Chase Claypool Says the Steelers Schemed Away his Ability To Make Explosive Plays

«I just think that at some point – the perspective on me, at some point, was like, ‘oh, he's not a red-zone threat,' for some reason. Or, ‘he's not a deep-ball threat,' for some reason," Claypool said Wednesday. "I'm not sure why that happened. I started getting formationed away from those things. It was hard for me to make big plays because anytime there was a big play drawn up, it was like on the other side. I think it was just like the opportunity. Sometimes that's how it goes, that's just how the offensive system works at that time.»

«I think they look at me as a valuable player, obviously," Claypool said. "That's why they traded for me. I just think they will give me more opportunities to make plays and stuff like that.

«Not even the focal point as if I'm the only one who could do it," Claypool later added. "But you've got like four or five plays where you could get a good chunk of yards rather than, ‘here's your one play of the week. Make sure you make a play on this no matter what the coverage is.'»

«I think there's just more opportunity," Claypool said. "I think [offensive coordinator Luke Getsy] does a good job of giving you a chance to win on your routes regardless of where the coverage is. He'll add little things in the route to help you get open.»