EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Rakeem Nunez-Roches has participated in numerous joint practices in his 10-year NFL career, and he's never seen one that didn't have a fight – or fights.
"I don't even think that exists," he said today. "That's why all the fans keep their cameras out. They know something's going to pop off."
It did this morning, when at least five skirmishes, some of them including dozens of players, punctuated the Giants' practice with the Detroit Lions at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. None of them lasted particularly long, but some tempers were as hot as the 90-degree temperature. Quarterback Daniel Jones was involved in one scrum.
"It was a hot day today and it was a chippy day, and it was good for us," linebacker Bobby Okereke said. "It was great for our growth process."
Has he ever participated in a joint practice that wasn't chippy?
"No, no that's just the nature of the beast," Okereke said. "We're fine. I've had multiple joint practices. This is actually my third joint practice with the Lions. We know they're a tough, physical team and we welcome that. The competition is great for us."
"There's never gonna be a situation like this where there's not a fight but, we're focusing on the main thing," safety Dane Belton said. "At the end of the day, you gotta make plays and you gotta win. We gotta keep our composure and make plays."
Coach Brian Daboll, whose team was criticized for its performance in two practices in Detroit last year, set the tone in the morning team meeting.
"He brought the juice," running back Devin Singletary said. "He definitely brought the juice from the team meeting. He was ready to go. You could feel his energy; you always can feel his energy. But he was definitely juiced up today."
"Dabs is a competitive (coach) and that's the identity of our team," Okereke said. "We're aggressive and we're competitive and you know, we don't back down from anybody. Obviously, tempers flare, but I feel like we did a great job getting back to football at the end of that."
The extra curriculars included Detroit defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike tipping a ball from Jones' hand as he went to pass, an action that clearly displeased Giants coach Brian Daboll. On the next play, center Greg Van Roten got tangled up with two Detroit defenders, and Jones rushed over to shove one of them.
Later, Lions cornerback Morice Norris hit running back Eric Gray so hard, the latter's helmet flew off, prompting both sidelines to empty and the players gathering in the middle of the field.
On the field where the Giants offense and Lions defense worked, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams had an altercation with rookie cornerback Dru Phillips.
The teams will practice together again tomorrow.
"Now that we've had a day of practice, I don't feel like tomorrow is going to be as chippy because we got to know each other," Okereke said. "We all know we're professionals trying to feed our families and compete."
The New York Giants hosted the Detroit Lions for joint practices ahead of Thursday's preseason opener.