Nobody really needs them, but they happen again and again in NFL preseason: Practice scrimmages. Dan Campbell warns against fights on the field before the sessions with the Indianapolis Colts.

Munich – A wrong word, a too hard hit, or maybe just the pressure of the preparation for the new NFL season: It happens regularly that there are fist fights during the so-called joint practices of the teams.

Like, for example, between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers.

Dan Campbell knows from his own experience how quickly you can lose your nerve as a player; after all, he was one himself. “You learned how to fight,” said the Detroit Lions coach of German wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown about his active time. “You learned that you’re always involved, that’s one thing. And the second thing you learned was that you always have to pay attention.”

Better work without fights

But he also knows that while the brawls are amusing for the fans, they ultimately don’t help the teams. His ex-coach Bill Parcells stood in front of the team as coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the early 2000s and, according to Campbell, said, ”No fights. If somebody fights, they’re out.’ And everybody believed him, so we didn’t fight and we did a good job. “

That’s why, ahead of this week’s joint sessions with the Indianapolis Colts in the lead-up to next weekend’s preseason game between the two teams, he warns against non-verbal altercations that go beyond the normal: “We have to emphasise that beforehand. I know they will, and we will. Because we’re not out there to fight. “

This is also about confidence in the opponent. “I have a lot of respect and a really good relationship with Frank Reich and Chris Ballard,” Campbell said. “I’ve known them for a long time and I think they get it right and they’re like us when it comes to us working together and doing great work and being smart about it because that’s the most important thing. “