During the opening joint practice between the NY Giants and Detroit Lions, it was showcased that these players don’t like each other as much as we thought. Several brawls broke out, including one with Daniel Jones being in the center of things.
As it turns out, a play early on set the tone for the rest of the session. That’d be when second-year running back Eric Gray caught a short pass and turned upfield. Lions cornerback Morice Norris then lowered his shoulder and LEVELED the RB, leading to his helmet flying off. Plenty of Giants players were furious with the hit, including veteran Devin Singletary:
“That definitely crossed the line. It’s practice, at the end of the day. We’re being physical, but you want to be smart. I would say that was one of the plays that set the tone. Like, ‘All right, let’s go. This is what type of day it’s going to be.'”
– Devin Singletary via Dan Duggan
Can you blame Singletary for having that kind of a reaction? While yes, the two teams want to be physical and showcase how they’ve improved this summer, it’s just practice at the end of the day. Norris tried to take Gray’s head off. If this were an actual game, sure, go out there and do your thing.
Devin Singletary on this play: “That definitely crossed the line. It’s practice, at the end of the day. We’re being physical, but you want to be smart. I would say that was one of the plays that set the tone. Like, ‘All right, let’s go. This is what type of day it’s going to… https://t.co/bixHGSbxWL
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) August 5, 2024
However, that Norris hit would also lead to laundry hitting the field and a fine from the league office being sent his way. That’s why the sequence was so frustrating to watch. Both the Giants and Lions needed to be smarter about protecting themselves.
There’s definitely some bad blood brewing between the two squads, which will surely roll on over to their preseason battle. Norris might go hunting again for another monster hit, but Gray, Singletary and others could be out for a little revenge too.
