Steelers' Bold Strategy May Just Be A Ticking Time Bomb That Will Explode Into More Injuries

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had quite a few interesting tidbits with how they practice. With Mike McCarthy running the show now, they have stopped tackling during the week. That used to be a staple of Pittsburgh's training camps to promote physical play, but now the team is caught up with most of the league in that regard. With the international game against the New Orleans Saints coming up, they are also continuing with the tradition of waiting until Thursday night to fly overseas before practicing on Friday, which has been criticized by many. 

While McCarthy brought the Steelers into modern times with the lack of tackling, he has also tried something that is very outdated: having tough practices on Saturday before a game. Typically, that is a walkthrough day to make sure everyone is rested and healthy before the contest after a hard week of work. It's a very unusual strategy in the modern day, and it is very risky.

Insider Ray Fittipaldo is also confused with this tactic. While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, he spoke about what he believes will end up happening if McCarthy continues with these extra practices. 

"I know [Pat] Freiermuth got hurt last week; he's not on the injury report this week," Fittipaldo said. "Eventually, if you do continue to practice hard on Saturdays, you are going to have an injury like that that's going to come back and bite you. Luckily, for Freiermuth, he was able to play last weekend."

Pat Freiermuth suffered a calf injury on Saturday before Week 6 after going through the rigorous Saturday practice. He played, but he left the game temporarily due to reaggravating his calf. Fittipaldo sees that scenario playing out again with this new weekly plan, but with worse results. Based on what he said, it's not a matter of if someone gets seriously hurt, but when it happens.

Having walkthroughs instead of practices the day before a game is not just an NFL thing; that is what happens at every level of football. That's done for player health and safety, and McCarthy is now compromising his own players by going against the grain. With all the injuries that have started to pile up for Pittsburgh, this new tactic will only make it harder on the team to stay healthy. 

The Steelers are down to practice squad receivers and last-string defensive tackles heading into Week 7. Jalen Ramsey has played the previous four games with a broken wrist. There are many aging veterans on the team that are more susceptible to injury at this stage of their careers. As Fittipaldo said, players will eventually have to miss games because of all the extra work that they do on Saturdays now.

Steelers Are Setting Themselves Up For Failure In Week 7

As mentioned before, the Steelers are leaving Thursday night to fly to Paris for a Sunday game. That is already tiring by itself, as it is very hard for these players to get good sleep on the plane. They are already at a disadvantage, as the Saints left for France right after their Week 6 win and were able to have as normal of a practice week as possible. They will be much more rested and prepared than Pittsburgh.

The Steelers are combining that with this new rigorous Saturday routine, as Fittipaldo confirmed in his appearance as well. The most likely outcome is that Pittsburgh loses due to the players being unable to play at full speed with more key players getting injured from trying to go as hard as possible on very little sleep. This is a strategy that makes no sense whatsoever, and it could end up costing the team in the long run.

What do you think about the Steelers' decision to practice hard on Saturdays now? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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