Evan Engram and Lorenzo Carter separated after heated practice scrum
New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has made it abundantly clear that fighting during practice will not be tolerated. In fact, if anyone on the team does take a swing, they are immediately ejected and fined — just as they would be in a normal game.
“It’s real simple. If you fight in a game, you’re ejected, you’re fined and it’s a penalty for the team. So, we’re not going to practice anything that we’re not going to do in a game,” Judge said over the weekend. “If you have the opportunity to play as hard as you want between the whistles, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re not looking for cheap shots. We’re going to play nasty, but we’re not going to play dirty. There’s a difference.
“If you’re going to get thrown out of a game, then you’re going to get thrown out of practice.”
Judge nearly had to put that practice into motion on Tuesday evening as tight end Evan Engram and linebacker Lorenzo Carter got into it.
The two were tangled up on a Wayne Gallman touchdown run and Carter came out of the pile with Engram’s helmet, which he angrily threw to the ground. The two then go nose-to-nose and had to be separated by teammates.
Judge didn’t eject either player, but he did sent Engram off on a penalty lap.
“I think our players understand the emphasis and the importance of how we have to practice and how it carries over into games. We’ve talked at length in team meetings about why we’re not fighting on the field” Judge told reporters. “There are a number of reasons. But probably the most obvious and important is it’s a penalty in a game. You throw a punch in the game, you’re thrown out of the game. It’s going to be a fine, it’s going to be a penalty for the team and you don’t get to play anymore.
“Those guys got into a little bit of a heated, grabbing scuffle today. The teammates got over there to break it up. Obviously, they’re frustrated within competition. But you know what, they handled it the right way. They were hugging and kissing after practice. They put it behind them. Like brothers, they’ll move on and tomorrow they’ll be smiling and laughing with each other.”
The Giants have had a few instances of near-fights throughout camp, but everyone has managed to keep their cool in the end and not be ejected. Still, there are 18 more days to go before they can hit someone in a different color jersey, so the focus remains on staying level-headed.
