Football Fights Not Unusual, Why Big Deal Now?

Tempers heat up with temperatures, which shouldn't be the deal a lot of people make of it

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Exactly why a football fight on a team is news has been a mystery I've never understood. It's been about 60 years since I saw my first one in a practice and it took me about 15 seconds to figure out nobody was going to really get hurt unless they were dumb enough to hit somebody in the helmet. It's the guy throwing the punch who has a problem.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders had a big deal made of his telling the team he didn't want to see anybody not running towards a fight on the field. That actually makes sense. You never see on National Geographic a pack of lions attacking another group of wild animals. They surround one who got stranded alone.

Apparently Saturday's scrimmage had some people pushing and yelling. As the temperatures have risen again in Northwest Arkansas, so have tempers in practice. Arkansas' players are tired of playing each other. It's actually a sign the season can't get here fast enough.

"It was a great learning experience for us today," Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said later. "We’ve got a good, tough football team and I like where we’re at after two weeks. I really do. A lot. I think we've got a good culture."

That's not implying you start yelling and pushing in games, but it's never been a particularly bad thing for a team to be aggressive and not get shoved around. As long as it's not a cheap shot, a football fight has never particularly bothered me. Over the years it appears officials are much more enthusiastic about throwing flags over some things, but teams have to adjust to that.

"I love it because it shows that tenacity that you have out there on the field," quarterback KJ Jefferson said.Of course we don't want to get penalized for it or make a bad mistake that'll cost us the game, but just having that hunger, everybody’s emotions high, everybody has that dog mentality. Just bringing the best out of each other."

Don't worry about it. It's not a bad thing and KJ's viewpoint may be what most football players view it the same way. It will likely be hot when the Hogs open the season Sept. 2 against Western Carolina in War Memorial Stadium.

"When you’re hot you’ve got to control those things," Pittman said. You'll notice he wasn't actually complaining, though. It's not that big of a deal, despite a lot of social media folks wanting desperately for it be one.

HOGS FEED:

CAM LITTLE'S'S INCREASED RANGE GIVES RAZORBACKS MAY BE GIVING RAZORBACKS' OFFENSE MORE OPTIONS

LOUD NOISE OF LOGGAINS' SUCCESS AT SOUTH CAROLINA ADDS PRESSURE AT ARKANSAS

HOGS LOOKING FOR AN ENTIRELY NEW APPROACH ON DEFENSE WITH TRAVIS WILLIAMS RUNNING THAT SIDE NOW

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