Most coaches like to see their players fight a little, as long as no one gets hurt.
There was a lot of fighting at the Seahawks camp on Wednesday. Luckily, no one was hurt. As far as we know.
The multiple skirmishes included, via TheAthletic.com, wide receiver DK Metcalf remove a teammate’s helmetswinging it and hitting another teammate’s helmet with it.
Cornerback Tre Brown allegedly punched wide receiver Jake Bobo in the face after Bobo lost his helmet. Brown later got into an argument with Metcalf, who removed Brown’s helmet and threw it. It missed Brown but hit safety K’Von Wallace on his helmet, which was covered by a Guardian cap. Wallace was apparently uninjured and continued to practice.
Speaking on NFL Network, coach Mike Macdonald said the players were “tired of playing each other.”
“We’re in it right now,” Macdonald said. “I think the guys are realizing that. Hey, let’s take care of each other. We don’t want people fighting in here, especially our own teammates.” Then DK gave a great message at the end of practice, putting it all in perspective. The guys finished the session the right way. So, proud of our guys.”
Fights show that players have an advantage. They also show a potential lack of discipline, which can result in 15-yard gaps on the field during games. And players can get injured.
So there’s a sweet spot where guys show their fire but avoid getting a dose of brimstone.
For practices, any punishment appears to be limited to the team. The memo the league recently sent out regarding training camp fights apparently only applies to joint practices.
One could argue that the league should exercise jurisdiction over all training camp fights, since teams can hardly be trusted to take serious action against their most important players. And, more than that, anyone who removes his helmet and brandishes it should receive more than a severe reprimand.
