The Panthers will be holding two joint practices with the Bills over the next couple of days in preparation for Friday’s preseason matchup.
Joint practices are a good way for teams to break the monotony of training camp and allow them to hit somebody wearing a different uniform. The danger, if there is any, is the potential for brawls like the one that took place between the Raiders and the Rams last week.
Head coach Ron Rivera has made it clear he will not tolerate any fisticuffs. After today’s practice he told reporters he would eject any player involved in a fight from practice and used some colorful (NSFW) language to make his point.
Bills coach Sean McDermott will be hammering the same message home, apparently to the Panthers, while Rivera will do the same for the Bills.
Interesting coordination. It goes to show how tight these teams are.
There are a ton of connections between the two franchises. Buffalo’s general manager Brandon Beane was a long-time executive for Carolina before taking that job. McDermott was previously Rivera’s defensive coordinator.
The Bills have also made a habit of signing former Panthers players. In the past, they’ve carried guys like Star Lotulelei, Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Tolbert and Russell Shepard. This year, their Carolina alums include Kurt Coleman and Captain Munnerlyn.
