Stay cool, fellas – in more ways than one.
As the heat index continues to soar across the NFL training camp and preseason landscape, conditions also exist that suggest this could be the week that tempers flare more than usual on the practice fields.
On Wednesday, a full brawl erupted during the Bengals-Packers joint practice, ignited by a fight between Green Bay offensive guard Elgton Jenkins and Cincinnati linebacker Germaine Pratt. Jenkins was ultimately removed from the practice after smacking defensive tackle D.J. Reader.
Was that a precursor to more bad blood elsewhere around the league?
It’s worth noting that NFL teams will engage in 10 joint practices this week – double the amount last week and double the number on tap for the final week of the preseason – which seemingly increases the odds of some extracurricular chaos.
Of course, violence isn’t condoned in a violent sport. But stuff happens.
Remember the donnybrook last summer when the Rams and Bengals clashed and All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald commenced to swinging a Bengals player’s helmet?
Then again, the ground rules are essentially written in stone by the coaches.
“We’re going to be smart. We’re going to be competitive. We’re going to be disciplined and keep our composure,” Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said last week before his team engaged in a joint session with the New York Giants. “That’s the message.”
Last week, the behavior was largely worth repeating. Aside from the fight in Cincinnati, there were no major fisticuffs in any of the other sessions across the league. A few skirmishes were reported during the Falcons-Dolphins sessions, but nothing major. During the Jets-Panthers practice that I attended on Wednesday, there were a couple cases of shoving that might have erupted into fights, but they were quickly doused as officials rushed in to get between players, and coaches blew whistles for long stretches to signal that plays were dead.
Days before the practice (a session on Thursday was canceled after heavy rain and thunderstorms passed through), Panthers coach Frank Reich declared that he would do everything in his power to promote non-fighting. Apparently the efforts of Reich and Jets counterpart Robert Saleh worked.
“The fighting thing … I just cannot stand,” Reich told reporters. “I mean, it’s just useless. I mean, I get it. It’s a very emotional game. Hopefully, we’ll be pros about it.”
Although some teams prefer not to engage (the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t practiced with another team in seven years), players and coaches routinely hail the benefits. If breaking the monotony of training camp isn’t the big draw, then maybe it’s the opportunity to work against different opponents. While Giants quarterback Daniel Jones mentioned the increased game speed evident in the sessions at Detroit, Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin talked up the increase in energy.
“I love this!” said Campbell, a former NFL tight end. “If I’m in that locker room, this is great, man. You get to go against a different opponent that brings something different to the table and you get to show what you’re capable of.”
The Lions, who will work against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, are one of 13 teams that will practice with multiple teams this summer. Campbell said that could equate to more opportunities for players considered on the bubble, as they’ll have practices on videotape for opposing teams to evaluate.
“I think a lot of this, too, is, what I like about it: There’s a little more pressure, there’s a little more media, a little more fans,” Campbell said. “You’ve got two units here. There’s someone else who doesn’t quite know you. I think you’re going to see a couple guys rise to the top. That’s the value from where I sit, because you want to know those things now.”
Giants coach Brian Daboll considers the joint sessions as the “next step” of training camp, fueled by competition. With caution.
“Well, you have a bunch of competitive people that are hitting each other every day but we are going to try and take care of one another, keep people off the ground, stay away from the quarterback,” Daboll said. “Just practice the right way like you are practicing against your team. But again, the competitive juices flow but do a good job of respecting them and look forward to that in return.””
Sure, that sounds easy enough. Yet the fight in Cincinnati last week illustrated how things can get out of hand.
How did the first fight involving Jenkins begin?
Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari offered this theory to reporters: “I think he gave him the wrong pie recipe or something like that and he was pissed off.”
In other words, sometimes it just gets a bit heated.
Protection issues
There was much buzz following the Jets-Panthers joint practice about the condition of the offensive line that New York is assembling in front of Aaron Rodgers. With a new offense, a new line coach in Keith Carter and a couple players trying to battle back from injuries, the Jets are still trying to settle on a starting five.
The practice on Wednesday, with Rodgers under constant duress, underscored the issue.
On Thursday, Jets coach Robert Saleh maintained: “We’ve got time … but as a coach you want it done yesterday.””
Then came the game on Saturday. While the Jets’ line held up (with Rodgers out), Carolina’s O-line, protecting rookie quarterback Bryce Young, had even bigger issues. The Panthers’ problems were so offensive that the line – which returns all five starters – held a post-game meeting.
Young dropped back seven times during 11 snaps on three series of work. He was sacked once and hit three other times. It wasn’t exactly the way the Panthers wanted the slight Young (5-10, 204 pounds) to prove that he can take a hit in the NFL.
One of Young’s backups, Matt Corral, was sacked four times.
“We just weren’t good enough across the board,” said left tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu, Carolina’s top pick in 2022.
They’d better improve (like yesterday, as Saleh might put it) to give the rookie QB some much-needed protection.
Proud of pupil
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin missed the team’s annual “Friday Night Lights” practice in Latrobe, Pennsyvania, recently to help celebrate Ronde Barber’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tomlin was Barber’s position coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was chosen to present the former nickel corner with his gold jacket on the eve of the enshrinement.
Why is Barber a Hall of Famer?
“As the nickel position became more significant on all downs, it was a platform for him to rise,” Tomlin said, mindful of the three-receiver sets that became standard after the St. Louis Rams lit up the scoreboard with the Greatest Show on Turf.
“That was his wheelhouse,” Tomlin said, speaking of the matchups. “He was a better box player than slot receivers. And so, he dominated that area. He was a great blitzer. He was tailor made for the evolution of the game at that point.”
Barber, who played in the NFL from 1997-2012, is the only player in NFL history to notch 45 interceptions (47) and 25 sacks (28). He also tallied more than 1,200 tackles and started each game for 13 consecutive seasons.
