When the NFL schedule was released in April, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle quickly glanced over his team's slate of games. More specifically, his eyes went straight to the latter half of the schedule.
Kittle is not a fan of playing in cold-weather games, so his first reaction was to see how many he would have to endure.
"I left the Midwest because I don't like the cold, and I'm excited that we play in warm weather all the time," Kittle said in April.
The 49ers play just two games — at Baltimore and at Seattle — that could potentially be cold. Perhaps "chilly" is a more appropriate term. It could have been worse.
Kittle's scan of the schedule likely overlooked Week 1. No, there is no September snow in the forecast for Raymond James Stadium. Quite the opposite, actually. I know how Kittle feels about the cold. I wonder how he feels about the extreme heat.
The forecast for Tampa, Florida on Sunday is a high of 94 degrees. But it's that heat in combination with the humidity that can make it feel worse. It will be even hotter for the players, who have no escape from the sun bearing down on the football field while wearing the extra weight of protective gear.
Luckily for the 49ers, Sunday is one of two late-starting home games for the Buccaneers so there will be some relief there.
New 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander spent his first four NFL seasons with Tampa Bay, so he knows exactly what to expect and how to deal with it.
"It's going to be hot and humid, so we've just got to go out there with our mind right; just go out there and focus; just hit and have fun," Alexander said on August 24. "When you have fun, you don't worry about the heat or if it's cold or hot."
General manager John Lynch played 11 seasons with the Buccaneers.
"God knows it's hot, I know it's hot," Lynch said on Wednesday. "I used to say a prayer every day in training camp. 'Just get me through today, and I'll be good.' That's just a fact. It's going to be (hot) so how do you deal with it? Mental toughness, physical toughness. We've prepared these guys for it."
How is the coaching staff preparing its players for the heat? A steam tent popped up next to the practice fields at the 49ers facility. It's a custom sauna where temperatures can get up to 110 degrees inside.
As part of their preparation for the heat and humidity in Tampa on Sunday the #49ers have this sauna tent near the practice field. A few players say it can get up to 110 degrees in there. Team trying to acclimate before the opener. pic.twitter.com/6VQKEmtJho
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 4, 2019
"Yes, I've used the tent," cornerback Richard Sherman told reporters on Thursday. "If it's that hot out there then they have the devil somewhere in Tampa because it is ridiculously hot in that tent. But I've done my best. The sign says it should help us recover quickly. Hopefully, it works. Otherwise, we spent time in a sauna that we didn't need to spend time in."
The 49ers also closed the doors and raised the temperature in the weight room, helping players acclimate to the warmer weather before traveling to the East Coast.
"That's probably as close as it can get to feeling like Tampa, except for the sun being on you," linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who grew up in Tampa, told Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan knows about the Tampa heat. He spent two seasons (2004–2005) as an assistant with the Buccaneers — his first NFL job.
"I coached in Tampa when I started my career, so I know how big of an advantage that was for us early in the year," Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday. "Been in a lot of humid places to begin and it is tough for guys if they aren't prepared for it [...] You've got to be mindful of it.
"You've got to make sure that you don't just start hydrating when you get to Florida and realize how humid it is. That starts Monday, and you've got to do that for a full week which will help, and you just hope that you're hydrated and that you prepared the right way.
"I know we have a team who has prepared the right way. I feel we're very well-conditioned. We'll keep trying to stuff water down their throats for the next week and after that, and then I don't want to talk about it. It's going to be hot. It's not going to be fun."
Are there any tips Lynch might have on how to deal with the Florida heat?
"Learn to love to be miserable," Lynch responded.