Chase Claypool discusses playing for Mike Tomlin

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Chase Claypool has only played for one NFL head coach throughout his young career, Mike Tomlin. And during a recent interview on the I am Athlete Podcast, Claypool discussed what it’s like playing for Tomlin and what kind of coach he is.

“Mike T, there’s not enough good things to say about him, you know. He’ll ask you how your family is doing and he actually cares about that and you don’t get that around the league,” said Claypool. “I’ve obviously only played for one team but every man that comes in and comes into the facility they just talk about how lucky we are. So I understand that and I don’t take that for granted.”

Tomlin has been the head coach of the Steelers since the 2007 season, and he has seen a ton of success during that stretch. In 15 years with the Steelers, Tomlin has coached to a 154-85-2 career regular-season record. Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl in 2008 after a 12-4 regular season and made it back to the Super Bowl in 2010 after again going 12-4.

Since the Steelers hired Tomlin as their head coach, they have been one of the most consistent organizations in the entire NFL in terms of winning. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have never finished below .500, and have finished above .500 in 12 of his 15 seasons. And the Steelers head coach has not let that success go to his head. Tomlin is viewed around the league as one of the most well-liked and respected coaches around. The NFL knows what kind of person Tomlin is and, from this interview, so does Claypool.

Claypool’s expectations for the Steelers 2022 season

If there is one thing Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool is not short on, it’s confidence. He is confident in himself, his team, and their capabilities. And during a recent interview on the I Am Athlete podcast, he addressed his expectations for the Steelers 2022 season and gave a bold prediction on their win total.

“I don’t think we are, I mean, we’re gonna have a rebuild year one at one point, but it’s not gonna be anytime in the next ten years… No, absolutely not,” said Claypool. “Everyone keeps saying we need a new quarterback, we need a new quarterback. We got a quarterback. We got the pieces for that quarterback, we got receivers, we got the defense. So I think we’re straight. I think we’re winning 13 (games).”

13 is a lofty goal for a win total given the division the Steelers play in, the AFC North. And one can argue that each team in the division got better over the offseason. Ravens are likely to be at full strength at the start of next season after losing MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson midway through the year and three running backs before the start of the year. The Cincinnati Bengals are fresh off a Super Bowl appearance and added some much-needed offensive line help to protect their star quarterback Joe Burrow. If the Steelers are to make good on Claypool’s claim, then they will need plenty of confidence, and it looks like their young star receiver has more than enough to share.