THOUSAND OAKS (Calif.) -- After a brawl that featured punches, thrown helmets, and had four starts or stops, Jon Gruden, Las Vegas Raiders coach, ordered his players to get on the buses. This was to end Day 2 of a chippy joint practice session with the Los Angeles Rams.
The opening practice was marred by several skirmishes on Wednesday.
Gruden stated, "That's enough of this crap," about an hour later at his hotel. "That's not good practice for football. That's bad for everything. So that's it.
Gruden frowned when Gruden was asked what message he wanted to convey to his team after he called off practice with only two periods remaining.
He said, "There is no message." They know. They know better. Everyone knows better. It wasn't everyone fighting. You'll be able to see the fight on TV. There will be a lot of screaming and shouting, but only two men in special teams. Then it escalated into a lot more trash-talking. It's sickening. That's enough for me. To me, it's child's play."
Sean McVay, Rams coach, said that he was disappointed by the early end of practice.
McVay stated that "we only had a small amount left" and that bagging the last eight plays of the team period was the best decision based on the climate. McVay said, "I didn't see it, but I had kind of heard about what had occurred." However, other than me seeing it I cannot speak for anyone else. I am glad that no one was hurt. ... "It's a shame that we couldn't finish it, but I'll let it be."
Aaron Donald, a Rams defensive tackle, said that he did not participate in Thursday's veteran day off. "Honestly, every joint exercise I've ever been part of was a fight. But how things turned out yesterday, how physical, I was pretty certain it was going be -- come back to be a lot more B.S."
The majority of the disputes over the two practices took place during special teams periods. Derek Carr, Raiders quarterback, had an explanation.
Carr stated Wednesday that there was a reason why so many fights were on special teams. They are fighting for a job. Literally.
"I love fighting. "I love the fighting. It's good for the team to fight a bit. At this point in camp, everyone is tired. ... I don't mind it as long as nobody gets hurt.
"When this stuff continues to the next play, and you're getting low shots, it's pointless." However, I believe there is mutual respect.
From the beginning drill, there was a lot of tension between Jalen Ramsey, Raiders cornerback for the Rams, and Josh Jacobs running back. He pushed Jacobs out-of-bounds hard and then hit Jacobs with enough force to crack Jacobs' helmet. The Raiders' receiver Hunter Renfrow beat Ramsey twice on highlight-reel catch catches later, and there was much trash-talking from the Raiders sideline.
Ramsey snarled at Renfrow in drills. Carr shouted at Ramsey during 7 on 7, and then completed a pass in front Ramsey for a first down. Carr joked later that Ramsey's talking caused the brawl.
Maxx Crosby, Raiders' defensive end, was present during the final fight. Crosby had laughed at the question about the chippiness of practice a day before.
Crosby stated that it was all fun at the time. This is the time to get your punches out, the preseason. You can get away with a little more. Tempers get flaring. It's what it is. It's the first time you are going up against someone else. These are just some of the things that can happen.
"You won't be kicked out of a match. You can throw some punches around. It is what it is.
Jacobs said that Ramsey didn't take a cheap shot after his helmet fell off.
"I didn’t have my helmet on so it was on me. ... He was not a dirty player, which I did not want.
"You can look at our men and see how they reacted. And you can see their men and how they let things happen. It's refreshing to see that our team has that fighting spirit. They had each other's backs, not only that.
