Things got chippy -- no, extra chippy -- on the first day the New York Giants strapped on the pads, and second-year coach Joe Judge wasn’t having any of it.
A full-team brawl broke out, with starting quarterback Daniel Jones ending up beneath the scrum, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.
The sequence began with a lengthy run by running back Corey Clement. Tight end Evan Engram took exception to a hit by Jabrill Peppers, according to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz. From there, Logan Ryan took exception to Engram’s actions, and the battle royal was on. Jones reportedly inserted himself into the mix after it had already broken out.
A furious Judge then lined the team up for gassers, then put them through a series of push-ups while reportedly spewing a profanity-laced tirade. High school-like discipline, to be sure -- all that was missing were field-length crab walks.
"There’s consequences for that kind of stuff and that’s the way it is in the game," Jones told reporters, via the team's transcript. "If you lose your cool, there’s consequences and that hurts the team, so that was the message and everyone understands that."
The best news to come of the fracas was that Jones, the No. 6 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, managed to come away unscathed. Jones said he was "fine" after being piled on and didn't feel the need to shy away from the melee despite being the team's starting QB.
"I’m part of the team," Jones said. "Part of the team and part of the offense and we’re competing, so I don’t see myself separated from that."
If Judge’s response has the intended impact, any tension in the locker room should subside pretty quickly.
"We were just competing and everyone was excited, first day of pads," Jones concluded. "I think we’ve got to do a better job controlling that and making sure that we’re controlling our enthusiasm and excitement."