National Football League

Business, not sightseeing, on Lions' agenda in London

Published Oct. 20, 2014 2:13 p.m. ET

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell is going to Europe for the first time Monday night.

His team plays Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London against the Atlanta Falcons as part of the NFL's international series.

Caldwell, however, doesn't plan to do much sightseeing while he's over there, and he doesn't expect his players to, either.

"For us, it's a business trip, not a vacation," Caldwell said during his weekly news conference. "Most of us that are working -- coaches and players -- won't have the opportunity to do things that tourists normally do."

The Lions might have a little free time Friday afternoon/evening to take in some sights, but as Caldwell said he told his players, "If you're really looking for a real good time and you want to take a real true tour of the city and Europe, win a lot more football games, you'll have a little extra money in your pocket and you'll be able to do some of that."

The Lions, who are tied for first place in the NFC North with a 5-2 record, are leaving early to get acclimated to the time difference following their seven-hour flight.

The game, which is being televised nationally by FOX, starts at 9:30 a.m. Detroit time, 1:30 p.m. in London.

"We did a lot of research," Caldwell said. "We looked at the teams that had gone over late, and the teams that have gone over early. We looked at all the parameters.

"It doesn't fit everybody. We weighed it out what fits us best. We're going over early to give ourselves an opportunity to have a normal week of practice, as normal as possible with skipping time zones, to get ourselves acclimated."

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