When the Jaguars and Buccaneers scrapped during their joint practice, some saw it as an outgrowth of a naturally competitive environment. (Others saw it as a play for the Hard Knocks cameras which it might have been.)
But when the Panthers and Titans convene this week, they don’t want to see any of that, or even live tackling.
Via David Newton of ESPN.com, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he’s already cleared that up with counterpart Mike Mularkey prior to their two days of workouts prior to Saturday’s preseason game.
“It’s not to get into any BS or anything else like that going on,” Rivera said. “I’ve talked to coach [Mike] Mularkey and we’re going to do our best to contain that.”
Of course, Rivera’s had similar conversations before, and his 2015 sessions with the Dolphins featured a scuffle including Michael Oher and Olivier Vernon on the first day. But he wants his guys to pay attention to the work they’re doing, and not any extracurricular activities.
“More so than anything else the focus is the practice,” Rivera said. “We’re going to control the drills. It’s just about getting quality work against each other. That’s the biggest thing.”
And without cameras there to document/glorify any potential fisticuffs, there may not be as many.