Post by EagleGene on Dec 2, 2005 16:24:07 GMT -5
Player fights? No big deal if enmity doesn't linger
By Brian Baldinger - SportingNews
When a player busts a teammate's jaw, as Bears center Olin Kreutz did to linemate Fred Miller last month, I suppose that's news. But it isn't new because teammates have been fighting for as long as pigskins have been laced. What's surprising about this altercation is that anybody else found out about it.
Bears coach Lovie Smith, in fact, didn't learn what happened for several days. And it wasn't until after the Bears' next game that it was reported publicly.
Fights like these happen all the time -- on the practice field, in the locker room, in somebody's Back yard, wherever -- and the players usually keep it under wraps. They don't need coaches to police them when they scuffle. They typically settle it on their own and move on. Any hard feelings between Kreutz and Miller probably were gone before the doctors stitched them up. And the Bears, winners of seven straight games, have been doing just fine.
Really, it's ridiculous to think four or five dozen guys can get along in any walk of life -- but especially one so predicated on strength, toughness and machismo. The locker room is filled not only with a lot of testosterone but also a lot of insecurity. Guys always are trying to prove they belong, that they're tougher than the next guy. And as long as no bad blood lingers, fights are no big deal.
It's not like the fights are over anything important. When I played for the Colts, I was in the weight room one day and asked a teammate -- I've forgotten who it was -- to turn down his music. He responded rather unkindly to that suggestion, and I pushed him. He punched me, so I punched him back. And that was that. Sure, he had a big welt on the side of his head and I played with my hand in a cast the rest of the season, but we settled it, and the coaches never knew the difference. Life went on.
Some scuffles even loosen tension. Before I started my career in Dallas, there was a fight in the Cowboys' locker room between linebacker Hollywood Henderson and tight end Jay Saldi. Hollywood picked up Saldi and slammed him to the ground, and Saldi's toupee went flying. Somebody got some chalk and did one of those police outlines of Saldi's body -- and another one of his toupee.
Even Saldi had to laugh about that.
Brian Baldinger, an offensive lineman for 12 NFL seasons, can be heard on Sporting News Radio and seen on FOX Sports. Listen online at radio.sportingnews.com.
Updated on Friday, Dec 2, 2005 1:17 pm EST
By Brian Baldinger - SportingNews
When a player busts a teammate's jaw, as Bears center Olin Kreutz did to linemate Fred Miller last month, I suppose that's news. But it isn't new because teammates have been fighting for as long as pigskins have been laced. What's surprising about this altercation is that anybody else found out about it.
Bears coach Lovie Smith, in fact, didn't learn what happened for several days. And it wasn't until after the Bears' next game that it was reported publicly.
Fights like these happen all the time -- on the practice field, in the locker room, in somebody's Back yard, wherever -- and the players usually keep it under wraps. They don't need coaches to police them when they scuffle. They typically settle it on their own and move on. Any hard feelings between Kreutz and Miller probably were gone before the doctors stitched them up. And the Bears, winners of seven straight games, have been doing just fine.
Really, it's ridiculous to think four or five dozen guys can get along in any walk of life -- but especially one so predicated on strength, toughness and machismo. The locker room is filled not only with a lot of testosterone but also a lot of insecurity. Guys always are trying to prove they belong, that they're tougher than the next guy. And as long as no bad blood lingers, fights are no big deal.
It's not like the fights are over anything important. When I played for the Colts, I was in the weight room one day and asked a teammate -- I've forgotten who it was -- to turn down his music. He responded rather unkindly to that suggestion, and I pushed him. He punched me, so I punched him back. And that was that. Sure, he had a big welt on the side of his head and I played with my hand in a cast the rest of the season, but we settled it, and the coaches never knew the difference. Life went on.
Some scuffles even loosen tension. Before I started my career in Dallas, there was a fight in the Cowboys' locker room between linebacker Hollywood Henderson and tight end Jay Saldi. Hollywood picked up Saldi and slammed him to the ground, and Saldi's toupee went flying. Somebody got some chalk and did one of those police outlines of Saldi's body -- and another one of his toupee.
Even Saldi had to laugh about that.
Brian Baldinger, an offensive lineman for 12 NFL seasons, can be heard on Sporting News Radio and seen on FOX Sports. Listen online at radio.sportingnews.com.
Updated on Friday, Dec 2, 2005 1:17 pm EST