Sometimes tempers flare on the practice field, leading to unexpected scuffles. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wanted to ensure no surprising aggressiveness during the two teams' joint practice on Wednesday, the first of two joint practices this week at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota.
No fights broke out during the first practice. That may have been because the two coaches emphasized maintaining self-control.
"Yeah, that's a pretty big emphasis," Shanahan said after practice. "I just have a deal with Kevin. If anyone throws a punch, we're going to kick him out of practice, and we know how important it is to get this practice work right now. And that's always stressed because we need to practice, and if you fight, you're going to be out of there, so do everything you can to not."
You might remember there were brawls between 49ers teammates earlier during training camp. Wide receiver Marcus Johnson ended up in the concussion protocol after receiving a blow from linebacker Fred Warner. That eventually turned into some extra-curricular activity on the practice field between Warner and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who was standing up for Johnson.
"I want everyone challenging each other," Shanahan said earlier this month of the fights between teammates in Santa Clara. "I don't care how much crap each other talks. I don't care how close they get to fighting. They can do whatever they want to get themselves going and being as intense as they want, and bringing the best out of each other, which happens a lot that way. It's the same on the field. But once you throw a punch, you get ejected, or you get a penalty."
Those earlier brawls forced Shanahan to stop the practice and address his team before allowing them to continue their on-field work.
"A little friendly training camp [scuffle]," Aiyuk later said of the incidents. "It's hot today, so tempers flaring today. But it's football. Football season's here. ... The defensive came out here with a great intensity the last couple of days, so we've got to wake the offense up one way or another."
