3 body with the control of a gymnast and eye-popping electricity did things last season few on this roster can do.
“It has to be a big jump,” receiver coach Frisman Jackson said. “The onus is on me to have him take that next step. That big jump that we are all searching for and want, he’s got to be a great player for us.”
And then Jackson said something curious and incredibly truthful.
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“For him to play like he played last year,” Jackson continued … “that’s a failure on my part; that’s a failure on his part. And so, he’s got to play at a great level, the expectation is for him to play at a great level this year.”
Wow. Bold statement right there.
Because, to me at least, if you walked around the St. Vincent crowd at a Training Camp workout in the coming days and asked the fans a simple question, I think you’d get a decisively different answer.
If you asked people “how was George Pickens as a rookie?” it would most likely yield many responses of hope, with a gigantic arrow pointing up.
Maybe it is tough love on behalf of the coaching staff or maybe just a hard nudging at Pickens that there is so much more untapped --- but they want a lot more from him. And they are making it public.
That’s the thing with this guy. The buzz around the South Side right now is that pretty good isn’t going to be anywhere near good enough for Pickens. There is an expectation of great; there’s an expectation he rises to the level of the No. 1 receiver and does that in short order.
This staff wants him among the elite in the AFC.
“George played a lot last year and made a lot of special plays,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “As we all continue to grow as an offense, and we all continue to raise our floor, I think we can see more … there would be no reason to think George won’t flourish as we continue to do that.”
As for his part? Pickens is resolute an improvement will come with reps and further building that working association with his quarterback.
“Me and Kenny have a relationship off the field,” Pickens said. “It is real chemistry now. Now we know, if I’m out there on this certain play, he’s going to me.
“Last year we kind of wanted to go through the reads. We were new here.”
They aren’t anymore. Although just in his second season, lots of noise around the South Side is that excellence is required from Pickens.