Mike Tomlin Defends Chase Claypool's First Down Celebration
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin knows mistakes will be made by younger players, and expects hiccups such as the receiver's first down celebration against the Minnesota Vikings.
Claypool pointed to signal a first down while the Steelers were moving on a game-tying drive with 36 seconds remaining in the game in Week 14. The play ultimately took roughly 10 seconds off the clock and the drive ended with an incomplete pass to the endzone.
After the game, Claypool said he needs to be better about the situation.
"Definitely got to be better. I got tackled near the hash, did my little first down point and went to hand the ball to the ref. He just got there, so even if I got right up and looked for him, he wasn't there."
Tomlin addressed the matter during his Week 15 press conference, defending the mistakes of younger players.
"He had a misstep in that area. He had missteps in other areas," Tomlin said. "He's a young guy who's growing and developing in a lot of ways. It can't happen fast enough for him and it can't happen fast enough for us. We're going to push that growth and development as long as he's a willing participant. He has been, and so, we're just going to keep moving forward."
Tomlin said there has been issues with all the young players on the team, not just Claypool, and it's expected as players enter the NFL.
"These guys don't come to you as finished products," Tomlin said. "That's another component of coaching that I embrace, and we collectively embrace. It's the reason why we make what we make and there's so many of us, because these guys are less than finished products in most instances when we get them."
Tomlin also addressed the inconsistencies of Pressley Harvin III and Pat Freiermuth and touched on the maturation process of Diontae Johnson.
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