Mike Tomlin has harsh response to Chase Claypool’s ‘fun’ suggestion
The Pittsburgh Steelers were completely embarrassed by the division rival Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, and Mike Tomlin knows the team needs to make changes going forward. The music situation at practice is not going to be one of them.
After Pittsburgh’s 41-10 loss to the Bengals, wide receiver Chase Claypool told reporters that he feels the Steelers need to make practices “more fun.” In order to achieve that, he said they could try playing music during practice like they do in warmups before games.
Asked what could be done to help improve Steelers’ practice, Chase Claypool suggested playing music.
Claypool: “We have music in the warm ups and that, so it's fun. People are dancing, having fun. So I think maybe music would make practice more more fun and little more uptempo.”
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 29, 2021
Tomlin didn’t seem to appreciate the feedback. The coach was asked about it on Tuesday, and he essentially told Claypool to stay in his lane.
Mike Tomlin on Chase Claypool's suggestion they should play music and make practice more fun:
"Claypool plays wide out and I'll let him do that. I'll formulate the practice approach and I think that division of labor is appropriate."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 30, 2021
That was friendly compared to what veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward said about Claypool’s comments. During a radio appearance on Tuesday morning, Heyward said he hopes his teammate was joking about playing music.
Heyward added on @DVERADIO, if Claypool wasn't kidding "He's going to be shocked because there isn't going to be anything playing at practice."
— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) November 30, 2021
Claypool is only in his second NFL season, but he certainly is not afraid to speak his mind. The former Notre Dame star made himself look bad after the Steelers’ playoff loss last year, and his music suggestion isn’t the best look, either. He should probably learn to say less, especially when his team is struggling.