Steelers' Tomlin calls on George Pickens to 'grow up' after flags - ESPN

CINCINNATI — Third-year Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens drew the ire of his head coach for drawing two costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty flags in Sunday's 44-38 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

«He's just got to grow up, man,» coach Mike Tomlin said. «This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He got a target on his back because he's George, he understands that. But he's got to grow up. He's got to grow up in a hurry.»

Pickens, who was also involved in a scuffle with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II during a Hail Mary attempt last week, led the Steelers with 74 yards receiving on three catches with a touchdown, but he drew 15-yard penalties after two of his catches. He also punted the ball into the stands after scoring the 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter, a celebration that could earn him a fine from the NFL.

After the game, Pickens said there wasn't anything he needed to do differently in those situations.

«No, honestly, like I said, I can just keep running my routes, keep playing,» he said. «We got refs out there to make certain calls for certain penalties, certain flags. If they don't make it, then I'm pretty sure they'll take it up [inaudible].»

He added: «To be honest, it was kind of a ticky-tack game, and I'm just glad we came out with the dub.»

Pickens was called for his first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as he threw the ball down at a gaggle of Bengals defenders after making a 21-yard snag on the third drive of the first quarter. The Steelers were still credited with the first down, but the penalty resulted in just a 6-yard gain.

Then in the third quarter, Pickens was flagged for another unsportsmanlike penalty when he appeared to make a gun-like