Top three on the depth chart, maybe….
Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Chase Claypool recently claimed this past week that he’s a “top three receiver”. If being a top three receiver means catching two touchdown passes a year, I totally agree with him. Move over Davante Adams, there’s a new man in town. If what Chase Claypool says is true, he might just be the next “big thing” this upcoming NFL season.
Chase Claypool Needs to Be Honest with Himself
But unfortunately, it’s not. Look, I’m all for a little motivation to keep yourself in a positive mindset. But when you come out and say things publicly, people are going to judge you for it. If you’re going to stir the pot and get people talking, you better make sure you have something to back it up with. As of right now, Claypool’s expectations for this season have just gone up. If the spotlight is what Claypool wants, he’s got it. Now the real question is, can he make something of it?
As a matter of fact, he’s not even ranked inside the top three stat leaders on his team. In terms of both receptions and touchdowns, Claypool ranks fourth in both categories. He wants to talk about how he’s a top three receiver in the league, when you could also argue that he’s barely even one of the best offensive weapons Pittsburgh has to offer. I’m not trying to call out Claypool for following the “mamba mentality” that so many other athletes live by in this world, but sometimes you have to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.
Remember Lavar Ball?
Listening to what Claypool has to say about himself is seriously giving me some Lavar Ball vibes right now. Like Ball, Chase Claypool likes to pull things out of thin air. Hearing him say that he’s among the leagues best is like hearing Lavar say he could take on Michael Jordan one on one. In the words of Johnny Depp’s lawyer, “it’s heresy”. Unbelievable, implausible, inaccurate. For a lack of a better word, it’s a joke. I’ll believe Chase Claypool the day he goes over a 1000 yards receiving in a season. Please, prove me wrong.
This past season, Claypool has had more offensive pass interference calls (3) than touchdowns (2). If he spent as much time pushing off defensive backs as he did catching passes in the back of the end zone, we’d be having a very different conversation right now. For perspective, Chase Claypool scored less than 10 fantasy points in 13 out of the 15 games that he played in last season. How are NFL fans supposed to believe you when you average just three fantasy points against Cleveland? Cleveland.
At the end of the day, I think Chase Claypool is a good guy. He’s not one to spout off and put himself on a pedestal, and I’m pretty sure the media just misinterpreted a comment that really was only meant for his own conscience. If anything, he probably uses it as fuel to motivate himself, which I can totally get behind. The tricky thing is that when you say it to yourself, its seen as confidence. However, when you come out publicly and say things like this, its easy for you to be labeled by the media as a premadonna. I respect that, and respect him as player, and as a person. There’s a difference between confidence and cockiness, and I don’t think Claypool meant to ruffle any feathers.
This article is very blunt and to the point, but to be fair, top three? Come on now.
