Fights dominate Wednesday’s final Dolphins training camp practice

The Miami Dolphins ended their 2016 training camp with a hard fought practice. Or maybe it was a practice in which they fought hard. The day featured three fights during the workout, probably indicating how ready the players are to get to the Dallas Cowboys game this weekend and to turn from training camp to “regular” practice schedules and life.

After three weeks in the team hotel (minus a few off days), the players will now be able to return to their own homes and report back to the training facility for practices.

“I don’t know exactly what started them, but those guys are competitive,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said after the camp practice when the wide receivers getting into fights with the cornerbacks was brought up. “They’ve been going against each other for a long time now, a lot of reps, and no one likes to get beat. There’s a lot of jawing back and forth, and there’s competitiveness, and it kind of came to a boiling point today.”

“It’s football,” Dolphins head coach Adam Gase stated, explaining his view of training camp fights. “It happens. I don’t know. No one got hurt. I don’t want that happening like every day but it’s going to happen every once in a while. When we get into that bubble, it seems like it gets interesting.”

The Dolphins were forced into the team’s practice bubble on Wednesday due to the weather. The fights twice involved cornerback Bobby McCain, who faced off with wide receiver Jarvis Landry in the first battle, then wide receiver Kenny Stills in the second. The third fight of the day had defensive tackle Deandre Coleman and offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod going at each other. All three fights were quickly broken up.

“Just competitive spirits getting fiery a little bit,” Landry explained.

“I think it was just one guy makes a play and starts talking,” Gase said of the fights. “Bobby (McCain’s) not going to take that. It just kind of got heated from there. The wide outs are protecting their guy and the DBs protect their guy and that’s what happens.”

“I like to see a little bit of that from our guys, just, have a little bit of an attitude, a swag about ourselves, and we’re not going to take crap,” Tannehill continued. “I appreciate it a little bit. Obviously, you don’t want to have four or five in a practice, drag on the whole practice. I feel like a little bit of that is okay.”

Miami travels on Thursday to Texas ahead of Friday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. They will resume practices next week, but those workouts will be closed to the public.