David Bailey was eager to battle, lining up against an NFL opponent for the first time.
The No. 2 overall pick already looked ready for Week 1, blowing by Luke Goedeke on multiple reps in one-on-one drills early in Tuesday’s joint practice with the Buccaneers. The sixth-year tackle then overcompensated, jumping early and committing a false start. On the next rep, Bailey used a bull rush, ending in a stalemate, with the Jets rookie tapping the veteran’s helmet. Goedeke responded with a punch, and Bailey returned fire as both teams converged in a short-lived skirmish.
“He called me out in one-on-ones and he wanted to go against me and then lost,” Goedeke said. “He tried shoving me after that. [Jets linebacker Kingsley Enagbare], I believe, came from the side and just cheap-shotted me. That didn’t start practice warm and fuzzy. That’s for sure.
“Not the smartest decision by me. That being said, I’m always going to defend my players. I’m going to defend myself, for that matter. I’m not going to get punked and not do anything about it, especially on a football field.”
The battles had just begun.
The longtime friendship of the opposing head coaches — Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles was the secondary coach for the Jets when Glenn was still a cornerback in New York — was powerless to prevent repeated fights between their teams, who have another joint practice scheduled Wednesday before meeting in the preseason opener Friday at MetLife Stadium.
After the fight with Bailey, Goedeke was involved in an altercation with Enagbare that resulted in both sidelines clearing, as Tampa Bay’s tackle ripped off the helmet of Qwan’tez Stiggers and hurled it down the field following Jarius Monroe’s interception of Baker Mayfield.
“I don’t like seeing fighting,” Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. “You do that in a football game and you’re kicked out and it hurts us tremendously. These joint practices are another way that we can try to simulate as close to game-day feel, but I’m really happy that we’re having to pull guys back rather than get guys to go. I don’t like fighting, but there’s some positives in the idea that I don’t want to be punked out here. I hope we don’t do that [Wednesday]. I hope that’s not part of the DNA of this team, but it also kind of gets your adrenaline going.”
Even after both teams had 10 minutes to cool down and regain perspective after seeing Stiggers pass out on the sideline and be taken away in an ambulance — Glenn later said he appeared to be in good condition — the fighting continued.
One brawl saw Bucs defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson rip off the helmet of the 22-year-old Jets right tackle Armand Membou, while another featured Jets rookie defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. and multiple Buccaneers.
“The vets are not gonna do that,” Glenn said. “I don’t think you’re gonna see Demario [Davis] or any of those older guys [doing that]. That’s a lot of energy that’s wasted doing that. The thing is, those [young] guys just have to learn. Hopefully we’ll come out [Wednesday] and not have that, just have a good practice and finish this thing off.”
Just follow the lead of Breece Hall.
“I’ve got a rule: If you’re over 240 [pounds], I ain’t messing with you,” the Jets running back said. “Whenever I see a fight happen, that’s my water break. Have at it. I’m tired. It’s too hot for me to be fighting outside.”
