Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 10, 2020 43 IRISH IN THE PROS ter. Not only was it consequential to the final outcome, but the catch also carries significance within the Steel- ers franchise and in Canada. According to Steelers communi- cations manager Michael Bertsch, formerly Notre Dame football's di- rector of media relations, it was the fourth-longest touchdown reception by a Steelers rookie and the longest touchdown from scrimmage by a Ca- nadian-born player in NFL history. The 84-yard touchdown is also the longest reception two weeks into the season. Against the Broncos, Claypool had two additional catches for four yards and a total of 88 receiving yards, which were the second most in the game behind only fellow Steeler Di- ontae Johnson. For as spectacular as this touch- down catch was, it's still not the most difficult reception of the season for the former Notre Dame wide re- ceiver. On Sept. 14 versus the New York Giants, Claypool drove for a ball thrown 28 yards downfield, into double coverage and near the side- line, yet he managed to tap both big toes inbounds for the grab. The pass was thrown into such a tight window that NFL Next Gen Stats determined it had just a 13.8 percent chance of resulting in a com- pletion, making it the most difficult catch of week one. Through three games, Claypool had 159 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. The 6-4, 238-pound receiver is also a menace on special teams, just as he was with the Fight- ing Irish, recording four tackles thus far. "No preseason games allowed me to start easing into the plays, get some play here and there, and then try to increase my role as the sea- son goes on," Claypool said. "But the speed of the game wasn't too bad. I was on special teams [from] the very first point in my career, so it allowed me to see how everyone was moving and adjust when I went in there on offense." Claypool also did everything he could to prepare while away from the team over the summer. He was given the playbook during a virtual mini-camp, took it to an open field with a former coach, and practiced his alignment and routes. Through such an arduous process, Claypool assimilated himself into the offense quicker than expected. During training camp, Roethlisberger admit- ted to the media he was surprised the rookie always knew where to line up. Steelers coaches noticed his play as well. "He's a young guy who has some talent, is capable of stretching the field vertically," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. "He's put that on display, but we've always got a young guy in the hopper at that position that stretches the field for us. We've had that over a number of years, and he's just the latest ad- dition, but he's not just a one-trick pony. "He's working to round out all as- pects of his game and contribute to us in as many ways as he can." It appears he hopes his produc- tion on the field will contribute to his success and popularity away from football, and he's prepared to profit because of it. O v e r t h e s u m m e r, C l a y p o o l launched his own YouTube channel, which now has 32,500 subscribers and the three videos he's posted have more than 487,000 views combined. He started another business ven- ture with the creation of his own line of T-shirts, hoodies, face coverings, caps, pants and more. Each item is branded with the "Mapletron" logo, a play on former All-Pro receiver Cal- vin Johnson's "Megatron" nickname. Claypool and Johnson, a future Hall of Fame inductee and former standout for the Detroit Lions, are the only two wideouts since 2003 to run a sub-4.45 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine at 6-4 and at least 235 pounds. In order for his popularity to con- tinue to rise, Claypool must keep up his production on Sundays, a feat that should increase in difficulty as opponents view more of his film and he becomes a known commodity throughout the league. "I think people will start taking notice, and then we're just going to have to start switching things up," Claypool said, "but that's never been a problem before." ✦ MARKETPLACE Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One-of-a-Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! Voted Best Notre Dame Collectibles in the Country! 1811 South Bend Ave. South Bend , I n 46637 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 Call 877-630-8768 to advertise in Blue & Gold Illustrated! Want a prayer published? Call 800-421-7751 NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: Week Three Highlights • Julian Love (Played at Notre Dame from 2015-18), DB, New York Giants: Finished with 11 tackles in the Giants' 36-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers … Had 18 tackles (one for loss), one pass deflection and a pick through three games. • Harrison Smith (2008-11), S, Minnesota Vikings: Recorded nine tackles (one for loss), a pass deflec- tion and an interception in a 31-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans … Notched 18 tackles (two for loss), two pass deflections and a pick in the first three contests. • Stephon Tuitt (2011-13), DL, Pittsburgh Steelers: Had four tackles (two for loss), one sack and four quarterback hits in a 28-21 win over the Houston Texans … Contributed six tackles (one for loss), two sacks and eight quarterback hits in the first three games.