The Pittsburgh Steelers’ only practice in Paris is off the schedule.
Friday’s workout was canceled because of inclement weather, leaving the team with just a Saturday walk-through in France before its Week 7 game against the New Orleans Saints. Pittsburgh had flown overnight and arrived in Paris expecting to go from the airport to the hotel for bodywork and treatment, then return for a 30-minute practice.
“We had two plans coming in,” McCarthy told reporters in Paris. “Just really wanted to acclimate the players after the long flight, just based off the communication with the weather and the reality of the timing too.
We had to make the decision before we landed just to put it together. But frankly, driving by, I wish we would've stopped.
But this is part of our plan.”
A significant wind storm was blowing through the city, though it was not raining when the interviews took place. The team’s PR staff later sent a memo confirming the Steelers would skip practice at Stade de France and head to the hotel for media availability instead.
The Saints, meanwhile, have been in Paris all week and have already had time to practice there. The Steelers’ week has been more compact, with practices in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Thursday and the usual Saturday session still ahead.
Pittsburgh handled a similar travel setup successfully last year, when the team went to Dublin, Ireland. That trip also featured an overnight flight on Thursday and a Friday-morning arrival, followed by practice.
“Just like anything, when the schedule comes out we’re on a 7-day week flow here,” McCarthy said earlier in the week about the team's travel plans. “Played yesterday in Tampa, had to travel back, so that factors into it...
Whether you’re playing in the Super Bowl or you're playing a Monday night game, you look at all of those things and the reality of it is I've always tried to stick to the basics. The hydration, the sleep, just to give the men the best opportunity to prepare and perform while staying in the normal flow of operation as possible.”
The Steelers and Saints are set to kick off Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
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