Isolation, Rookie Wall and an Impromptu Bye Week: How the Steelers Dealt With the NFL's First COVID-19 Outbreak
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers were the first 'unintentional' victim of a COVID-19 outbreak and the uncertainty that comes when the NFL needs to make adjustments during the season.
The Steelers were two practice days into their preparation for the Tennessee Titans when the NFL decided that the Week 4 game would be rescheduled to a later week.
With the rescheduling came a last-minute Bye Week for the Steelers and Titans. Tennessee wasn't in their facilities due to the outbreak, but Pittsburgh was, and they only had three off days because of it.
"We got enough adequate time," cornerback Steven Nelson put it. "We embrace it. We knew coming into the season there was going to be a lot of ups and downs and unexpected things. We embrace those things. We take them on as they come and we prepare as such."
There was a lot that went into the impromptu Bye Week. Like the rest of the NFL, the Steelers came into the season with a shortened training camp and no preseason games. They now need to play 13 games in a row before the postseason.
Mike Tomlin put it best last Thursday when he said the Steelers "do not care" that they will now play 13 consecutive games.
Maybe that's true. But it does come with concerns, especially for younger players.
Rookie Chase Claypool said he doesn't like to think of the "rookie wall" most first-year players hit during the second half of the NFL season. Adding more games to the schedule they've played throughout college comes at a price, and most inexperienced players see that.
"I am preparing," Claypool said. "I'm trying to get in a routine now so I don't have to go through that too bad. Trying to get in a routine with treatment."
That routine includes weekly massages and more treatment on his body than he has done in years past.
"It's staying on top of bumps and bruises that may arise. Not letting them wait until they become something problematic," Claypool said. "That's what I've been doing. If I got a little soreness somewhere, I make sure I get that treated."
The Steelers weren't the team dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak in Week 4, but they suffered the consequences of one within the NFL. Right now, the team doesn't have any players on the Reserve/COVID List, and they've succeeded in staying healthy by taking the precautions.
"With this situation and the way the world is now, me personally, I only go from practice to home and then to the grocery store, if need be," linebacker Bud Dupree said. "Other than that, you just stay at home. Don't try to do anything extra that you'd normally do during the season. Think about your team first."
"I'm a family guy, so I got home and just be with my family," Nelson said was his after-work routine. "I think that's the easiest way to stay away from everybody and isolate yourself."
"It's pretty simple for me. I know my teammates, and that's about it, so I don't really know too many people that I can hang out with anyways," said Claypool. "After the facility, I hang out with my teammates here, and once all that's done, I go back home and play [video] games. If we want to hang out, we just get on the game together."
Overall, the weekend off wasn't a full Bye Week, but it was enough to relieve some stress from the Steelers roster.
"Any time you get a chance to relax is a good time," Dupree said. "We typically would like to have that bye towards the middle of the season, for our bodies' sake. Our bodies aren't really banged up right now. Our legs may be tired but as far as our body and mental state, we're still ahead of the curve and we're still ready to go."
Players had to return to the facilities throughout the weekend to get COVID-19 tested daily. The NFL's new protocols require players to stay in their city during their off week to receiving testing, halting any travel plans.
"Show up, take your COVID test and go back home," is how Nelson described it.
Now, the Steelers are looking at a long road ahead before the postseason. They'll prepare for Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles and a hopeful 4-0 start.
The NFL is investigating the Titans to clarify any misconduct in players or coaches when it comes to isolation. The team could be looking at fines if they are found to violate any COVID-19 guidelines set in place by the league.
But really, it's a pandemic, and no one can predict how this virus will spread throughout the National Football League.
"We really can't put blame on anything because we don't even know how the virus is spreading right now," Dupree said. "It's a lot that plays into that. It's not a good situation for whole league for this virus to keep popping up and popping up but we just got to fight through it and roll with our best abilities."
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
