A few Carolina Panthers did more than just get “back together” on Saturday.
In a minor hiccup during an otherwise fun afternoon, the team had themselves some tag team action. Following a takedown of wideout C.J. Saunders in team drills, offensive linemen Larnel Coleman and J.D. DiRenzo got into a shoving match with linebackers Jordan Thomas and Brandon Smith.
Here, courtesy of FOX Charlotte’s Will Kunkel, is a clip of the small scuffle:
This is the scuffle that broke out at Panthers training camp today.
Personally, I have NO issue with it. It’s good, fiery competition. pic.twitter.com/zxmKRZnSNy
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) July 29, 2023
Head coach Frank Reich commented on his team’s first dustup of the summer following practice.
“I’m not really lookin’ for any of that,” he said. “I’m not tryin’ to manufacture the emotion. It happens sometimes. And for us out there, right, it’s like, ‘ho-hum.’ It’s gonna happen at some point. But really, the energy and enthusiasm and the grit and the fight really has to come within.
“So, I think our guys have been doing that. When you have those moments there, you just move on and you stay focused.”
Luckily, cooler heads prevailed. Veteran backer Shaq Thompson would later play peacemaker between the offense and defense, something Reich seemed glad to see.
“These guys—they know what time it is,” Reich added. “They know how to take care of themselves. And everybody knows, we’re tryin’ to accomplish something special, and we wanna do something special. We can’t one of our guys gettin’ hurt fightin’ each other. Not much made of it. They guys know it, know how to handle it and did a good job.”
In a totally unrelated note, the pads go on starting Monday!
