Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward provided insight on the Steelers last trip overseas, and to say the least, things did not go well. The Steelers lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 34-27, dropping to 0-4 on the season.
According to Heyward, the Steelers made a mistake by traveling to London later in the week. The Steelers were lethargic due to the time difference. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also had similar comments.
“We left Thursday night and arrived Friday morning,” Heyward said on his *Not Just Football *podcast. “Everybody was asleep during practice. Everybody was falling asleep during the stretch. Then we had meetings after, everybody fell asleep there. Then, during the game, everybody was asleep in the first half. It’s rough because you’re going, what? It’ll be five hours ahead? So you’re trying to get sleep on a plane going over there. It’s not ideal.”
Despite how things unfolded in 2013, team president Art Rooney II said the Steelers will likely have a similar approach to the Ireland game that they had against Minnesota in London — leaving Pittsburgh Thursday, practicing in Ireland on Friday and Saturday.
“From our point of view, I don’t think a lot has changed,” Rooney told Missi Matthews of Steelers.com. “I think we’re planning to leave similar to what we did for the last international trip. Probably leave on Thursday and practice there on Friday and Saturday and have the game on Sunday and fly out Sunday night. I don’t think it’ll be too much different from the last trip.”
The Steelers-Vikings game on Sept. 28 will be the first NFL regular season game ever played in Ireland. It will be a historic event on many fronts.
The Vikings will play in Dublin against the Steelers in Week 4, before returning to London to face the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 5. They’ll be the first team to play in two different countries outside the United States in back-to-back weeks. It will be their fifth trip to London, and third in four years. The Vikings are 4-0 in international regular season games.
Rooney is excited to host a regular season game in Ireland this season. It’s something that the Rooney family has been pushing for over the last several years.
“The opportunity for the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in Ireland is truly special, not only because of the Rooney family history there but because it allows us to connect with Irish fans while also giving fans who travel from Pittsburgh and beyond a unique football experience,” Rooney said in a press release. “We are thrilled to be part of this historic event and to represent Pittsburgh on a global stage.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Cam Heyward Reflects on Steelers Last International Game: ‘Everybody Was Falling Asleep’
