Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is a first-timer when it comes to an international game in the regular season. But he's not entirely a novice to the overall experience when it comes to the NFL.
McCarthy was asked before practice Wednesday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex about the 1994 and 1998 American Bowl in Tokyo when he was coaching for the Chiefs. In his five seasons on staff in Kansas City, first as an offensive assistant and then as quarterbacks coach, the Chiefs played in that exhibition excursion twice.
Talk about a blast from the past. McCarthy's answer was like listening to the football lifer rifling through old keepsakes in the attic as he went down memory lane.
"Goodness, that was a long time ago," McCarthy said. "Tokyo was 138 degrees heat index … but it was a fun trip. It was preseason, so I think that definitely helped."
Indeed, when McCarthy occasionally rattles off lessons learned from longtime head coach Marty Schottenheimer, his boss in Kansas City, or working with Joe Montana, Japan rarely comes up. But with the Steelers headed to Stade de France this week to face the Saints for the NFL's first foray into Paris, McCarthy does have a modicum of memories to draw from.
Of course, it didn't matter then in the standings if the Chiefs beat the Vikings or the Packers. The 2026 Steelers are 4-2 and want to stack a third consecutive victory to keep pace in the heated AFC North.
"The first time, we went for like a week, and everybody got to enjoy the culture, Japan and Tokyo," McCarthy recalled. "The second one was earlier and a little quick. I thought it was great for the team camaraderie and the group dynamic, really, to do things away from football with your players and as a staff.
"But this is different. We're playing a game in Paris on a normal seven-day week, so you have to be smart on when you travel, how you travel, what exactly you do when you get over there, the amount of sleep. You're trying to get extra sleep for the guys going into it — obviously, hydration, all the basics and so forth. Doing this trip on a seven-day schedule, I'll say it's different becauseI've never done it. I think it's all part of the challenge playing internationally."
For McCarthy, that has meant a lot of extra conversations and considerations both for himself and the staff around him within the organization. It's no small task for everyone from the coaches to the team operations coordinator, nutritionist, athletic trainers and beyond.
The preparation process from an on-field standpoint, though, is "business as usual," as McCarthy put it. From that perspective, it's beneficial that the Steelers have spent most of the week at their headquarters in Pittsburgh.
"I think having the extra time was needed [with] overtime [against Tampa Bay] and all the things that play into that, playing in the weather down there in Florida," McCarthy said. "So it was real important, on the front end of this — regardless of who we're playing — to get these guys to make sure they get their bodies back and focus.
"Traveling's stressful, whether we're going to Tampa or going across the Atlantic. Those are the things I'm in touch with, just to make sure we're making this as smooth and as safe as we possibly can. They have confidence in our plan, and we're obviously doing all the little things that help us prepare, because the most important thing for us, professionally, is to go over there and come back 5-2."
