Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool believes at the end of the 55th Super Bowl, which will be played between the Chiefs and Buccaneers on Sunday, that the team standing in the midst of all this flying confetti holding up the Lombardi Trophy will …
Waiting. He’s allowed to have an opinion, right?
After all, he said the Browns would be “clapped” by the Chiefs in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, and for that he was annoyed by many in the media and the public – although that prediction turned out to be more or less correct. Maybe he shouldn’t even bother with something as routine as a Super Bowl pick.
“I think Kansas City will win. I just think their firepower with Kelce, Hill and Mahomes could be a little too much to handle, ”Claypool told Sporting News. “But of course I wouldn’t be too surprised if Tom Brady took a win.”
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Claypool also obviously hoped that the Steelers would be back in Tampa, the site of the last of their six Super Bowl victories, to play the game. And he had reason to believe that after most of the regular season was over, the team would be able to get there. The Steelers opened with 11 straight wins and were able to secure number 1 in the AFC. In the last five games, however, they closed with four defeats and were eliminated in the wildcard round of the playoffs against the Browns.
Instead of entering the field at Raymond James Stadium in a combination of black and gold, he will be watching DAZN Canada from home, the streaming sports media provider for which he wrote a series of “Rookie Diaries” in his first year – The NFL made videos.
“I think we had a lot of injuries on our team that got a lot of starters out,” said Claypool. He didn’t mention the names, but they were significant: linebackers Bud Dupree and Devin Bush, and even Bush’s successor, Robert Spillane. “It’s difficult to win a game in the NFL. So if you don’t have all of your guys there, it’s especially difficult.
“I think we’ll be making good progress and using that as a learning experience.”
Claypool told SN that he believes in the Steelers roster, although there are still many future decisions to be made. Wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster is a free agent, along with James Conner and defense attorneys Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton. And quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has announced he wants to return, but Steeler’s President Art Rooney II has made it clear that this is not possible at the current price: a salary of more than $ 41 million.
Claypool has no idea how to solve this.
“I know as much as everyone else. I’m just here waiting to see it, ”he said. He and Roethlisberger combined eight touchdowns and 57 receptions as well as another five catches and two touchdowns in the playoff game in the regular season. But that doesn’t mean he’ll call his QB and ask for inside information.
“I’m just a newbie so I can’t really call him and ask what he’s going to do. He’s been in the league for so long, ”said Claypool. “I’m just waiting to hear, just like everyone else.
“I think he’s obviously a Hall of Fame quarterback. And when you have a Hall of Fame quarterback, you want him to stay as long as possible. “
Claypool was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was selected as the 11th recipient. Many analysts have suggested that there are 10 great prospects available. He was not considered one of them.
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Which was weird because Claypool weighs 6-4, 238 pounds and ran a 40-yard shot of 4.42 at the NFL Combine last year. His senior year at Notre Dame caught 66 passes for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns, and it’s not like those numbers were the result of a high-octane crime.
“I wasn’t like a super showy player in college,” said Claypool. “I think I just did what had to be done. I dropped out of my senior year there and didn’t have a lot of coverage beforehand. So I surprised a few people, which led to the Combine. People have really started getting noticed at the Combine, but by then it’s pretty late to build that momentum. “
He turned out to be one of the most successful receivers of the 2020 draft class. His nine touchdown receptions ranked first among the newbies; He finished fourth in Catches and Yards and was voted into the All-Rookie First Team by the Pro Football Writers of America.
“I just think that preparing and talking to the vets and asking for advice throughout the season – and little things I can do – really helped me,” said Claypool.
He will be leaving Canada in the next few weeks to train in Southern California and prepare for his second NFL season. There he expects to take on established NFL defenders to continue working on how to be successful against them.
“There will be training in the LA and Orange County areas,” said Claypool, “and hopefully I’ll take some of them out and work on the craft that way.”
