It brings a smile to the face of Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, whether it's on the field on game day, afterward in the postgame locker room or 24 hours later at his weekly Monday press conference.
Wide receiver Germie Bernard and cornerback Jamel Dean both got game balls for their efforts in Sunday's 26-19 overtime win at Tampa Bay, McCarthy acknowledged. One is a rookie who tasted the end zone for the first time in the regular season, and the other had a special connection to where the Steelers won.
"That speaks volumes about where he is on his climb and his contribution to the offense," McCarthy said of Bernard.
As for Dean, it was the second time in as many weeks the Steelers rallied around veteran teammates who are new to Pittsburgh in matchups against their former clubs. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. didn't play against the Colts because of a foot injury, but the rest of the roster wanted to win that game for him.
Dean got the chance to factor into his homecoming, of sorts, back at Raymond James Stadium. His 40-yard interception return put the offense on the doorstep at the Tampa Bay 3-yard line and set up the go-ahead field goal late in regulation. That was after he broke up a franchise-record six passes.
"That's what the locker room is all about, the organic development and growth of your locker room," McCarthy said of Dean's moment in the Florida sun. "You see relationships that are new; that's how you improve as a football team. Ultimately, we're judged on our performance, but the ability to give guys opportunities — he was a captain this week — and then to have the huge play in the game and win a game ball also, that just goes a long way. It goes a long way in the locker room."
Indeed, few players on this team knew Dean before he arrived in free agency. But they've bonded with him dating back to OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the first five games of the season. Surely, they understood what Week 6 meant for him against the franchise that drafted him in 2019.
Those are the intangibles that can help carry a team through any stretch of a long season. The Steelers are set to embark on one of those atypical challenges this week, facing the Saints in Paris.
"I think, just like anything, when the schedule comes out, we're on a seven-day week flow here," McCarthy said. "Playing yesterday in Tampa, travel back, that factors into it. We play again seven days later against Cleveland. All those factors go into this. Whether you're playing in the Super Bowl or playing in a Monday night game … you look at all of those things."
McCarthy has never coached in an international game, but to his point, he's handled the logistical challenges of playing on the biggest stage the NFL has to offer. He's also gotten his teams ready for numerous games on short weeks, long weeks and most scenarios in between.
The Steelers will fly to Paris after practice Thursday, McCarthy confirmed. Conversations were had and considerations were made for all methods of how best to adjust to the time zone change and kicking off at what will be 9:30 a.m. back home in Pittsburgh.
"The reality is, I always try to stick to the basics — the hydration, the sleep, just to make sure you give the men the best opportunity to prepare, to perform, and then ultimately stay in as normal of a flow of preparation as you can," McCarthy said. "We looked at both options, and we clearly feel that this one, leaving Thursday, is the best one for us."
