Buffalo Bulletin: Training Camp Fights

The season edges ever-nearer, and training camp has been front and center for the past couple of weeks. The return to action, and contact practices, brings flaring tensions. These men may all be Buffalo Bills, but they’re also in competition with each other. The fans and players all want this team to win, but players have to work much harder than us fans do to be a part of it. When tempers get hot, and they always do, composure tends to break. Thus, training camp fights break out.

The same can be said for this particular training camp, which has already seen two separate fights. The first came last Saturday (July 30), as Josh Allen kept the ball en-route to the end zone, and was chipped by DT Jordan Phillips. Check out the video below.

The second was a little more dramatic, as punches were thrown between WR Tavon Austin and S Siran Neal. It devolved, and DE Carlos “Boogie” Basham and OL Alec Anderson also got involved. The fight was broken up, but the reputation remains.

What Do Training Camp Fights Mean?

Now, on the national stage, the Buffalo Bills are heavily scrutinized. As far as the fan experience goes, a continuation of this behavior may be a cause for concern, but what is really at stake here? The answer is easy: nothing. We wouldn’t even be discussing this if not for the fact that the first fight involved Josh Allen. There’s a minor risk of injury, but far more players get hurt working out than they do getting involved in a fight.

It’s almost as if these things just happen, especially when high-adrenaline athletes are competing with millions of dollars on the line. Generally, training camp fights are just a sign of competitive players who run hot. Allen and Phillips are two such players. These are just common incidents at training camp as these players’ careers, their very livelihoods, may depend on the next snap. Allen took to Twitter to clear things up after the fact.

In summary, there doesn’t seem to be much to this. Sean McDermott runs one of the NFL’s most disciplined rosters, and quickly intervened in all instances. These things happen across the NFL every offseason and, though we’d rather have our star quarterback not get involved in it, there’s really nothing to worry about.

Featured Image: The Comeback