Videos: For the Second Straight Day, the Panthers and Patriots Had an All Out Practice Brawl

Steven Senne. Shutterstock Images.

Tuesday, I gave you this dedicated war correspondent-like report from the front lines of Panthers at Patriots joint practices:

--Today was the first day of intersquad practices with the Panthers, leading up to Friday night's fauxball game. And if it was any indication (it was), the coaching staffs are in for a long rest of the week of trying to keep order. Maybe I shouldn't focus on negative, anti-social behavior, since plenty of people played nice with others. But I'd be burying the lede not to talk about the multiple brawls that ensued. The middle part of practice looked like a Chiefs game. Specifically, a Charleston Chiefs game. More specifically, the one against Syracuse after they added Ogie Oglethorpe, Poodle Lassiter and Screaming Eagle Swamptown. 

--With 11-on-11s happening on both fields, the one sideline with Carolina's defense was industrial strength fired up. I'll get into the reason in a minute. Kristian Wilkerson caught an out route by the boundary that carried his momentum into what would be the bench area, if they had a bench. But this is not Pussy Camp. Anyway, Wilkerson was dragged to the ground and it was Hanson Brothers time. Both teams on that field formed a bigass scrum, and it took a full minute or two to broker a shaky peace agreement. Wilkerson, Kendrick Bourne and Carolina's Kenny Robinson were sent to the showers. And because the Patriots policy is that they'd prefer credentialed media not report on who said in practice, forget I ever mentioned Fuck-bombs that were shouted across the field. Even that Model U.N. couldn't keep the ceasefire in place more than a couple of reps before hostilities resumed. The difference this time, everyone from the other field raced over, and entire rosters joined in like two storm systems colliding on a weather map. Suffice to say Bill Belichick looked pissed, in that way your parents look when you start a fight with your weird cousins they invited over for a holiday. It'll be awkward to say the least the rest of this week. Though I'd be lying if I said I'm not hoping for more bad blood, because fists of fury flying around in practice beat the bag out of watching no-contact kickoff returns. 

I didn't know then how right I was. Because this was Wednesday's practice:

And reportedly, there was collateral damage:

It's always the innocents who suffer. Thoughts and prayers. 

Now I speak from experience when I tell you the hardest thing in the world is to sort these melees in real time. The press area is a good distance from where they took place. And even if you're right in the stands where today's broke out, half the players have their jerseys tied up so that you conflate the numbers. An "8" could be a "0" or a "2" and so on. But I'll rely on some of the people I trust who were eyewitnesses to the carnage:

Advertisement

Which was confirmed, at least in part, by Matthew Slater:

I won't presume to make value judgments on Kenny Robinson, because I don't know him. But I will make one on Matthew Slater, because I've been watching him for 14 years and interviewed him a bunch of times. And if you've pushed it to the point he's in a rage throwing haymakers, that's on you. If I found out Slater was in a road rage incident exchanging blows with the Queen, I'd ask why that old royal bag came looking for trouble. As clearly Robinson did. And by taunting an injured teammate, Hoss, you're walking on the fightin' side of him. 

It seems weird that there's so much bad blood between two teams that are in different conferences, rarely face each other and don't have much of a history. Unless you think there's lingering hostility after this from last November:

Advertisement

Of course. That. The vicious leg grab from Mac Jones, that notorious cheapshot artist. The Vontaze Burfict of his generation. The Panthers are probably not yet over the carnage from his bloodthirsty headhunting. Except that, as I also noted yesterday, Jones and Burns were laughing it up and grabassing between snaps yesterday like old pals. Which apparently they are:

So this is about something else. By what I saw, Matt Rhule's guys are coming into these joint practices turbo frigging supercharged. Jumping up and down on the sideline, cheering each pass defended like it's overtime of a playoff game. Which is fine if that's how you want to approach a workout. Where the goal is talent evaluation, installing your scheme, getting guys used to communicating, seeing different looks and so on. If you're the kind of team that thinks it's about laying an opponent out on a kickoff rep, sending messages or setting tones or whatever other bloody nonsense, good luck to you. 

Personally, I'd take the approach of the guy on the other sideline who has zero tolerance for that kind of cheap bullshit. The guy with the 334 career wins who's on like his 50th training camp. And not the guy with 10 wins who's on his third. But that's just me. 

Still, it's making things interesting as hell around here this week. That is, if everyone survives through to the end of the game Friday.