Joint practices seem to get more physical every year, and we've seen quite a few fights erupt as a result. This is particularly notable on the second day of joint practices because the team that performed worse on Day 1 often enters Day 2 with a little more of an edge and something to prove.
There was plenty of chippiness between the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers during their second joint practice Thursday afternoon outside Lambeau Field.
There were scuffles during drills in all three phases. Patriots players including Anfernee Jennings and rookie Keion White were in the mix. Jennings ended up getting ejected from the session for his antics.
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These fights have the potential to derail a team and make the players lose focus for the rest of the practice. But the Patriots, according to cornerback Jalen Mills, actually took their game up another level after the skirmishes, and he was encouraged by that.
"When things get edgy, when things get chippy, the mental errors kinda go away," Mills told reporters after practice. "Guys are actually locked in. And that's what you want. There are times when it may get a little chippy and guys are talking noise here and there, and guys can't think and they just wanna go out there and hit the first thing they see. But (we were) still executing at a high level and doing what each play allows you to do."
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Mills also saw the team build plenty of positive momentum during these joint practices, especially when going through late-game situations.
"I think (there was growth) on both sides of the ball," Mills said. "You had growing pains here and there, but you also grew from it. I think 70 or 80 percent of games in the NFL are decided in the last two or three minutes, so to execute like that was really good to see."
It's important for the Patriots to make as much progress as possible during camp, joint practices and the preseason games because they have a brutal schedule to open the regular season. They play the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys (in that order) to begin the 2023 campaign. All four of these teams are expected to be contenders in their respective conference.
After playing the Packers in a preseason matchup Saturday night, the Patriots will hold two joint practices and a preseason game against the Titans in Tennessee next week. It will be the Patriots' final tune-up before the games start to count.