It is that lovely time for summer NFL training camps when very large men are anxious because they’re trying to earn jobs, they’re in foul moods because it is oppressively hot, and they’re also competing against opposing teams because clubs schedule joint practices with each other.
It is a petri dish of frustration and ire and aggressiveness mixing to form occasional fighting. And that’s what the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints did on Tuesday when they went at it, so to speak, during their dual practice in Oxnard, Calif.
How to describe that one:
RAIDERS QUARTERBACK KIRK COUSINS, MAXX CROSBY GET INTO SCUFFLE IN TENSE TRAINING CAMP MOMENT
There was a dustup.
Then skirmishes (plural).
And then a full-on brawl with punches exchanged to top it off.
Asked afterward how he judged the work his team did in practice Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer answered thusly:
“Right now,” Schottenheimer said, “I’m charge of fight club.”
Yes, punches were thrown, which isn’t the smartest because a fist typically doesn’t work great against a helmet.
So, some guys got smart and tossed their adversary’s helmet.
JA’MARR CHASE THROWS HELMET AS FIGHT BREAKS OUT ON FIRST DAY OF BENGALS TRAINING CAMP
Then, at one point, Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner grabbed Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson and applied a Suplex wrestling move. Makes sense because Rechsteiner is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner.
Cowboys second-year linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku was removed from practice because officials saw him throw a punch.
Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson also threw a punch, per a video captured by the Dallas Morning News.
Saints center Erik McCoy launched a Cowboy player’s helmet to the moon, although the flight didn’t reach its destination and the helmet landed mere yards away.
That’s when Ezeiruaku similarly grabbed McCoy’s helmet, slung it off his head and similarly sent it flying. And then Ezeiruaku threw his punch.
“You don’t want punches thrown or anything like that,” Saints linebacker Pete Werner said. “…But you want your guys protecting each other. You can also say that for the other team. There’s a part of it that’s good. Other part where it’s, ‘Let’s be smart here. Let’s get this moving.'”
The coaches were not happy about the so-called fight club. They want professional work by professional players so they can hone skills and improve.
Such dual practices long ago took the place of preseason games for veterans because they compete against the opposing team’s starters in these sessions and then do not play in the week’s preseason game.
The reason for going this route is these practices are supposed to be a controlled environment – usually.
“Nobody wants this,” Schottenheimer told reporters.
He described the escapades as “unfortunate” and added the session “disappointed” him because his team didn’t get the work it needed.
There will not be a round 2 between these two teams on Wednesday. The Saints will be going down the road to visit the Rams for a joint practice on Thursday.
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