Patriots Country

Patriots' Jalen Mills: 'Locked In' After Packers Fights

New England Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills says the team responded well after fights with the Green Bay Packers in joint practices

Jon Alfano

In this story:

Joint practices can do a lot of good for NFL teams, as they allow for more intensity than a normal practice while not bearing the same stakes as an actual game.

With that added intensity, though, comes the added possibility of fights breaking out. Several teams have gotten into fights during joint practices this preseason, and this is far from a new phenomenon. 

The New England Patriots joined in on the "fun" Thursday, with multiple fights breaking out in their joint practice with the Green Bay Packers. Of course, no team actively wants fights to occur, but the response to said fights is arguably even more important. According to cornerback Jalen Mills, the Patriots nailed their response to their scraps with the Packers.

"When things get edgy, when things get chippy, the mental errors kinda go away," Mills told reporters after practice. "Guys are actually locked in. And that's what you want. There are times when it may get a little chippy and guys are talking noise here and there, and guys can't think and they just wanna go out there and hit the first thing they see. But (we were) still executing at a high level and doing what each play allows you to do."

Mills' positivity extends to his thoughts on practice as a whole. The former Philadelphia Eagles defender believes the Patriots have made great strides, which should lead to better performance when it really matters.

"I think (there was growth) on both sides of the ball," Mills said. "You had growing pains here and there, but you also grew from it. I think 70 or 80 percent of games in the NFL are decided in the last two or three minutes, so to execute like that was really good to see."

The Patriots and Packers will get to settle their on-field tension when they meet at Lambeau Field on Saturday night. After that, New England will wrap up the preseason against the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 25 before kicking off the regular season against the Eagles on Sept. 10.

Follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter

Follow Patriots Country on Twitter and Facebook

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Patriots? Click Here

More Patriots coverage from Sports Illustrated here.

Published
Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Home/News