Mike Tomlin: Steelers WR Chase Claypool's maturation 'can't happen fast enough for him'

Mike Tomlin didn’t need to remind wide receiver Chase Claypool that his first-down pose in the final minute Thursday at Minnesota cost the Pittsburgh Steelers precious seconds on a winding clock.

“We don’t wait for stuff like that to happen,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “That is built in our two-minute teachings in team developments. Obviously, he had missteps in that area. He had missteps in other areas.”

Claypool’s celebration of a fourth-and-1 catch set up the Steelers at the Minnesota 34. The play started with 42 seconds left in the 36-28 loss. After Claypool’s pose and the ensuing scramble for the ball after it became loose, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was unable to spike the ball until 24 seconds remained.

The gaffe came at the end of a game in which Claypool caught eight passes for 93 yards. He also committed his eighth penalty — an NFL high for wide receivers — with an unnecessary roughness flag in the first quarter.

“He’s a young guy that is growing and developing in a lot of ways,” Tomlin said. “It can’t happen fast enough for him, 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, so we’re going to keep moving forward.”

Tomlin compared the situation to one Diontae Johnson went through in his second NFL season when he led all NFL receivers in dropped passes. Johnson has cut his drops from 13 to three, and he needs just 10 yards for his first 1,000-yard season.

“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. … There is growth and development when young guys have to participate.”

The Steelers are starting two rookies on the offensive line, one at tight end, another at running back and one at punter.

“Although there is some short-term negatively associated with the pain and discomfort they go through, we know the benefit, individually and collectively, of staying on task and them gaining that expertise and experience,” Tomlin said. “It’s reasonable to expect some of those hiccups to disappear and some quicker than others.”

Going for 2

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh faced criticism for trying a 2-point conversion Sunday with his team trailing by nine points and 8 minutes, 56 seconds remaining in an eventual 24-22 loss at Cleveland. Tomlin was in a similar situation against the Vikings when the Steelers cut the deficit to 29-20 with 12:17 remaining.

Tomlin also went for the 2-point conversion try at that juncture. That attempt also failed.

Tomlin had the mindset of cutting the deficit to seven points and then playing for the win on the road if the Steelers cut the deficit to one point with another touchdown.

“I wanted to be aggressive and go for the win,” he said. “In an effort to do that, we needed two 2-point conversions. … That’s just the mindset I had in those circumstances. I thought we were too thin at the line of scrimmage to go into extra time, and so I did it with that understanding.”

Tomlin said his decision on whether to go for a 2-point conversion comes down to “part analytics, part feel.”

“I never make those decisions based on one set of variables or one equation, whether it’s analytics or specifically a feel,” he said.

One that got away

Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard has five interceptions this season — or three fewer than the entire Steelers defense.

Byard is a product of the 2016 draft, and Tomlin reflected on passing up a chance to select him. The Steelers took Sean Davis in the second round with the No. 58 overall pick. Byard went to Tennessee six picks later as the first selection of the third round.

“I kick myself often when you think about a guy like him that has played the way he has played since he’s been in the league,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin noted that Byard did not get an invitation to the NFL Combine despite having 19 interceptions in four seasons at Middle Tennessee State.

“I know better,” Tomlin said. “A guy who has double-digit interceptions in college, the ball usually is not hitting them in the face. They have some skills that are displayed. They are going to get it. He has continued to go get it since he’s been in the league.”

Byard, a first-team All-Pro in 2017, has 23 career interceptions. Davis, who spent five seasons with the Steelers and has played for three teams this year, has five.