Most coaches like to see a little fight from their players, as long as no one gets hurt.
On Wednesday, there was a lot of fighting at the Seahawks camp. Fortunately, no one was hurt. As far as we know.
Multiple skirmishes, via TheAthletic.com, included receiver DK Metcalf. Removing a teammate’s helmetswinging it, and hitting another teammate’s helmet with it.
Defensive player Trey Brown allegedly punched receiver Jake Bobo in the face after Bobo lost his helmet. Brown later got into an altercation with Metcalf, who pulled Brown’s helmet off and hit him. Brown was not injured but he did hit safety Kvon Wallace on the helmet, which was covered by a hood. Wallace appeared to be unharmed and continued practicing.
In an appearance on NFL Network, coach Mike McDonald said the players were “tired of playing each other.”
“We’re on the line now,” McDonald said. “I think the guys realize that. Come on, let’s take care of each other. We definitely don’t want people fighting here, especially against our teammates. Then DK gave a great message at the end of practice, just putting everything in perspective. The guys finished it the right way. So, proud of our guys.”
Fighting shows that players have an advantage. It also indicates a possible lack of discipline, which can lead to 15 yards of field position during games. Players can get injured.
So there’s a sweet spot where guys show their enthusiasm but avoid getting a dose of sulfur.
In training, any discipline seems to be limited to the team. The league’s recent memo about fighting in training camp appears to apply only to joint practices.
Surely the league should exercise its authority over all training camp brawls, because it’s hard to trust teams to take serious action against their most important players. And surely anyone who takes off their helmet and waves it should be subject to something more than a stern talking-to.
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