It was a wild one in East Rutherford on Monday as the New York Giants and Detroit Lions linked up for their first of two joint practices.
Tensions flared from the onset before erupting into multiple full-team brawls with punches being thrown. By the end of practice, there was pushing and shoving or skirmishes after nearly every single play.
Eventually, the two teams called it before their allotted practice time was up in an effort to stop the bleeding.
The highlight of the day came when Giants quarterback Daniel Jones dove aggressively into a pile to defend his teammate, newly signed offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, who was on his back getting hit by a Lions defender.
Daniel Jones getting in the middle of a scuffle!!! One play after Brian Daboll was ticked that Jones had his arm hit by a defender. #lions #giants pic.twitter.com/wVsCfZM2z8
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) August 5, 2024
After practice, Jones explained why he jumped into the fight — which is something you rarely see quarterbacks do.
“A situation happens like that, you try to stand up for your guys,” Jones said with a sly smile. “He’s my teammate, and just like he would stick up for me, I’m going to stick up for him.”
There was already frustration on Jones’ part by the time he dove into the pile. On the previous play, Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike hit his arm, which is a major no-no during practice, drawing the rage of Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
“I understand they’re playing hard and competitive. I think in a practice situation, you’re typically not. That situation usually isn’t something you’re dealing with, but, yeah, they’re playing hard,” Jones said before addressing Daboll’s reaction.
“I appreciate it. That’s not something that typically happens in a practice situation. But it’s a competitive practice, and guys are going hard.”
Although they would prefer Jones stay away from fights like that, you had better believe the entire locker room loved seeing it. That was evident by Brian Burns’ hilarious reaction.
