Mark Madden's Hot Take: George Pickens' outburst wasn't a problem, but where does it lead?

Wide receiver George Pickens exploded on the Pittsburgh Steelers sideline last Sunday at Atlanta because he wants the ball more.

Pickens’ outburst has been excused by his coach, teammates and the media that cover the Steelers.

A competitor should want the ball, we’re told. You’d rather have to say “whoa” than “sic ’em,” we’ve heard it said.

That’s true, if you view the incident as self-contained. As a single helping, it’s no big deal.

But it likely won’t be a single helping.

The problem isn’t the incident itself. It’s where it leads.

You pop off because you want additional targets and before you know it, you’re holed up in your house with police at the door brandishing an arrest warrant.

Excusing boorish behavior enables it and makes repetition probable.

Antonio Brown joined the Steelers as a sixth-round pick in 2010. Brown got away with a little. Then he got away with a lot. He ultimately quit on the Steelers, but not before shredding their team-first culture.

The damage Brown did still resonates. The Steelers became like a high school: The cool kids matter, not the valedictorians.

Some point out that Mike Tomlin got more out of Brown than any of his other coaches. It’s true that Tomlin kept Brown on the field, and Brown did get big numbers.

But did the Steelers win enough? Winning is the purpose, not satiating malcontents so they don’t complain.

Brown grumbled anyway. That’s what enabling does.

Pickens was known as a bit of a diva at the University of Georgia. Instead of nipping that tendency in the bud when Pickens is a rookie, that can gets kicked further down the road.

Pickens doubtless will be force-fed targets Sunday vs. Baltimore. He’s this week’s squeaky wheel.

Tomlin often gets accused of winning Super Bowl XLIII with Bill Cowher’s players. Cowher was Tomlin’s predecessor as Steelers coach.

But I don’t buy that. Whoever coaches wins. Maybe Cowher didn’t win enough with those players.

But Tomlin did inherit a great group of leaders from Cowher: Alan Faneca, James Farrior, Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith, among others.

They policed the culture. Not Tomlin. As those leaders retired, the culture collapsed thanks to the toxicity of players like Brown and Le’Veon Bell.

If that’s not true, well, it can’t be proven by all the playoff games won since Cowher’s core of leaders aged out.

But did you know Tomlin never has had a losing season?