During his interview session with the media, Faulkner expressed his belief in Pickens as a player and his passion for the game altogether.
"Being here with George every day, I know he's a guy that loves it," Faulkner said. " He loves ball, he works at it, he wants to be good and that's where you find your peace and knowing that you can bring him along in that regard because he loves ball, and that's the approach."
Even with this, there are still many questioning his effort level due to a widely shared clip in which he refused to block Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones on Jaylen Warren's run during the game. Rather than addressing Pickens specifically, Faulkner restated the notion of bringing the issue to the group's attention and working through it together.
"You address it, you present it to the group, you make sure that it is called out amongst the guys and they understand where your stance is and then you move on from that.”
Whether the message is getting through to Pickens remains to be seen. What can be said is that Faulkner and the rest of the coaching staff are not ready to give up on the idea that he can mature and continue to be an asset to the team.
It is easy to forget that the Steelers are still fighting for their playoff lives as they prepare to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, with all of the media focus around Pickens. They definitely need Pickens, despite his shortcomings, if they want to maintain their chances of making the playoffs.