Pittsburgh night practice
Pittsburgh night practice
The Pittsburgh Steelers will return to Saint Vincent College next year for training camp, an experience highlighted by their annual night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. The 2027 version might look different.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, head coach Mike McCarthy hinted he already plans to make changes.
“The Saturday night practice was probably the biggest challenge we had coming out of that practice,” McCarthy told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel. “I’ll look at that next year if we get to that spot in the training camp.”
Broadly, McCarthy’s training camp was already different. The lack of tackling was discussed most frequently, but everything changed, from increased tempo to increased reps to the specific structure of team periods and drills.
Pittsburgh suffered several injuries during the night practice. Wide receivers DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. suffered injuries that sidelined them for the rest of training camp and preseason. Both are expected to return Week 1, but they missed valuable time, especially significant for a new face like Pittman. Reserve offensive lineman Lorenzo Thompson also suffered an injury near the end of practice; the Steelers waived/injured him before the following session.
“Other than that, the amount of work we were able to get done in Latrobe and coming back home has been excellent,” McCarthy said.
Throughout training camp, McCarthy noted he was considering changes to his approach in 2027. That’s natural and expected after a first time, even for a veteran coach like McCarthy who has experienced “destination” camps before; his Green Bay Packers set up summer shop at St. Norbert throughout his tenure.
We won’t know what changes McCarthy makes until the time comes. He probably won’t finalize his plan until next summer, anyway. Reading the tea leaves, Pittsburgh could have a shorter and less physical practice. This season’s practices were already a departure from the high-intensity sessions the Steelers had under Mike Tomlin.
That isn’t inherently negative, and McCarthy’s approach has already shown merit. Pittsburgh is generally healthy, and a lack of tackling didn’t hinder the team during the preseason. It might serve as extra incentive for McCarthy to pull back even more next year.