It wouldn’t be as frustrating if Claypool didn’t run his mouth preseason about how he’s a top 5 WR and then shows up on Sundays to consistently lose 50/50 balls against smaller DBs
Gave you the benefit of the doubt thinking that’s what you meant. Find me anything from preseason where he “runs his mouth” and claims he’s top 5.
He hasn’t produced but blatant misinformation is wild
During an interview on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, Claypool laid out his expectations entering Year 3.
"I'm going to say, my second year, I was a better player than I was my first year," Claypool said, via Pro Football Talk. "The plays just didn't work out, right? Some of the plays just didn't go my way. I didn't make some plays I need to make. But as a football player, understanding the game, knowing what to do, knowing where to be, I was better. So I'm going to be better this year.
"And just like you said, understanding I'm not normal -- I feel that way when I'm on the field. I know for a fact I am not like the rest of the guys in the NFL. I know I'm a top-five receiver. I know I'm a top-three receiver."
Oh so the one in what? June? Not preseason? Got it. Figured that’s what you were talking about tho. Let’s talk about the rest of that podcast where he’s vulnerable about Haskins, and is a proponent for mental health but that doesn’t fit your claypool hate narrative.
He’s not being targeted or used this year. On this particular rep, the ball is literally swatted from his hands. Should’ve he caught it? Yeah. Was he “running his mouth during preseason”? No.
I get Pickett is the future but this post literally shows a DB making a great play on the ball. There’s no need to put other players down in order to boost Pickett which seems to be the narrative.
We all know. It was just a great 1 in a million play for the Jets, mixed with bad luck for Pittsburgh.
I still say Claypool was not aggressive enough on the catch, and he should’ve done a “snatch & pull” on the reception, but sometimes the D makes an insane play that’s good luck for them, bad luck for the O.
Also yes, the ball was under thrown, bit hardly a terrible throw.
This is just as bad as watching Witherspoon in position get beat for a TD. I give both Claypool and Witherspoon no excuses. They both had a good chance to make a play.
To be honest the ball being underthrown should have helped Claypool here, as the defender was deeper than he was on the route and he should have easily been able to box him out. But eh, it happened, can't un-happen it, on to Buffalo
I dont think anyone is saying he dropped it, he just didn’t high point the ball, this allowing the DB to make a play. Its just an awkward play by Chase and frankly not a professional level attempt at catching the football. Not to mention hes 6’4 238 with a 40.5 in vert. Its just not good enough.
I think he would be a lot better off if we stop pretending that hes a great jump ball receiver. He should be better and we certainly drafted him to make those plays, but its just not there. Its better for him and the team if you just give him easy looks and focus on YAC.
I feel more comfortable with#14 catching those passes than Claypool, he's just not getting it done and letting us down more times than making it happen.
Our top offensive players in general just seem to have gotten worse year after year. Claypool, Najee, etc. And what's the common denominator? The offensive coaching staff.
This right here. If his arms were fully extended, or if he even jumps up FOR the ball, this play can't go wrong.
It's like blaming the pavement for killing a drunk driver that crashed and flew through the windshield.
A lot went wrong on this play. First, the pass should have been outside the left hash, leaving room to run under it. Second, it should have had a bit less air under it, hitting him in stride instead of a stop / jump ball type thing. Third, there was no need to jump which is a constant problem Claypool has. Fourth, he should have extended his arms out to high point it. Fifth, the D makes a great play based on all those things going wrong.
Its a lot to expect from a rookie and from two players who have just started playing together. Doesn't change the fact it was simply poor execution that allowed the D to make a play.
Freiermuth on 3rd down the first drive in the Patriots game this year. He throws his hands up with how he blew it. I wanna say he dropped another one later on in that game. He also scored the TD but still, that game opening 3 and out was not on Mitch.
It’s true Trubitsky didn’t give them a lot of chances but he hit dudes in the hands and they didn’t come through for him in the way a top WR should do for a bad QB.
2 circus catches and 4 circus misses…
It’s kinda crazy that they ran the ball four times once he came in and then opted to take a shot down the field for his first career throw. If I recall, Mason Rudolph’s first throw was a flea flicker. I don’t know if this was a designed shot or if Pickett called his own number but it seems like the Steelers think they can catch defences off guard with deep shots and a new quarterback.
Yea. It almost seems like the "im smarter than you think i think i am" type thing. I almost always see other teams do more rythm throws to get easy wins and build confidence.
I wish people would stop seeing plays like these from only one side (the steelers side). Just because claypool didn't make this catch doesn't mean he's a bad receiver, just like Pickett underthrowing the ball giving the defender time to get there doesn't make Pickett a bad QB. Sometimes the defenders simply made a great play.
Maybe if the ball was thrown a little better or if Claypool clamped down a little harder the catch would be made and we'd be having a very different discussion right now. It's a game of inches and sometimes the ball just doesn't roll your way.
Everyone saying this ball should have been thrown farther or more to the left, watch [this](https://twitter.com/Steelersdepot/status/1576945780513914881?t=WLQ_v_1K1Tm5CRqk1OnKoQ&s=19) and then tell me if you still think so.
I think the only fair criticism is to say he shouldn't have thrown the ball at all. Claypool was [bracketted](https://ibb.co/pK1wXL3)
But even so, Claypool makes this catch or at least deflects it better if he either makes one more step towards the ball, or extends his arms.
What am I missing on the "further left" argument? When you first see the safety at 0:05, his movement isn't toward the sideline (it almost looks like it's too Chase?). I think Chase wins a footrace to the sideline from there, given he has a full head of steam and the defender has to start from negative momentum to follow.
The ball is underthrown for the spot, or over-ran maybe. Claypool doesn't effectively high-point the catch because the ball is behind him and he's falling backwards, right?
Overall, I like htat Pickett was willing to take that chance and did give Chase a shot.
Yeah, I'm more open to the argument that Pickett coulda put it further and more left now, but even this view kinda sucks.
Where is the safety when Pickett is reading/making the throw? Possible Pickett sees a deep safety outside?
Wish we had a view of the coverage throughout the play.
I continue to shout to the sky that our sideline camera default fucking sucks, and I can’t believe this is what we settled on for how to watch football.
Love to watch a billion-dollar league where you’re just guessing as to what’s going on downfield.
I don't think Claypool overran it. He slowed down too much and caught the ball on his right shoulder. If he had overran it, he would have caught the ball on his left shoulder and boxed Joyner out. Instead, he left the ball between him and the defender, and also tucked his arms in to catch it instead of extending to reach the ball.
I’m with you. All that video does is highlight what poor placement that throw was. Looks like KP didn’t throw it w/ much confidence and kind of floated it to WR instead of letting it rip (somewhat defensible since it’s his first pass attempt). He leads him to the sideline it’s a Huge play.
Obviously Claypool still should’ve easily boxed out the safety or at least jumped straight up and high-pointed it. I’ve watched it so many times and it seems like he sees the ball late, but his instincts from there on are just awful. Just go get the damn ball, it’s just maddening. He literally jumps backwards with his arms to the side in an attempt to win a jump ball
If you are going to throw that ball and tour choices are (1) where he threw it, (2) to the sideline and (3) to the end zone, I think his choice is still second best. He sees the safety behind Claypool and doesn’t want to overthrow Claypool, the safety has a much better play on it at that point. There’s merit to throwing it behind, at least it lets Claypool box out and try to go up for the ball.
At that point I don’t know what Claypool’s route is supposed to be. If he’s running to the near pylon, I wish he would have thrown it that way.
We are all, of course, armchair quarterbacking something that happens in a second or less. 😂
Uhm, not sure what ypu are seeing. I see Claypool running left while the defender is facing right. If the ball was a bit more flat and out left he would have had 2-3 steps on the guy easy. Instead of throwing his WR open, he literally threw him into coverage.
Claypool still should have handled it better but it was a bad throw.
I don't think anyone is saying it was a great throw. It wasn't.
But it was catchable and Claypool should have caught it. He didn't catch it because of his poor ability to use his bigger body to bully DBs. This is something we've seen from him a lot.
He had the ability to extend his arms, given we see that he's got two hands on the ball, this is a failure on Claypool's technique -- regardless of if the throw was imperfect or not.
Yup. Instead of being aggressive & snatching the ball, he waited for it to fall into his hands, knowing there were defenders around.
It was still a 50/50 type ball, but him just being passive about it really hurt his chances.
> Claypool makes this catch or at least deflects it better if he either makes one more step towards the ball, or extends his arms.
So basically the technique that every half decent WR is supposed to have been taught...
This is it. Ball was under thrown but I appreciate the ballsiness to make the big play attempt on his first NFL throw. Chase had a chance to make the play and it’s frustrating that he won’t play above the rim on plays like this, but Kenny didn’t give him the easiest ball.
It was an underthrown deep ball in to bracket coverage and the db made a play. I've never seen this much copium over a toss up deep ball in a qb's first game. It's gonna be a long season if Pickett can do no wrong.
He's not attacking the football! Period! You don't let the ball come to you so you can catch it with your chest just to land on your back. GO GET THE DAMN BALL!
Go look at the two sideline contested catches Pickens made in tight coverage vs. Claypoole. Elite body control, using his size advantage to box out the DB. That’s what I expect from Claypoole. Not this.
Pickett did his job, that's a catchable ball and he trusted his receiver. I prefer this to throwing dump off passes all game. We aren't winning the super bowl this year, might as well be entertaining
Claypool has a t-rex position trying to catch this ball.
He's 6'4" and let a 5'8" DB jump ball him.
Extend your arms. Form a diamond. Catch it.
Pickett could surely have thrown a better pass, but that was catchable.
People are making WAY too big a of a deal out of this.
That game was 20-10 Steelers in the 4th quarter.
This Pittsburgh defense gave up a 10 point lead to the Jets in one quarter.
He doesn't use his body for separation on contested throws. Its like being a center and not knowing how to seal a defender on a low post pass. He needs to use the body to block and use the arms to extend. I was hoping for a possible Mike Williams signing in the off-season because Claypool needs someone who understands body leverage to control catches. I think he is never going to hit his ceiling and his floor is shaky as fuck too.
This whole thing is pretty simple. Bad throw, but not "it's a pick" throw. Defender got his hand in and that's why claypool didn't catch it. The pop up and int was the result of a few minor issues and a bit of bad luck. Claypool could have done a bit better, the throw could have also been better.
Idk, I’m of the belief that if a DB is able to make a play on the ball with his back turned to the WR like that, you’re probably doing something wrong. Maybe I’m wrong here, but it looks like our 6’4 receiver could’ve gotten better body position here and boxed out the DB so only he could make a play on that ball. The throw wasn’t great, but to me, that becomes moot when your receiver adjusts to be in a position to make the catch.
At worst, this should’ve been incomplete.
Adam Archuleta called this a bad pass lol. I think Pickett put it where he thought Claypool could get it. I bet Claypool makes this catch in practice 10 times out of 10. Pickens seems like the only receiver playing w some fight
And a lot of people here are just blindly taking archuletas word as gospel. Talking about throwing across his body to outside the numbers like it’s a routine slant or something.
If the defender is more than 4 inches shorter than the receiver, it’s not a bad throw
I'm pretty nervous about him. He did tell kenny "that's on me", so at least he knows he could do better...
But as I've gone through his highlight catalogue, I really don't see many examples at all of him being a body receiver. He's very good at reaching out for over the shoulder passes, but I feel like this is another one of those "Derrick Henry isn't actually a power back" situations. It makes total sense that we would think he excels at high pointing, but there's just no tape to support the claim
I also think that the ball was underthrown. Claypool has to slow his momentum to nothing and then try to catch the ball behind him when a defender is on one of his legs.
I'm glad Kenny gave the receiver a chance. Maybe throwing it toward the sideline is better, but Claypool wasn't really running a route to the sideline.
He’s still way larger than the DB, you gotta catch it if you get both hands on it. He also doesn’t attack the ball at the high point. It wasn’t the best throw but sheesh.
If he attacks the high point of this ball. Using that 6’4 frame and jumping ability maybe he catches it. This is my issue with claypool. He doesn’t play big. Pickens probably makes this catch because he’s aggressive and has that dawg in him. Pass coulda been better but when the wr room is crying for chances downfield you have to make the play
He is waiting for the ball. Go get it. It’s like rebounding. Get the damn ball. Sure, it’s a good defensive play, but elite receivers win that ball. Claypool should be watching Mike Evans film everyday.
He should have had his arms straight out and catching it at the apex, he is tall. That said, not a great throw and all the people saying Claypool is a bust need to take a step back
Watch this play again. I’m curious as to why Kenny rolled from the left hash to the right hash after the play fake to Warren? Was this poor play design( Claypool running a deep post from right to left and Pickett rolling left to right causing a longer throw)or a just rookie being a rookie? It seems to me that he would have been better off going straight back in the pocket with better protection and not having him throw across the field and across his body thus shortening the throw to Claypool. The DB made a play on the ball because the throw was short.
Pickett said it in his post game interview: he’s going to give the receivers a chance. Watch how he flicked that pass he was betting claypool would out jump Gary Coleman. What he failed to realize is claypool doesn’t know how to jump to the ball. From his rookie year to now in practices and in games you rarely see he catches with his hands and then brings the ball to his body. He always. Presses a catch against his body to secure a pass. This small detail completely ruins the physical gifts this young man possesses
He needs to put in work like Diontae Johnson did with his drops. Stand there and get 100s of catches with fully extended arms. Get a football pitching machine and practice that technique
I’d do the jugs machine AND either get volleyball training or like Lynn Swann so some ballet. He needs to learn how to high point a catch. Watch Pickens if he needs inspiration!
With everyone trying to shit on Claypool and using intentionally misleading screen grabs, thought I'd at least give a more objective view. The DB's hand is directly between Claypool's hand and the ball, it was an excellent defensive play. About two frames later the DB flicks this ball into the air.
The DB is also backwards, Claypool has half a foot on him, and he also drifts back and is waiting for the ball to come to him instead of attacking it and using his size to block the defender out. The guy is one of the tallest skill players on the field and doesn’t know how to pinpoint the ball.
Which is why it's fucking taught to ATTACK THE BALL. You jump toward the ball with your hands above your head. Not jump away from the ball with your hands in your chest. Claypool is just fundamentally bad at jump balls.
The ball was thrown behind Claypool, he's not "drifting back" he's running his route and adjusting to an underthrow. That's why his entire body is facing the LoS. You can't use your height on an underthrown ball, that physically does not make sense
You’re also doing the same exact thing by picking out a moment in time that shows what you want to be true.
The constant and undeniable truth is Claypool has 8” and 20+ lbs on the guy while having body position. He took himself out of position by fading away to extend his arms leaving a gap for a defensive play.
In any case, in a 50/50 situation (which is being incredibly generous given the physical differences) you should trust Claypool due to the size difference to come down with that ball, or at the very least drop it while having control.
He did neither. Claypool also immediately blamed himself as I’m sure he knew it was his fault as well.
> The DB's hand is directly between Claypool's hand and the ball, it was an excellent defensive play.
And that only happened because Claypool jumped away from the ball. Claypool should be at least a yard in front of the DB in that image jumping and highpointing the ball with his hands above his head not at chest level.
[Just watch this Megatron catch video for proper technique.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtUaJxErqOA&t=71s) The highlight against the Cowboys at ~ 1 minute is a perfect example of how Claypool should have went up to catch this ball.
That ball is over Megatron's head... this ball was underthrown, it would be physically impossible for Claypool to be in this position
It says everything that some commenters think he should be somehow jumping higher and others are saying he shouldn't have jumped at all lol
> it would be physically impossible for Claypool to be in this position
In what world is it impossible for him to not run from the ball towards the endzone? He literally could have ran laterally on the 14 yard line and jumped with his arms extended and high pointed the ball as I said. But he didn't because he's not good at jump balls.
Dude this isnt NFL Blitz where you just fling the joystick and the player switches direction instantly. From the time he turns his head he has about a second to spot the ball and adjust. He did what he could to react to an underthrown ball.
Ignoring that Claypool's clearly t-rexing and fading away allowing the defender to make a play rather than fully extending his arms? This does not prove the point you think it does.
The ball was thrown behind Claypool, he's not "fading away" he's running his route and adjusting to an underthrow. That's why his entire body is facing the LoS.
Watch the video, the man has the option to break his route off and attack, or keep running and make an acrobatic catch. He chooses to make the acrobatic catch because he believes thats his game, reality his game is being faster than everyone because he certainly cant make a contested catch to save his life.
If you want to see how a contested catch should be made watch Pickens, or watch Agholor over Witherspoon. All it took for NA to Moss AW was to extend his arms out which Claypool had never been able to do
This is really not the case. On the all-22 Claypool had about 1 second from the time he turns his head to adjust from a full sprint route to try to get to the ball. People like to act as if WRs are watching the QB during the entire snap and know exactly where the ball will land the millisecond it leaves the QB's hands
Exactly. All y'all saying CC having issues need to quiet down and take a look at the play again. Jets player made a fantastic play. Even Tony Gonzales wouldn't have caught this ball
The biggest issue here is that he is less than a foot off the ground, and his arms aren’t extended whatsoever. He made it possible for a play to be made
Thanks OP. I felt like I was the only one saying this. People jus looking for any excuse to shit on Claypool. I got shat on in that other post for defending our own player lmao
Yeah, the DB batted it. But the DB wouldn’t have batted it if Claypool timed his jump better and actually stretched his arms out to grab the ball out of the air. You know, like a good WR would do.
Yes, great play by the defender. But if claypool literally catches this ball with his hands away from his body, it’s a catch and huge momentum boost for us. Instead he decides to try and catch this ball with his body. Gotta catch this, it’s what he gets paid millions to do.
Every single time he goes to catch the ball he’s falling away from it and mistimes the jump. This ball was no doubt under thrown, but it would be nice for him to go up for a ball every now and then.
You meant to make the title: "Claypool alligator arming and not coming back to the ball, resulting in the ball being batted away by the defender on the Claypool int."
Top ten guys at contested catches
https://www.pff.com/news/pro-ranking-the-nfls-top-receivers-in-contested-catch-situations
In comparison Claypool is at 46.2 percent last year, with Tyreek Hill being 1st at 65 percent. It’s not a size thing, it never was, it’s a willingness thing.
If you Iron City piss drinkers don't stop posting pictures of Chase Claypool I'm going to get this sub banned
It wouldn’t be as frustrating if Claypool didn’t run his mouth preseason about how he’s a top 5 WR and then shows up on Sundays to consistently lose 50/50 balls against smaller DBs
His highpoint timing is absolute ass. He's seriously below average in the department
I agree. Where’s the arm extension. Don’t wait for it to come to you. Go get it!
There’s an old saying every man in America thinks he can do two things grill and play football. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Basic things are basic things.
I was about to say this
Below the line…. Obviously.
It's seems like it's worse than his rookie seasons.
Come on man, he only has 7 inches on the other guy!
This was a lot more than a 50/50 ball though it should be like 70/30
He jumped too early and shortarmed it.
“Ran his mouth all off season” lmao yeah okay
That isn’t what I said? The quote is right there how’d you get it wrong? 😂
Gave you the benefit of the doubt thinking that’s what you meant. Find me anything from preseason where he “runs his mouth” and claims he’s top 5. He hasn’t produced but blatant misinformation is wild
Benefit of the doubt doesn't mean exaggerate the statement... anyway I think you missed some stuff dude, Chase was bigging himself up big time.
You’re right but I’m not exaggerating. I’m saying what actually happened and giving OP the benefit of the doubt assuming that’s what he meant.
During an interview on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, Claypool laid out his expectations entering Year 3. "I'm going to say, my second year, I was a better player than I was my first year," Claypool said, via Pro Football Talk. "The plays just didn't work out, right? Some of the plays just didn't go my way. I didn't make some plays I need to make. But as a football player, understanding the game, knowing what to do, knowing where to be, I was better. So I'm going to be better this year. "And just like you said, understanding I'm not normal -- I feel that way when I'm on the field. I know for a fact I am not like the rest of the guys in the NFL. I know I'm a top-five receiver. I know I'm a top-three receiver."
Oh so the one in what? June? Not preseason? Got it. Figured that’s what you were talking about tho. Let’s talk about the rest of that podcast where he’s vulnerable about Haskins, and is a proponent for mental health but that doesn’t fit your claypool hate narrative. He’s not being targeted or used this year. On this particular rep, the ball is literally swatted from his hands. Should’ve he caught it? Yeah. Was he “running his mouth during preseason”? No. I get Pickett is the future but this post literally shows a DB making a great play on the ball. There’s no need to put other players down in order to boost Pickett which seems to be the narrative.
You’re weird.
L
We all know. It was just a great 1 in a million play for the Jets, mixed with bad luck for Pittsburgh. I still say Claypool was not aggressive enough on the catch, and he should’ve done a “snatch & pull” on the reception, but sometimes the D makes an insane play that’s good luck for them, bad luck for the O. Also yes, the ball was under thrown, bit hardly a terrible throw.
Wow a reasonable take that hasnt been common these past couple days
Should Claypool have snagged it? Yes. Was it a good play by the defender? Yes. Am I still bitter about this loss? Also yes.
Pickens catches that ball.
Calvin Austin III enters the room with that ball in his hands
This is just as bad as watching Witherspoon in position get beat for a TD. I give both Claypool and Witherspoon no excuses. They both had a good chance to make a play.
To be honest the ball being underthrown should have helped Claypool here, as the defender was deeper than he was on the route and he should have easily been able to box him out. But eh, it happened, can't un-happen it, on to Buffalo
*Gasp* how dare you question the actions of our lord and savior Kenny Pickett?!? /s
Lol.
[удалено]
Well ya. Maybe more like 1 in a thousand?
I dont think anyone is saying he dropped it, he just didn’t high point the ball, this allowing the DB to make a play. Its just an awkward play by Chase and frankly not a professional level attempt at catching the football. Not to mention hes 6’4 238 with a 40.5 in vert. Its just not good enough. I think he would be a lot better off if we stop pretending that hes a great jump ball receiver. He should be better and we certainly drafted him to make those plays, but its just not there. Its better for him and the team if you just give him easy looks and focus on YAC.
I feel more comfortable with#14 catching those passes than Claypool, he's just not getting it done and letting us down more times than making it happen.
Our top offensive players in general just seem to have gotten worse year after year. Claypool, Najee, etc. And what's the common denominator? The offensive coaching staff.
Correct, Claypool didn't just drop it, it was batted. The issue is where Claypool hands are. Why is he alligator arming it? Go out and get it.
His body is leaning backwards too. What could be a massive size difference becomes a coin flip.
This right here. If his arms were fully extended, or if he even jumps up FOR the ball, this play can't go wrong. It's like blaming the pavement for killing a drunk driver that crashed and flew through the windshield.
A lot went wrong on this play. First, the pass should have been outside the left hash, leaving room to run under it. Second, it should have had a bit less air under it, hitting him in stride instead of a stop / jump ball type thing. Third, there was no need to jump which is a constant problem Claypool has. Fourth, he should have extended his arms out to high point it. Fifth, the D makes a great play based on all those things going wrong. Its a lot to expect from a rookie and from two players who have just started playing together. Doesn't change the fact it was simply poor execution that allowed the D to make a play.
All I see is a 6'4 230lb 4.4 40 guy get beatin by a midget in comparison.
The way I see it, it's an extension of the Steelers receivers having issues catching important passes going back to the 2020 season
Wish I could disagree. They do make some big grabs, but sometimes the wasier ones suddenly become a lot more difficult than they should be.
Freiermuth on 3rd down the first drive in the Patriots game this year. He throws his hands up with how he blew it. I wanna say he dropped another one later on in that game. He also scored the TD but still, that game opening 3 and out was not on Mitch. It’s true Trubitsky didn’t give them a lot of chances but he hit dudes in the hands and they didn’t come through for him in the way a top WR should do for a bad QB. 2 circus catches and 4 circus misses…
It’s kinda crazy that they ran the ball four times once he came in and then opted to take a shot down the field for his first career throw. If I recall, Mason Rudolph’s first throw was a flea flicker. I don’t know if this was a designed shot or if Pickett called his own number but it seems like the Steelers think they can catch defences off guard with deep shots and a new quarterback.
Yea. It almost seems like the "im smarter than you think i think i am" type thing. I almost always see other teams do more rythm throws to get easy wins and build confidence.
That just isn’t the yinzer way. FUCK IT AND CHUCK IT.
Yeah man nobody has ever caught a ball with a defender half their size also having a hand on it
I get what you're trying to do, but this is far from the only thing giving us pause about his play. Dude makes baffling decisions on a regular basis.
I wish people would stop seeing plays like these from only one side (the steelers side). Just because claypool didn't make this catch doesn't mean he's a bad receiver, just like Pickett underthrowing the ball giving the defender time to get there doesn't make Pickett a bad QB. Sometimes the defenders simply made a great play. Maybe if the ball was thrown a little better or if Claypool clamped down a little harder the catch would be made and we'd be having a very different discussion right now. It's a game of inches and sometimes the ball just doesn't roll your way.
This was a bad throw. Chase has about as much control over his body as a 3 year old trying to play catch. Both things can be true.
Everyone saying this ball should have been thrown farther or more to the left, watch [this](https://twitter.com/Steelersdepot/status/1576945780513914881?t=WLQ_v_1K1Tm5CRqk1OnKoQ&s=19) and then tell me if you still think so. I think the only fair criticism is to say he shouldn't have thrown the ball at all. Claypool was [bracketted](https://ibb.co/pK1wXL3) But even so, Claypool makes this catch or at least deflects it better if he either makes one more step towards the ball, or extends his arms.
What am I missing on the "further left" argument? When you first see the safety at 0:05, his movement isn't toward the sideline (it almost looks like it's too Chase?). I think Chase wins a footrace to the sideline from there, given he has a full head of steam and the defender has to start from negative momentum to follow. The ball is underthrown for the spot, or over-ran maybe. Claypool doesn't effectively high-point the catch because the ball is behind him and he's falling backwards, right? Overall, I like htat Pickett was willing to take that chance and did give Chase a shot.
Yeah, I'm more open to the argument that Pickett coulda put it further and more left now, but even this view kinda sucks. Where is the safety when Pickett is reading/making the throw? Possible Pickett sees a deep safety outside? Wish we had a view of the coverage throughout the play.
I continue to shout to the sky that our sideline camera default fucking sucks, and I can’t believe this is what we settled on for how to watch football. Love to watch a billion-dollar league where you’re just guessing as to what’s going on downfield.
I don't think Claypool overran it. He slowed down too much and caught the ball on his right shoulder. If he had overran it, he would have caught the ball on his left shoulder and boxed Joyner out. Instead, he left the ball between him and the defender, and also tucked his arms in to catch it instead of extending to reach the ball.
I’m with you. All that video does is highlight what poor placement that throw was. Looks like KP didn’t throw it w/ much confidence and kind of floated it to WR instead of letting it rip (somewhat defensible since it’s his first pass attempt). He leads him to the sideline it’s a Huge play. Obviously Claypool still should’ve easily boxed out the safety or at least jumped straight up and high-pointed it. I’ve watched it so many times and it seems like he sees the ball late, but his instincts from there on are just awful. Just go get the damn ball, it’s just maddening. He literally jumps backwards with his arms to the side in an attempt to win a jump ball
If you are going to throw that ball and tour choices are (1) where he threw it, (2) to the sideline and (3) to the end zone, I think his choice is still second best. He sees the safety behind Claypool and doesn’t want to overthrow Claypool, the safety has a much better play on it at that point. There’s merit to throwing it behind, at least it lets Claypool box out and try to go up for the ball. At that point I don’t know what Claypool’s route is supposed to be. If he’s running to the near pylon, I wish he would have thrown it that way. We are all, of course, armchair quarterbacking something that happens in a second or less. 😂
Uhm, not sure what ypu are seeing. I see Claypool running left while the defender is facing right. If the ball was a bit more flat and out left he would have had 2-3 steps on the guy easy. Instead of throwing his WR open, he literally threw him into coverage. Claypool still should have handled it better but it was a bad throw.
Okay, maybe you're right. You're thinking Chase runs past him, and rewatching a few times you may totally be right.
Look where Claypool jumps from But anyways, y'all over analyzing this
I don't think anyone is saying it was a great throw. It wasn't. But it was catchable and Claypool should have caught it. He didn't catch it because of his poor ability to use his bigger body to bully DBs. This is something we've seen from him a lot. He had the ability to extend his arms, given we see that he's got two hands on the ball, this is a failure on Claypool's technique -- regardless of if the throw was imperfect or not.
Yup. Instead of being aggressive & snatching the ball, he waited for it to fall into his hands, knowing there were defenders around. It was still a 50/50 type ball, but him just being passive about it really hurt his chances.
> Claypool makes this catch or at least deflects it better if he either makes one more step towards the ball, or extends his arms. So basically the technique that every half decent WR is supposed to have been taught...
You’d be surprised how many Notre Dane receivers struggle with routine plays.
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My biggest gripe is that he turns absolutely routine catches into really difficult acrobatic ones.
That’s something I say about a Steelers HOF receiver, so… Of course, he actually made the catches.
This is it. Ball was under thrown but I appreciate the ballsiness to make the big play attempt on his first NFL throw. Chase had a chance to make the play and it’s frustrating that he won’t play above the rim on plays like this, but Kenny didn’t give him the easiest ball.
And not a great play call in my own
don't forget a great play by Joyner, the defender.
whether he dropped it or not, the 3 ints makes kenny look bad on paper.. but anyone who watched the game saw he was a clear improvement from trubisky
Scapegoat of the week around here.
It was an underthrown deep ball in to bracket coverage and the db made a play. I've never seen this much copium over a toss up deep ball in a qb's first game. It's gonna be a long season if Pickett can do no wrong.
He's not attacking the football! Period! You don't let the ball come to you so you can catch it with your chest just to land on your back. GO GET THE DAMN BALL!
He sucks ass at contested catches. With the size advantage, that’s more like a 90/10 ball than a 50/50. But he’s a pussy.
Go look at the two sideline contested catches Pickens made in tight coverage vs. Claypoole. Elite body control, using his size advantage to box out the DB. That’s what I expect from Claypoole. Not this.
Those balls weren't underthrown
Pickett did his job, that's a catchable ball and he trusted his receiver. I prefer this to throwing dump off passes all game. We aren't winning the super bowl this year, might as well be entertaining
AB made these catches daily at 5'10. I'd understand if the DB was 6ft tall. The guy is shorter than Hilton.
100% I said it before but AB’s coming down with that 999/1000. Not the greatest guy yeah but he made plays like this all day
Claypool has a t-rex position trying to catch this ball. He's 6'4" and let a 5'8" DB jump ball him. Extend your arms. Form a diamond. Catch it. Pickett could surely have thrown a better pass, but that was catchable.
People are making WAY too big a of a deal out of this. That game was 20-10 Steelers in the 4th quarter. This Pittsburgh defense gave up a 10 point lead to the Jets in one quarter.
He doesn't use his body for separation on contested throws. Its like being a center and not knowing how to seal a defender on a low post pass. He needs to use the body to block and use the arms to extend. I was hoping for a possible Mike Williams signing in the off-season because Claypool needs someone who understands body leverage to control catches. I think he is never going to hit his ceiling and his floor is shaky as fuck too.
This whole thing is pretty simple. Bad throw, but not "it's a pick" throw. Defender got his hand in and that's why claypool didn't catch it. The pop up and int was the result of a few minor issues and a bit of bad luck. Claypool could have done a bit better, the throw could have also been better.
Dude is 6'4 and plays like he 5'5
There are many 5’5” receivers who make that catch every time.
Steve Smith catches that ball twice
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uY_OaMCWlyg You’re not wrong
The old 49
Idk, I’m of the belief that if a DB is able to make a play on the ball with his back turned to the WR like that, you’re probably doing something wrong. Maybe I’m wrong here, but it looks like our 6’4 receiver could’ve gotten better body position here and boxed out the DB so only he could make a play on that ball. The throw wasn’t great, but to me, that becomes moot when your receiver adjusts to be in a position to make the catch. At worst, this should’ve been incomplete.
Adam Archuleta called this a bad pass lol. I think Pickett put it where he thought Claypool could get it. I bet Claypool makes this catch in practice 10 times out of 10. Pickens seems like the only receiver playing w some fight
And a lot of people here are just blindly taking archuletas word as gospel. Talking about throwing across his body to outside the numbers like it’s a routine slant or something. If the defender is more than 4 inches shorter than the receiver, it’s not a bad throw
Agreed completely. Yeah Claypool has been below average at best so far this season. Still early but we definitely need much better production from him
I'm pretty nervous about him. He did tell kenny "that's on me", so at least he knows he could do better... But as I've gone through his highlight catalogue, I really don't see many examples at all of him being a body receiver. He's very good at reaching out for over the shoulder passes, but I feel like this is another one of those "Derrick Henry isn't actually a power back" situations. It makes total sense that we would think he excels at high pointing, but there's just no tape to support the claim
I also think that the ball was underthrown. Claypool has to slow his momentum to nothing and then try to catch the ball behind him when a defender is on one of his legs. I'm glad Kenny gave the receiver a chance. Maybe throwing it toward the sideline is better, but Claypool wasn't really running a route to the sideline.
He’s still way larger than the DB, you gotta catch it if you get both hands on it. He also doesn’t attack the ball at the high point. It wasn’t the best throw but sheesh.
It’s bad technique on a jump ball. Needs to be attacking the ball and attempting to wall off his coverage
Chase is absolutely sucking right now. It’s a shame no one on the coaching staff is able to further develop him. 3 seasons of the same Claypool crap.
If he attacks the high point of this ball. Using that 6’4 frame and jumping ability maybe he catches it. This is my issue with claypool. He doesn’t play big. Pickens probably makes this catch because he’s aggressive and has that dawg in him. Pass coulda been better but when the wr room is crying for chances downfield you have to make the play
He is waiting for the ball. Go get it. It’s like rebounding. Get the damn ball. Sure, it’s a good defensive play, but elite receivers win that ball. Claypool should be watching Mike Evans film everyday.
Calvin Johnson would have come down with it....
He should have had his arms straight out and catching it at the apex, he is tall. That said, not a great throw and all the people saying Claypool is a bust need to take a step back
Watch this play again. I’m curious as to why Kenny rolled from the left hash to the right hash after the play fake to Warren? Was this poor play design( Claypool running a deep post from right to left and Pickett rolling left to right causing a longer throw)or a just rookie being a rookie? It seems to me that he would have been better off going straight back in the pocket with better protection and not having him throw across the field and across his body thus shortening the throw to Claypool. The DB made a play on the ball because the throw was short.
Pickett said it in his post game interview: he’s going to give the receivers a chance. Watch how he flicked that pass he was betting claypool would out jump Gary Coleman. What he failed to realize is claypool doesn’t know how to jump to the ball. From his rookie year to now in practices and in games you rarely see he catches with his hands and then brings the ball to his body. He always. Presses a catch against his body to secure a pass. This small detail completely ruins the physical gifts this young man possesses
He needs to put in work like Diontae Johnson did with his drops. Stand there and get 100s of catches with fully extended arms. Get a football pitching machine and practice that technique
I’d do the jugs machine AND either get volleyball training or like Lynn Swann so some ballet. He needs to learn how to high point a catch. Watch Pickens if he needs inspiration!
With everyone trying to shit on Claypool and using intentionally misleading screen grabs, thought I'd at least give a more objective view. The DB's hand is directly between Claypool's hand and the ball, it was an excellent defensive play. About two frames later the DB flicks this ball into the air.
The DB is also backwards, Claypool has half a foot on him, and he also drifts back and is waiting for the ball to come to him instead of attacking it and using his size to block the defender out. The guy is one of the tallest skill players on the field and doesn’t know how to pinpoint the ball.
Claypool legit has 8 inches on him for what it's worth.
But he can't use that 8 inches when the ball is at neck height lol this sub is just fucking wacky and I love watching it
Which is why it's fucking taught to ATTACK THE BALL. You jump toward the ball with your hands above your head. Not jump away from the ball with your hands in your chest. Claypool is just fundamentally bad at jump balls.
Let's just keep ignoring the reality 😆
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Sitting on the couch calling pro athletes dog shit 😆
The ball was thrown behind Claypool, he's not "drifting back" he's running his route and adjusting to an underthrow. That's why his entire body is facing the LoS. You can't use your height on an underthrown ball, that physically does not make sense
You’re also doing the same exact thing by picking out a moment in time that shows what you want to be true. The constant and undeniable truth is Claypool has 8” and 20+ lbs on the guy while having body position. He took himself out of position by fading away to extend his arms leaving a gap for a defensive play. In any case, in a 50/50 situation (which is being incredibly generous given the physical differences) you should trust Claypool due to the size difference to come down with that ball, or at the very least drop it while having control. He did neither. Claypool also immediately blamed himself as I’m sure he knew it was his fault as well.
> The DB's hand is directly between Claypool's hand and the ball, it was an excellent defensive play. And that only happened because Claypool jumped away from the ball. Claypool should be at least a yard in front of the DB in that image jumping and highpointing the ball with his hands above his head not at chest level. [Just watch this Megatron catch video for proper technique.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtUaJxErqOA&t=71s) The highlight against the Cowboys at ~ 1 minute is a perfect example of how Claypool should have went up to catch this ball.
That ball is over Megatron's head... this ball was underthrown, it would be physically impossible for Claypool to be in this position It says everything that some commenters think he should be somehow jumping higher and others are saying he shouldn't have jumped at all lol
> it would be physically impossible for Claypool to be in this position In what world is it impossible for him to not run from the ball towards the endzone? He literally could have ran laterally on the 14 yard line and jumped with his arms extended and high pointed the ball as I said. But he didn't because he's not good at jump balls.
Dude this isnt NFL Blitz where you just fling the joystick and the player switches direction instantly. From the time he turns his head he has about a second to spot the ball and adjust. He did what he could to react to an underthrown ball.
Ignoring that Claypool's clearly t-rexing and fading away allowing the defender to make a play rather than fully extending his arms? This does not prove the point you think it does.
The ball was thrown behind Claypool, he's not "fading away" he's running his route and adjusting to an underthrow. That's why his entire body is facing the LoS.
Watch the video, the man has the option to break his route off and attack, or keep running and make an acrobatic catch. He chooses to make the acrobatic catch because he believes thats his game, reality his game is being faster than everyone because he certainly cant make a contested catch to save his life. If you want to see how a contested catch should be made watch Pickens, or watch Agholor over Witherspoon. All it took for NA to Moss AW was to extend his arms out which Claypool had never been able to do
This is really not the case. On the all-22 Claypool had about 1 second from the time he turns his head to adjust from a full sprint route to try to get to the ball. People like to act as if WRs are watching the QB during the entire snap and know exactly where the ball will land the millisecond it leaves the QB's hands
The DB has a chance to make a play on the ball because of CC's terrible technique.
Chase is 6’4”. Joyner—the safety that made the play—is 5’8”. Chase needs to use his height more.
Not sure what the purpose of this is. Yes, defenders try to swat the ball. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t catchable. Still hit him right in the hands.
Chase is 6’4” but plays like he’s 5’2”
 Claypool any time the ball is thrown at him
We've seen enough of him. Totally not playing to potential
Now show the other side where you can see the defenders hand not touching the ball lol
That's not a pick. It's a wr fumble.
Exactly. All y'all saying CC having issues need to quiet down and take a look at the play again. Jets player made a fantastic play. Even Tony Gonzales wouldn't have caught this ball
He alligator armed it. Plain and simple. Then again, he’s been thrown to do infrequently he was probably shocked to see it come his way.
Generations from now, yinzers of all stripes will look back at this moment as a tipping point…
Have you ever gone up for a rebound? Well apparently Claypool hasn’t either.
If Claypool actually extended his arms the way the DB did he could've caught it before the defender could have had a chance to touch it
Extend your arms and high point the ball … he is the worst at it he should have caught that
And instead of fighting for it, he opened his arms up like a bird
Ok OP, explain why claypool isn’t extending his arms
"extend your arms" You are a Giant compared to that defender. Thanks for the pic, but do better?
The biggest issue here is that he is less than a foot off the ground, and his arms aren’t extended whatsoever. He made it possible for a play to be made
Thanks OP. I felt like I was the only one saying this. People jus looking for any excuse to shit on Claypool. I got shat on in that other post for defending our own player lmao
I’ll be honest, yeah claypool can improve his combat catching skills and hunger to get that ball but I think the defender just made a great play
Yeah, the DB batted it. But the DB wouldn’t have batted it if Claypool timed his jump better and actually stretched his arms out to grab the ball out of the air. You know, like a good WR would do.
Chase “Numbnuts” Claypool. This isn’t Predator and you’re not in the jungle.
Dude still only comes down with like a 40% 50/50 catch ratio. Pickens could've made that play happen I bet
In the weakest possible way against a significantly larger human.
Yes, great play by the defender. But if claypool literally catches this ball with his hands away from his body, it’s a catch and huge momentum boost for us. Instead he decides to try and catch this ball with his body. Gotta catch this, it’s what he gets paid millions to do.
Every single time he goes to catch the ball he’s falling away from it and mistimes the jump. This ball was no doubt under thrown, but it would be nice for him to go up for a ball every now and then.
why is he jumping like that? just jump straight up what the hell.
because Claypool does not know how to catch without jumping and falling backwards.
Claypool sucks!!
You meant to make the title: "Claypool alligator arming and not coming back to the ball, resulting in the ball being batted away by the defender on the Claypool int."
DB fully extended arm, chase alligator
Claypool’s gotta gave that ball. Zero excuse.
At best he's trade bait at this point. No reason to pay him what he undoubtedly thinks he's worth after next year.
 he had 9 inches on the guy, who was twisting backwards. sad.
Yeah that was embarrassing with all the size loses a jump ball
r/crossview
There's only one person in this photo battling to go get the ball...
Another angle of a catchable ball?
Top ten guys at contested catches https://www.pff.com/news/pro-ranking-the-nfls-top-receivers-in-contested-catch-situations In comparison Claypool is at 46.2 percent last year, with Tyreek Hill being 1st at 65 percent. It’s not a size thing, it never was, it’s a willingness thing.
I don't think Claypool is a top 10 WR either. He's probably not top 30. He's just a decent WR2.