Chase Claypool thinks music is the key to improving Steelers' practices
The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered an embarrassing 41-10 blowout to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, and wide receiver Chase Claypool thinks he knows how to fix things going forward: play music during practice to make it more fun.
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
Claypool admitted that having music at practice is something he's wanted for awhile, but he respects that Tomlin isn't a "music at practice" kind of guy.
Just got off a Zoom call with Steelers wideout Chase Claypool, who suggested that playing music at practice might help the team prepare better. But he said he's had that thought since he first got here as a rookie, and that Mike Tomlin has been doing this a long time.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) November 29, 2021
Steelers players keep talking about practice
Claypool isn't the first Steelers player to have mentioned the quality of practice in recent weeks. It appears to have started when linebacker Joe Schobert mentioned it following the Steelers' tie with the Detroit Lions in Week 10.
“When repeat mistakes show up, you have to start emphasizing them in practice,” Schobert said via SteelersNow. “Which we have been doing, but it’s a learning process. You try to start doing it all the time in practice to have a carryover. You can’t just do it one week and expect it to produce on game day. You’ve gotta stack your weeks and your practices on top of each other to be able to carry it over.”
After Schobert said the Steelers essentially need to start taking practice more seriously, Tomlin brushed it off.
“I have no issue with how we practice and I’m sure Joe doesn’t,” Tomlin said. “I’m sure he was just answering questions after a football game.”
Tomlin said that practices are fine, so end of story, right? Nope. Practice came up again after the Bengals stomped all over the Steelers. Claypool made his comment on Monday about adding music to lighten the mood at practice, which is essentially the opposite of what Schobert said a few weeks earlier. Then Minkah Fitzpatrick also chimed in on Monday with his take, which definitely falls into the Schobert school of thought.
Minkah Fitzpatrick said he believes the Steelers D has to change what they do during the week -- things like taking more reps in practice, moving faster in walkthrough etc.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 29, 2021
The game results from this season make it clear that the Steelers are in trouble, and this continuing practice narrative only drives that point home. Two players have publicly said they feel the Steelers could improve by making practice more productive. One player has publicly said he thinks the Steelers could benefit from making practice more fun. But the head coach thinks everything is perfectly fine.
We have no way of knowing if practice is actually fine, but one thing is clear: Something isn't right with the Steelers, and time is running out for them to fix it.