Teams apparently are reconsidering the wisdom of joint practices, where things can get a little too intense and a little too chippy.
On Sunday night, the Texans and Saints announced they have agreed to scrap the sessions that were due to happen in the coming days.
“Our two teams have mutually agreed to cancel the joint practices that were scheduled in New Orleans this week,” the Texans said in a statement. “After our head coaches spoke earlier today, we decided this was in the best interest of both teams as we continue to prepare for the regular season. A revised practice schedule for each team will be communicated once finalized.”
Some coaches have begun to publicly question whether a second day of joint practices is necessary. Both Jets coach Robert Saleh and Packers coach Matt LaFleur have recently expressed concern that a second day could result in a greater chance for fights. Potentially, any hard feelings lingering from the joint practices could spill into the preseason game that usually follows the joint practices.
With the NFL not willing to get involved in the process, it’s for the teams to make good decisions about how best to prepare for the season to come. In this specific case, the Texans and Saints have decided that they don’t need to get together at all for combined practice sessions before they face off to conclude the preseason.
