Aug 9, 2016 4 min read

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Mike Tomlin and Jim Caldwell have known each other since both were hired as assistant coaches on the staff of Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay in 2001.

That’s why it only made sense when Caldwell’s Detroit Lions were scheduled to visit Pittsburgh for the preseason opener for both teams later this week that the two teams also use the opportunity to hold some joint practices as well.

Detroit will travel to Saint Vincent College today for the first of two practices against the Steelers. The first will take place at 2:55 p.m. Tuesday, the second at 5:15 Wednesday. The two teams are scheduled to play at Heinz Field Friday.

“We’ve looked at it every year,” Caldwell, who is in his third season with the Lions, told reporters in Detroit. “And I’ve talked to several coaches and, sometimes, it didn’t fit, depending on when they wanted to work – if they wanted to work during the last week or the third week. Sometimes it just doesn’t blend together as well.”

Blending two teams together can be difficult. The Steelers are one of the few teams that use live tackling in a number of drills in training camp.

Tomlin typically scales the live tackling drills back in the practices before his team’s first preseason games and that will once again be the case this week. In fact, the Steelers and Lions likely won’t tackle at all.

“No, but the parts I like about it more than anything are the competition periods and the one-on-ones,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “I think those are the most interesting because you get to see players working against different guys.”

After an entire offseason of working against players on their own roster, players from both teams will get the opportunity to go against somebody else in what are typically the dog days of training camp – the week just prior to the preseason opener.

“It’s good to go against somebody new,” Steelers safety Mike Mitchell admitted.

But there’s a lot of work involved as well.

Latrobe isn’t exactly on the beaten path for the Lions, who are staying in Pittsburgh. Assistant coaches from both teams also have been in contact drawing up practice plans that will mesh together.

“Terrell Austin is the defensive coordinator (in Detroit),” Haley said. “We worked together (previously). We’ve been texting to make sure everybody is on the same page.

“Offensively, we’re not going to game plan in that situation. I’m sure they are. That’s why he’s bugging me all the time. We’re just going to continue to work on what we’re doing.”

Things can get testy at times, though.

The only other time the Steelers have held joint practices against another team in Tomlin’s 10 seasons as head coach was when Buffalo came to Saint Vincent College in 2014. Those practices included some minor dust ups between the opposing teams but nothing to the extent of some issues that have happened with other teams around the league.

That might be troublesome with the Lions. Detroit signed former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Marvin Jones and defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry in the offseason.

Jones has had words both on and off the field via social media with Mitchell, while Gilberry was involved in multiple incidents with the Steelers last year. That includes shoving Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter from behind into the scrum that eventually led to the Bengals being assessed with two 15-yard penalties that set Pittsburgh up for a game-winning field goal in the playoffs.

Tomlin doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary.

“Jim and I go way back. That’s one of the reasons why we’re working with those guys,” Tomlin said. “I think it starts there. Familiarity between the coaches, understanding, and the same general approach to work. He’s an easy partner because of our shared experiences. I understand his philosophical approach. So there hasn’t been a lot of communication between us, but there’s not a lot of communication needed. You’ve got two teams coming together, working to get better, and want to do so cooperatively.”

We will see just how cooperative things are when the two teams take the field.