Fists were flying at the New England Patriots’ first joint training camp practice with the Carolina Panthers. It hung a dark cloud over a day when some really good football was being played.
Following last Thursday’s loss in the preseason opener against the New York Giants, Tuesday’s practice was the first time we got a look at the Patriots’ starters competing against an actual opponent. With that in mind, there’s no surprise things were going to get a little chippy on the field.
There has been talk of an impending offensive train wreck season for the Patriots with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge splitting the play-calling duties. So the team was obviously eager to prove that wouldn’t be the case.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have some proving of their own to do in their visit to Foxborough this week. Here are five takeaways from the first joint practice.