PITTSBURGH — Chase Claypool finds himself in a position similar to what JuJu Smith-Schuster encountered as a rookie in 2017 — a second-round draft choice playing behind and learning from a 1,000-yard receiver.
Smith-Schuster benefited from the presence of Antonio Brown, too, catching 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns in his second season with the Steelers.
So what has Claypool learned most in his rookie season from watching and being around Smith-Schuster?
How to run routes in the NFL? How to read coverages? What it takes to be prepared as a professional?
Some of that, yes. But that is not what Claypool said the other day when asked what he has learned from the Steelers' leading receiver.
"The biggest thing is how to grow your brand and how to manage that brand," Claypool said. "He's given me good advice. I really don't need to worry too much about, I think, like [letting] the quick start get to me. I don't really want that to change me. I don't think it has. [It] just helps me grow my brand."
Uh, that is not what a franchise that has been dealing with the fallout of Smith-Schuster's disruptive — and potentially costly — "brand" development should want to hear.
The Steelers have already put a stop to Smith-Schuster's pregame antics of dancing on the opposing team's midfield logo and posting the video on social media before the game. (The displays are videoed by Claypool, by the way.) They needed a big hit from Bengals safety Vonn Bell and a fumble by Smith-Schuster, leading to a touchdown, to convince them it's time to act as a parent would when children misbehave.
Now the Steelers will be forced to deal with the fallout from a postgame locker room video in which Smith-Schuster is leading a dance with eight teammates after their division-clinching victory against the Indianapolis Colts. None of the players are wearing a mask in the video, a violation of NFL COVID-19 protocol.
Coach Mike Tomlin has acknowledged the league is looking into the matter, and the penalty could be severe.
Earlier this season, the New Orleans Saints were fined $500,000 and docked a seventh-round draft choice for a "maskless locker-room celebration" by players following their Week 9 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers can expect much the same discipline.
Locker-room celebrations on social media were the specialty of Antonio Brown, who was among several celebrities reportedly paid to post videos on Facebook Live. That included the one that embarrassingly caught Tomlin's profanity-laced speech about the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick after a playoff victory in Kansas City.
Now the Steelers are paying the same price — maybe steeper — with Smith-Schuster, who learned at the foot of Brown. Maybe they should make sure the most important thing Claypool learns from Smith-Schuster is not how to grow his brand.
That behavior is getting to be costly.
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When defensive end Cam Heyward missed the final nine games of the 2016 season with a torn pectoral muscle, he was determined to come back better than ever. And he did.
The following season, he ranked seventh in the NFL with a career-high 12 sacks, tied for fifth with a career-best 19 tackles for loss and was named first-team All-Pro.
Now Heyward is watching a similar comeback from linemate Stephon Tuitt, who missed the final 10 games of the 2019 season with the same injury. And he said it's no coincidence.
"You have to keep in mind we missed the game of football," Heyward said. "When you don't get to be a part of the way the team's going, it hurts you a little bit. It shows up in your work, your strength training, what you should do next year, and you just want to apply it. I think Tuitt's done that."
With one game to go, Tuitt has already set a career-high with 10 sacks, which ranks seventh in the league and third among all defensive linemen. It has moved him into a tie for 13th on the team's all-time sacks list with 32 1/2 . He has more sacks than some of the league's other acclaimed rushers, such as Khalil Mack (8), Joey Bosa (7.5), Fletcher Cox (6.5) and J.J. Watt (5). Tuitt also has 12 tackles for loss and is second on the team with 24 quarterback hits.
"It was only a matter of time before he was going to continue to keep coming out of his shell and keep dominating," Heyward said. "He deserves a lot of credit for the work he put in with his rehab. I'm proud of him. That dude has come a long way. He's truly done an amazing job when you look at where he was two years ago and where he is now."
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One of the negatives of the short passing game employed by the Steelers is Ben Roethlisberger's launch point, otherwise known as the trajectory of his throws. It is much lower. That's why a 6-foot-5 quarterback has had so many batted balls at the line of scrimmage this season.
Not surprisingly, Roethlisberger leads all AFC quarterbacks and is second in the league with 17 passes batted at or behind the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Reference's Advanced Passing stats. The only quarterback with more batted passes is Arizona's Kyler Murray (22), who is 7 inches shorter than Roethlisberger.
Compounding the problem is the Steelers lead the NFL in dropped passes, though the number varies depending which site you choose to believe. Pro Football Reference has the Steelers on top with 39 drops; STATS has them leading with 29 drops.
Either way, that's a lot of balls not ending with the desired target.
