Dec 3, 2021 5 min read

”All we need is music, sweet music. There’ll be music everywhere.” – Martha and the Vandellas, Dancing in the Streets

Apparently, there needs to be dancing and music at Steelers practices. That will make everything better, at least according to second-year wide receiver Chase Claypool, who is the landslide winner of the Tone-Deaf Player of the Year.

“We have music in warm-ups and that, so it’s fun,” Claypool said Monday, one day after he had two more penalties to run his season total to nine, the most of any wide receiver in the NFL, along with two drops in a 41-10 loss to the Bengals.

“People are dancing, having fun. So, I think maybe music would make practice more fun and a little more up-tempo.”

You know what else makes practice more fun and a little more up-tempo? Winning.

That’s why Mike Tomlin immediately shot Claypool’s hair-brained idea down on Tuesday.

“Claypool plays wideout. I’ll let him do that,” Tomlin said. “I’ll formulate the practice approach and I think that division of labor is appropriate.”

That same Monday, when asked a similar question, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said the key to getting better was perhaps having more up-tempo walk-throughs and getting in more snaps at practice, a perfectly acceptable and thoughtful answer.

Which player would you want to pay money to in the future?

n This is the problem the Steelers now have – among others.

Their old guard – players such as Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Vince Williams and others – are now gone.

Of the current roster, only Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Heyward, Chris Boswell and B.J. Finney were with the Steelers when longtime team president Dan Rooney died in April 2017.

Rooney was largely the author of what became known as the “Steelers Way.”

That’s a problem, especially with Roethlisberger, now 39 and more than likely playing in his final season.

“You can pass on tradition all you want, but the farther away you get from something, the harder it is to do,” Roethlisberger said. “I’m sure at some point I’ll be sitting at home, like I’m sure there are some guys I played with that watch us or see things in the media and probably shake their heads and say, ‘That’s not the Steelers way.’ Or, ‘That’s not the way we used to do it.’ That’s just the way things go. The ’70s team probably looked at us (that way) probably 20 years ago. It just happens. Who knows?”

For the record, Roethlisberger isn’t in favor of playing music during practice, either, nor was Heyward.

n This is the problem when one player says something stupid and it gets picked up. Next thing you know, all of the team is being painted with that same brush.

Claypool learned a huge lesson in that this week.

n The old Abbott and Costello skit of “Who’s on first, What’s on second,” and “I Don’t Know on third base,” is taking on new meaning with the Pirates.

They’re trying to rebuild this team. I get it. But somebody with some kind of Major League resume has to man the administrative positions.

This week’s picks

Ravens (minus 4 ½) at Steelers: Typically when you see a team coming off a 41-10 loss and they’re playing an 8-3 team the next week, you automatically go against them. But this Ravens team has lived on the edge all season. They’re 6-1 in one-score games this season. The line puts this right in the middle of that. So, even though I can’t pick the Steelers to win given how they played last week, 4 ½ points is too much for the Steelers at Heinz Field. Take the Steelers to cover in a 24-20 loss

Chargers (plus 3) at Bengals: The Bengals have run Joe Mixon 58 times for nearly 300 yards in their past two games. The Chargers really struggle against heavy-run teams – if they can’t get an early lead. There’s some doubt here in the Bengals given that they struggled in both their games earlier this season after beating the Steelers and Ravens, edging the Jaguars by three and losing outright to the Jets. But they’re the best team in the AFC North. Take the Bengals, 31-27

Patriots (plus 3) at Bills: The Patriots have been a nice story this season. But the reality is that most of their wins have been against bad teams or ones that are struggling – see the Titans last week. The Bills are just the more talented team in this case. And they’re at home. Take the Bills, 24-17

Giants (plus 4 ½) at Dolphins: The Dolphins are red-hot right now, led by their defense. And this week, they get a very banged-up Giants team that won’t offer much of a challenge. Take the Dolphins, 27-13

Colts (minus 8 ½) at Texans: The Texans don’t win all that often, but they’re typically competitive, a tribute to first-year head coach David Culley. It won’t be easy, but they’ll keep this one within reach. Take the Texans to cover in a 27-20 loss.

Last Week: 2-3 ATS; 2-3 Straight up; Overall: 22-37-1 ATS; 35-26 Straight up.