George Pickens' First Presser: Sees Himself in Freshman Burton
After practice Friday, Sophomore wideout George Pickens spoke to the media about the new offense, Monken, Burton and Mathis. We have all become accustomed to Kirby's rule, not allowing freshman to speak to the media so this was Pickens' first time. Here is what he had to say:
On what it is like playing and practicing under Todd Monken and what has changed for him...
"The biggest thing that has changed for me as a receiver under Coach Monken was just the split adjust, me being an outside edge or me being an inside edge. I feel like that helped me a lot, knowing he is an NFL guy...he and Coach Hankton are just two guys who can really help me improve."
When asked about freshman wideout Jermaine Burton...
"He reminds me a lot of myself when I first came in."
On how he dealt with the pressure coming in as a freshman and how his teammates D’Wan Mathis and Jermaine Burton have dealt with the expectations…
"Coming in from Alabama as a freshman and the expectations that people had for me— I was really just working hard every day. I knew that was the standard at the school I chose, and I feel like Jermaine Burton knows the standard is the same thing, and so does D’Wan [Mathis]. All three of us are just going to work hard, and I think that’s what we’re all doing."
Pickens, of course, was also asked a few questions about the penalty/ejection during the Georgia Tech game. This is what he had to say about that:
“It’s really just about staying wholesome. I make so many big plays I see on the internet or things like that, and I see them getting riled up, but knowing me, I just have to stay calm and play as a team. This year, I’m mostly just focused on the team, because I see now that the team can win you a National Championship. The team can win you an SEC Championship. If your team is grounded, then you’re going to win.”
From this presser alone, it appears that Pickens has matured a lot in the offseason and is poised to be one of the best receivers in the SEC if not the country. Hearing what he had to say about Burton and especially Monken should be very encouraging for Dawgs fans as there have been many unknowns for this offense going into the season. What we do know, No.1 is going to ball out and set records.
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