Mike Tomlin put his Pittsburgh Steelers players on buses and sent them across town to practice Wednesday at Acrisure Stadium.
Weather conditions made the grass practice fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex unusable, and Tomlin wanted to the players to experience a playing surface similar to what the Buffalo Bills use at Highmark Stadium. Which is why he didn’t use the indoor facility to conduct practice.
“It was all about surface,” Tomlin said, specifically referring to the footing the Steelers could experience at Acrisure. “No other factors were a component of it. There is heating underneath that stadium surface, so it was game-like.”
The rain and wind the Steelers experienced were ancillary. The forecast for Sunday afternoon is calling for high winds to swirl through Orchard Park, N.Y.
“As long as the conditions are the same for both teams, I’m not overly concerned about it,” Tomlin said.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson said the players made the most of the switch to Acrisure.
“It was cool just to be in the stadium,” he said. “It was different. We had to scramble to get everything over there. It was unusual, but we were able to get our work in.”
The Steelers are expected to practice at Acrisure Stadium again Thursday.
Adverse conditions could greet the Steelers for the second week in a row. The season finale in Baltimore was played in a downpour for most of the game.
“Coach T always puts us in the position where we get to experience those conditions outside,” Johnson said. “He doesn’t shy away from that.”
Johnson had a 71-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Mason Rudolph that gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead in the third quarter against Baltimore. He didn’t have much difficulty holding onto the ball, catching four of his five targets for a game-high 89 yards.
Johnson packed his rain gloves for the occasion, and he’ll also have his thicker snow gloves available Sunday. Whichever gloves he chooses, he’ll make sure to change them every quarter. It’s become a superstition for Johnson in recent seasons.
“I don’t like wearing the same gloves throughout the game,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been doing.”
