Why's Everyone Fighting at Practice?

It seems like everytime I go to catch up on Patriots news, I see that there has been another scrap at practice between two guys on the bubble.  On one occasion, it escalated to a full-team bench clearer. I am guessing that it was pretty much Offense vs. Defense, but that comes from the hopeful stance that there is not a divisive force at work in the locker room.

I had also hoped that the first scrap or brawl was an isolated incident. Coaches had left practice to the captains to sort it out, but it keeps happening.  The fact is that these brawls are between bubble players that are competing for precious few roster spots.  Edelman and Koutovides (the two involved with the latest scrap) had roles last year, but they are not locks for the roster.

If anything the fight has dropped them a few pegs, and apparently both players were sent home early by Belichick.  A message was sent with that move, just as a message had been sent when the coaches left practice after the full-scale fight.  However, the message now is that the warning has already been given. This will not be tolerated.

Deion Branch offers a positive outlook, "It's just football. It's just football. Trust me, we got a lot of love for each other. We love competing. And that's what we doing. Guys out here are competing, working hard. We tired, but most importantly, we are still coming out here and getting the job done."

The fact is that competition is stiff, and everyone wants to be a Patriot.

Comments

Popular Posts