Brawls indicate bonding mentality
The Texans were so nasty to the Washington Redskins it’s surprising Donald Trump wasn’t linked to the brawl that brought a premature end to their last practice in Richmond, Va. Listening to the Redskins’ accusations about those dirty Texans starting the highly publicized fights that erupted on adjacent fields, you would think Bill O’Brien coaches degenerates who specialize in cheap shots and hitting after the whistle.
“It was a good (three) days — or 2½, I guess,” O’Brien said about tangling with the Redskins. “Other than having to separate (after the melee), we still got work done. It was good to work against them.”
O’Brien thought his players got more out of the experience than merely practicing against the Redskins.
“Being in the hotel as a team, there’s some bonding that goes on there, too,” he said.
Coaches won’t admit this because they preach that skirmishes on the field show a lack of discipline, but fighting can produce bonding, too.
Players come to each other’s aid. They take up for each other. They become a band of brothers.
“Everybody had each other’s back,” receiver Cecil Shorts III said. “When two teams have been practicing for a while against each other, tempers flare. We kind of figured something was going to happen, and we prepared for it.”
Three days in pads during joint practices can put players on edge because the adrenaline is pumping hard. The smallest thing can set off something big.
“We all respect each other,” Shorts said about his teammates. “I think that was a big thing coach (O’Brien) talked about (Friday night) — being a nasty and tough team, not taking nothing from nobody, and I don’t think we did.
“We did a good job staying together. Nobody got hurt. It’s over.”
So Big Bad Bill was behind it? Too bad he couldn’t have squared off with Redskins coach Jay Gruden, who called Saturday’s practice a waste because of the fight.
Put your money on Big Bad Bill. Imagine “Hard Knocks” getting that ratings grabber for its first episode on HBO on Tuesday.
If Big Bad Bill had his way, the Texans would have joint practices rather than preseason games. At the least, he would like multiple practice sessions with other teams every preseason.
Shorts, who came from Jacksonville, where his former coaches, Jack Del Rio and Gus Bradley, liked to mix it up, said the Texans accomplished their goals against Washington.
“We did, (because) we wanted to go against somebody besides our own defense versus our own offense,” Shorts said. “It was a test for us to execute against a team that doesn’t know us, and we don’t know them. I think we did a good job.”
Or as receiver DeAndre Hopkins said: “That’s football. That’s what we all live for.”
Heading into the preseason opener against San Francisco on Saturday at NRG Stadium with a nasty disposition is good for the Texans. It gets the team in game mode.
“At the end of the day,” cornerback Kareem Jackson said, “it’s about us competing against another team and getting to the point where we’re good with communication on offense and defense.”
Now it’s back to practice against each other for the next three days. How boring. Bring on the 49ers.