Heated practice gets O’Brien’s dander up
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Bill O’Brien chewed out his players for having too many fights during a Wednesday practice that got so heated the head coach stopped it about 15 minutes early.
Running back Akeem Hunt threw the ball in cornerback Kevin Johnson’s face after one play. Johnson knocked receiver DeAndre Hopkins down on the next play. Safety Kurtis Drummond took on running back Tyler Ervin and receiver Braxton Miller.
“We don’t have time for that,” he said about the fighting. “Obviously, in a game, that’s a bad penalty. We’ll talk about it tonight. These guys are competitive. It’s about that time at camp — seven, eight practices in. They’re competing during team drills, but we can’t do that.”
O’Brien made the offensive and defensive units on the field run a lap around the goal post, and he led them on the run, all the while lecturing them about the “stupid fights.”
“Because I’m part of it,” O’Brien said when asked about why he ran with the players. “I have to be part of that. I’m accountable for holding them accountable for not fighting. We’ve got to stop doing that. Not a big deal, but (we) can’t do it.”
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was not surprised practice got heated.
“It’s part of practice,” Clowney said. “It’s a competitive sport. You come out here every day and compete, and you’re going against the same guys. Something’s eventually going to happen.
“It’s part of the game. We love it. We still love each other.”