It was a rough week across the NFL with several teams engaging in brawls during joint practices. The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers dominated the early headlines, but it was the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals who ultimately stole the show.
And in the mind of Cam Heyward, the fights validated his concerns about joint practices.
Following a Rams-Bengals WWE-style Royal Rumble that saw defensive tackle Aaron Donald rip an opponents helmet off and then swing it at players, Heyward shared his line of thinking.
“In theory it sounds cool to see you team compete in a practice setting but it’s basically a 2 and half hour wrestling match with no rules or technique which puts everyone on edge,” Heyward wrote on Twitter. “Guys do things they would never do in a game that could lead to injury. Players fight for their team.”
Heyward isn’t wrong. While some teams (see: Giants and Jets) managed to get through a practice without any fisticuffs, that has not been the case historically. More often than not, joint practices lead to increased violence and injury.
The Giants and Jets, although they made it through clean this time, are the prime example. Back in 2005, the two teams engaged in several brawls that lasted throughout the duration of practice. There were injuries, blood, and even opposing coaches going at it.
Donald’s actions have only served to highlight the potential issues, and the gaps in both rules and oversight by the NFL.
If teams wish to continue conducting joint practices — and many do — they may have to concede to some regulation courtesy of the NFL. What happened between the Bengals and Rams was incredibly dangerous, and all parties should consider themselves lucky there were no serious injuries.
As Heyward suggested, players just seem more willing to act crazy without the fear of NFL discipline.
