Tag: joint practice

Broncos coach Sean Payton wants to avoid fights during joint practices

“We have to have the discipline when the whistle blows to get onto the next play,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

The Denver Broncos are set to host the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of joint practices this week.

So far this summer, Broncos players have done a pretty good job of not escalating any scuffles into big fights at practice. Denver coach Sean Payton wants that to continue when the team hosts the Rams on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Hopefully that’s not a big issue,” Payton said in July when asked about fights at practice. “It hasn’t been a big issue wherever I’ve been. We have to have the discipline when the whistle blows to get onto the next play.

“We see it every year where there is a personal foul or something silly or something stupid that only harms the team. You have to practice that. You deal with it on a case-by-case basis. We have taken players and sent them in, but hopefully that’s not a big issue.”

Last year, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald swung helmets at opponents during a joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals. Payton doesn’t have to worry about the possibility of that happening this summer because Donald did not make the trip to Denver.

“I think Sean [McVay] will do a great job with his team,” Payton said on Tuesday. “My experience — it’s been with the Chargers over the years. It’s been with the Patriots. We’ve had a lot of good work take place without any fighting, so I don’t expect that to be an issue at all.”

The Broncos and Rams will hope everyone keeps their cool on the practice field leading up to Saturday’s preseason finale.

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Highlights from Colts’ joint practice with Eagles

Here are the highlights from the joint practice between the Colts and Eagles.

The Indianapolis Colts visited the Philadelphia Eagles for joint practices Tuesday ahead of the preseason finale, which takes place Thursday night.

Despite this being the first time these two teams got together during the preseason, the practice was intense and physical. It even got to the point where two brawls took place and the head coaches decided to end practice a bit early.

Here are the news, notes and highlights from the joint practice between the Colts and Eagles:

Colts, Eagles joint practice ends after massive brawl

A massive brawl ended the joint practice early.

The Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles held a joint practice Tuesday ahead of the preseason finale, but it appears the practice was cut a bit short due to a massive brawl.

Teams will always do their best to be smart about the fights during joint practices, and they typically will call it quits when the fights are more of a focus than the work.

It seems this massive fight was mostly between Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin and Eagles center Jason Kelce. There also was another fight that included Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett hit Anthony Richardson trying to get the ball out.

That seemed to be the case late during Tuesday’s practice. Here are some of the updates from the fight:

Aaron Donald won’t practice or play against Broncos this week

With baby due ‘any day,’ Rams star Aaron Donald won’t travel to Denver for joint practices against the Broncos this week.

The Denver Broncos’ interior offensive line won’t have to worry about facing the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL this week.

The Broncos are set to host the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of joint practices this week leading up to their preseason finale, but star defensive lineman Aaron Donald won’t make the trip to Denver.

“He’s got a baby that’s due any day and so he’s not going to make the trip to Denver,” Rams coach Sean McVay said, according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire.

Donald wouldn’t have played against the Broncos on Saturday, anyway — McVay often holds his stars out of preseason games — but he would have practiced against Denver had he made the trip.

A nine-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro, three-time Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl LVI champion, Donald is 2-0 against the Broncos in his career in the regular season, totaling two sacks in those contests.

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Texans, Saints cancel joint training camp practice

The Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints have announced they will not hold joint practices together leading into their Aug. 27 preseason game.

The Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints will have a regular week of practices separately leading into their preseason finale Aug. 27.

The Texans and Saints released a joint statement Sunday night announcing the cancellation of their joint practices that were set for this week.

“Our two teams have mutually agreed to cancel the joint practices that were scheduled in New Orleans this week. After our head coaches spoke earlier today, we decided this was in the best interest of both teams as we continue to prepare for the regular season. A revised practice schedule for each team will be communicated once finalized.”

The Texans spent Aug. 17-18 conducting joint training camp practices with the Miami Dolphins, and played their preseason game on Aug. 19 at NRG Stadium.

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WATCH: Video highlights from Patriots-Packers scrimmages

Check out the highlights from the Patriots’ joint practices with the Packers.

It was a heated two days of joint practices for the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers ahead of their Week 2 preseason game.

Things got competitive with both teams looking to one-up the other. For the Patriots, it was the first real opportunity to see their starters going head-to-head with a defense that wasn’t their own.

It got a little rocky on Wednesday with the offensive line struggling to win in the trenches, and the defense got burned on multiple big plays by the Packers offense. However, on Thursday, the Patriots steadied the ship and came out with a bit more intensity.

Some of the highlights from the scrimmage could be seen in the recently released “sights and sounds” video from the joint practices in Green Bay.

Things got verbal and physical on the practice field, and a Patriots player was even ejected. That sets the stage for a fun night of preseason action when the two teams meet for a third time on Saturday.

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Commanders CB Danny Johnson injures rotator cuff after being slammed by Mark Andrews

Fortunately, Johnson should be fine.

The Washington Commanders got some good work during this week’s joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, the lasting images from Washington’s two days in Owings Mills were the skirmishes.

One fight saw Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes exchange punches with Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace. As players from both teams arrived to intervene, Baltimore wideout Devin Duvernay came from behind Forbes and slammed him to the ground. It was a cheap shot that could have injured the rookie first-round pick.

The other scuffle occurred when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews slammed Commanders cornerback Danny Johnson. Unlike Forbes, Johnson was injured on the play, according to Pro Football Talk. PFT reported that Johnson suffered a rotator cuff injury. The good news is Johnson avoided serious injury and is considered day-to-day.

Here’s a look at the play.

It didn’t look like Johnson did anything egregious here, only breaking up the pass intended for Andrews. After the play, Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne came to Andrews and wanted him to take his helmet off. Andrews wisely walked away.

Cooler heads eventually prevailed between the teams, but Andrews will likely not be punished, although the circumstances probably would’ve been different if it happened during a game.

Bears QB Justin Fields will not play Saturday vs. Colts

Justin Fields and other select starters won’t suit up, according to head coach Matt Eberflus

If you were looking forward to watching Justin Fields on Saturday, prepare to be disappointed. Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters on Thursday evening that Fields and other select starters will not play when the Bears take on the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. Eberflus said the joint practices the Bears had with the Colts proved to be enough work for the young quarterback.

Fields and the rest of the Bears are coming off two days of physical practices against the Colts. The Bears quarterback saw plenty of reps and will rest up before the third and final preseason game on August 26th. It will be the first preseason game Fields doesn’t play in his career. Backup P.J. Walker is expected to start for the Bears in his place.

It’s been a light preseason for Fields up to this point. Last Saturday, Fields and the starting offense saw just seven snaps against the Tennessee Titans but made the most out of them. Fields went 3-for-3 with 129 yards and two touchdowns, going to D.J. Moore and Khalil Herbert on long screen passes. The Bears won 23-17.

While Fields is the most notable player who won’t see action in Indianapolis, Eberflus mentioned other select starters will sit as well. It’s unclear as of now who he’s referring to but one can assume players like Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, Cody Whitehair, and Tremaine Edmunds won’t suit up as they deal with injuries. The Bears and Colts kick off from Lucas Oil Stadium at 6 pm CT on Saturday.

Bears C Cody Whitehair suffers apparent hand injury at camp practice

The Bears center appears to be done practicing for the day.

It looks like the Chicago Bears will be without their starting center for the final joint training camp practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Shortly after the two teams began drills on Thursday, center Cody Whitehair left the field with trainers with an apparent hand injury via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. The injury appears to be on his right hand, the one he uses to snap the ball.

Shortly after leaving the field, Adam Jahns of The Athletic spotted Whitehair back on the sidelines, but believes the veteran’s day is done. With Lucas Patrick still not practicing, second-year center Doug Kramer is filling in on the first-team offensive line.

With Whitehair out, Kramer will likely get the remaining practice reps with the first-team offense. Kramer was selected by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft but missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury.

The center position has been under the microscope over the last year. After moving on from Sam Mustipher, the Bears opted to shift Whitehair back to center this offseason. The longest-tenured Bear has spent the last few seasons at guard, but is working to develop a rapport with quarterback Justin Fields this spring and summer ahead of his eighth season in the league.

It’s unclear if Whitehair will need to miss time with this injury but he could miss the team’s next preseason game against the Colts this Saturday at 6 pm CT. Stay tuned to Bears Wire as more information becomes available.

10 takeaways from Vikings 2nd joint practice with Titans

The Vikings didn’t come out of practice unscathed, but there were some impressive performances

The Minnesota Vikings took the field for the second of two joint practices with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday afternoon.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell values joint practices so much that he scheduled them on back-to-back weeks with the Arizona Cardinals coming to town next week.

“It will give us a tremendous opportunity to have four days of really good competition,” O’Connell said this spring in announcing the joint sessions. “I know both (Titans coach Mike) Vrabel and (Cardinals coach Jonathan) Gannon. Both of those guys, I have personal relationships with and know what kind of leaders they are. I know what kind of teams they’ll be bring here, ready to make sure we get some great work.”

The first day of joint practices showed us a lot and day two was no exception.