Pros and cons of joint practices in the NFL

The New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got into a mini skirmish in their joint practice this afternoon, which is pretty much par for the course for joint practices. If these dust ups are so common why are NFL teams so prone to these intertwined training sessions?

NFL’s growing interest in joint practices

Since before the turn of the millennium, coaches have been measuring their preseason rosters in joint practices with hopes of trimming the fat off their squad before Week 1. It’s not mandatory, and not every team chooses to combine practices, but over the last couple decades we are growing more and more accustomed to this preseason tradition.

Generally, these joint practices are the warm up to the preseason game later on that weekend. After a few days of going head to head with someone from an opposing team, guys are ready to rips the others head off once it’s time to take the field for the official game.

So why do it? What are the pros and cons of putting your offense against a different defense, and vice versa?

Pros

Change of pace

The first and most obvious answer is for a little change of pace. Training camp is full of long, hot, grueling days of giving and getting beatings. Usually, those guys you’re beating up are going to be the guys you share a locker room for the next seven months.

Competition is a given, but rivalries and rifts can rise from that competition. The defense usually bonds with the defense, and the offense with the offense. When you are on the practice field you may be fighting for your spot on the roster, but the closest person you can lay your hands on is the guy across the line.

New opponents on the practice field shouldn’t just bring a team closer, it should make them better. After all, when you are going up against your own teammates, day after day, you start to pick up patterns. Whether it’s how guys run routes, the QBs snap count, or how a coach is going call plays, things become predictable and monotonous.

Deeper look at depth chart

These practices are like mini games. Teams are put in game time situations, with a live clock and even referees. First teams go against first teams, back ups play against back ups while fringe guys just look to make enough plays to catch the coaches eye.

Like we said, these practices usually are the lead up to the preseason game, but a lot of times a few snaps or a couple possessions during the actual game aren’t enough to measure a player and how they might fit a coaches scheme. These practices give a little more sample size for coaches to evaluate each and every player against opposing teams.

The final reason these joint practices come in handy is talent evaluation of the other team. Let’s say a team is slim on the depth chart at the cornerback position. If the team they are playing against have too many players at that position, you get an up close and personal look at those players should the time come when they get cut.

Cons

Keeping secrets secret

They are growing more and more popular, but with the pros come a few cons. First of all, going up against another team for a week straight is more than likely going to give some of your secrets away. While coaches won’t be showing the full extent of the playbook, there will be looks or formations that their opponents pick up on quickly.

It’s unlikely that a team will practice against another team in the same conference. That would show too much to a team you are going to play at least twice in a season. The last thing a team needs to do is show too much of your offensive or defensive schemes while going against a bitter rival.

The more than occasional spat

Which brings me to our next point. There is already enough tension in the preseason within teams. Rosters spots are on the line, jobs are on the line and lives are on the line. If a team is going to fight each other during these preseason practices, they are going to be more than happy to take a few swings on a player from another team. Whether this is a pro or a con is to be decided by you. I put in under cons to be politically correct.

With the intensity level raising with during these joint practices, the chance for injury unfortunately soars as well. Injuries are a part of football, and a part of preseason, no matter if the practice consists of one team or two. these guys are competitors and as the level of play heightens unfortunately so does player risk.