“McCarthy Urges Cowboys to Avoid Fights in High-Stakes Joint Practice with Rams”
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy hopes his team can avoid any altercations during their upcoming joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams.
On Thursday, the Cowboys and Rams will practice and scrimmage together in preparation for their preseason opener. Joint practices often lead to heightened emotions and physical confrontations as teams face a different opponent for the first time in training camp. However, the NFL recently reminded teams that fines will be imposed if fights break out during these sessions, and McCarthy is keen on keeping his players composed.
McCarthy expressed that fighting is unproductive and doesn’t demonstrate toughness, but rather a lack of discipline. He emphasized the importance of using the practice to channel emotional energy productively and stressed that both he and Rams head coach Sean McVay are focused on maintaining a healthy practice environment.
McCarthy also mentioned his respect for McVay and reflected on a joint practice between the two teams three years ago, which saw a brief scuffle between Aaron Donald and Cowboys offensive lineman Connor Williams. The incident was quickly resolved, and the practice continued without further issues.