After seeing the New York Jets and Washington Redskins get into a brawl during a joint training camp practice last week, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is on record saying ay such nonsense won’t be taken lightly when the Jacksonville Jaguars arrive in Eagan for joint practices this week.
“What we want to do is we want to get work done against a good team. It’s important that our guys know that we’re not going to put up with any trash talking, we’re not going to put up with any fighting,” Zimmer said Monday. “We’re not here for that, we’re here to get better.”
The fight between the Jets and Redskins nearly spilled into the front row of fans standing on the sideline, and Redskins cornerback Josh Norman said afterward that players “expect” fights to break out, and anyone who thinks differently just doesn’t get it.
Josh Norman on the first practice and fight with the New York Jets today in Richmond. #Redskins pic.twitter.com/NFzD0tzNgg
— Lake Lewis Jr (@LakeLewisJr) August 13, 2018
Jaguars players are already on notice after its coaching staff suspended two of their top defensive players, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Dante Fowler, for conduct detrimental to the team. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Fowler was involved in multiple fights during practice and Ramsey shouted obscenities at media members.
Neither player is expected to travel with the team to Minnesota for joint practices Wednesday and Thursday, and it’s not expected that they’ll play in Saturday’s preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“Whoever they bring they bring, and who they don’t they don’t,” Zimmer said. “Their defense is very similar to a lot of defenses we’re going to face this year, so schematically that’s good, especially for our offense.”
The joint practices will take place Wednesday and Thursday from 2:45 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.
