Mike Tomlin has taken in the "shared information" regarding procedures for international trips and decided to work the Steelers at home before leaving for Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday night.
While fans may enjoy a week-long series of events in Ireland, Tomlin stated emphatically, "This is a business trip."
Don't judge Tomlin harshly, though, if his thoughts wander a bit.
"I think a lot about the late Ambassador (Dan) Rooney and how fired up he would be about this trip, and how important the development of this trip was for him," said Tomlin. "And so I've been thinking a lot about it. I'm sure I'll be thinking a lot about it this week, and I certainly will be thinking a lot about him when we're there.
"Man, you talk about a guy who certainly had a lot of passion for Ireland, and obviously for the Steelers, and then serving as ambassador to Ireland. I'm sure he's going to be smiling down at us this weekend."
The 2-1 Steelers will play the 2-1 Minnesota Vikings on the hallowed grounds of Croke Park, the site Rooney worked hard to secure for a 1997 preseason game there against the Chicago Bears. The Steelers won that game, 30-17, the first and only American football game to be played at a site throughout that century had hosted only Gaelic football and hurling. It was the site of the notorious "Bloody Sunday" in Dublin in which British forces stormed the field and killed 14 people, including one Gaelic football player, as payback for IRA revolutionaries killing British agents downtown that morning.
Soccer and rugby have since been allowed on the Croke Park grounds, along with a heavyweight boxing match involving Muhammad Ali. The game Sunday, in front of an expected crowd of 75,000, will be the first NFL regular-season game played at Croke Park.
For this, Rooney, the former Ambassador to Ireland (2009-12), would've been proud. Tomlin said the education of new players about the late Dan Rooney is ongoing.
"It doesn't take a trip like this for those conversations to happen," Tomlin said. "Those of us that knew him certainly educate – not necessarily the young players but just the new Steelers – about his mode of operation, how he cared about this football team, and what he thought this football team meant, not only to the National Football League but our fans, this community, the responsibility that comes with being a Steeler. The education is continual."
On the business side of the trip, the Steelers could have their starting secondary back in place, along with another interesting addition, to face an explosive Vikings offense that scored 48 points last Sunday with a backup quarterback, who'll be aided by the return of former Pitt star wide receiver Jordan Addison.
Addison, the Vikings' first-round pick in 2023, pairs with Justin Jefferson to form one of the most potent receiving duos in the NFL. Last season, Jefferson caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Addison caught 63 passes for 879 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Another former first-round pick, tight end T.J. Hockenson, is currently the team's second-leading receiver to Jefferson. Quarterback Carson Wentz stepped in for injured starter J.J. McCarthy last week and led the Vikings to a 48-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers would welcome the return of strong safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the starting lineup. Both were injured in the opening game, and Tomlin said the two "certainly have a chance" of returning this week.
Tomlin had been forced to postpone the plans made in the offseason regarding the secondary upon the acquisitions of Pro Bowl defensive back Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey.
"Certainly one injury doesn't get you off your game, and two better not," Tomlin said, "but it's the injuries coupled with the fact that the players themselves are new in general. All four of the secondary guys in that second ballgame for us (vs. Seattle) were new to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And so we've got some new people; you've got some attrition; and certainly you're doing what's appropriate when you take the game schematically to those who are playing.
Another new defensive back joined the group last week, and Tomlin said that Jabrill Peppers played well enough to force his way into more playing time as well.
"He certainly did," Tomlin said. "I thought he played with really good energy. He was productive. He made some tackles. He caused and recovered a fumble. But above all of that, I thought his experience showed.
"Although he was new to us, he was a really good communicator, particularly for a first in-game experience from a defensive-unit perspective. Oftentimes, level of communication is an indication of understanding, and so the way he communicated, certainly, displayed a high level of understanding, and that makes us all really comfortable."
Another former starter, Cole Holcomb, returned from an injury that cost him a year and a half of playing time last Sunday. Holcomb played 50 percent of the snaps at inside linebacker to help the run defense.
"You can't say enough about his mental toughs," Tomlin said. "There's a loneliness that comes with rehabilitation and to see his commitment through the process, his unwavering commitment, his display of mental toughs, his general attitude, I think those are the things that are really significant and why we're looking at the contributions that he's able to make now. He's just a really mentally tough guy. He's got an awesome relationship with football. He appreciates what others might view as drudgery. He enjoys, and I think that helps him in a big way."
When asked to describe Holcomb as a player, Tomlin simply said, "He's a downhill thumper."
It's needed, because Tomlin emphasized the need for his defense to improve in short-yardage situations. Last Sunday, the Patriots converted 4-of-5 fourth downs. The only Steelers stop occurred on the Patriots' final offensive snap, a play cornerback Brandon Echols stopped for a loss.
"Quarterback mobility being a component of it, oftentimes you've got to be willing to take the guy out of the middle of the field and play 11-on-11 football," Tomlin explained of the difficulty in short yardage. "We were less willing to do it a week ago. I've been in a lot of stadiums with Josh McDaniels. He's willing to play beyond the sticks in short yardage, and so it made it more problematic to minimize the mobility of Drake Maye without being willing to do that."
The health is coming together for the Steelers, who also got first-round pick Derrick Harmon back for the Patriots game. Only outside linebacker Alex Highsmith has been ruled out this week, and his replacement, Nick Herbig, was credited with 10 QB pressures, 4 QB hits, and a strip-sack in the fourth quarter that T.J. Watt recovered.
The Steelers will put in two full practice days before traveling to Dublin.
"It doesn't get old to represent our game of American football on the international stage," Tomlin said. "It's a really cool thing. So, (I'm) excited about being a component of that. But as we sit here today, it's more about the preparation that tees up performance, and that's really what has our attention."
