The Buffalo Bills had their final day of training camp at St. John Fisher College on Thursday, August 11, during which Pro Bowl offensive lineman Dion Dawkins got into a physical altercation that required head coach Sean McDermott to step in to put an end to the fight.
WIVB reporter Josh Reed tweeted, “Dawkins threw punch. I didn’t see who he hit but Ed Oliver came in and tackled Dion. Jordan Phillips also involved. McDermott got in the middle to break it up.”
WROC-TV reporter Jon Scott tweeted, “Big fight among first team after run play to [James] Cook. Pile ends up going down on top of Dion. Both sidelines empty some.”
ALL the latest Bills news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bills newsletter here!
As for what caused the fight, Syracuse.com reporter Matt Parrino tweeted, “Skirmish after last play saw Ed Oliver and Dion Dawkins getting into it. Looked like perfect form on double leg takedown from Ed. Spencer Brown was in the mix, too.”
The reaction on Twitter was mixed following yet another scuffle at camp. “Let em blow that steam, baby! Can’t wait to tear horns off of Rams,” one fan tweeted, while another person tagged Oliver and Dawkins and wrote, “Play nice.” A Bills fan account joked, “Dion Dawkins Vs Ed Oliver will be this weekends PPV fight 👀.”
After practice ended, the teammates were able to shake it off and move on. Reed tweeted, “Phillips made the rounds and hugged it out with Dion. These guys do a good job of battling and going hard during practice and turning it off when its time.”
‘Good Teams Sometimes Fight,’ Josh Allen Said
Dawkins’ scuffle on Thursday was the fourth fight to break out since the Bills’ training camp started two weeks ago. The last incident occurred on August 4, with wide receiver Stefon Diggs throwing some punches at defensive end Greg Rousseau.
Before that, superstar quarterback Josh Allen got aggressive with defensive end Jordan Phillips, and on Tuesday, wide receiver Tavon Austin got into a fight with safety Siran Neal.
Last week, Allen boldly stated that these kinds of altercations can be expected when every player is putting in their best effort, especially for those working to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
“Sometimes, it’s necessary,” Allen said of teammates getting physical at practice. “Good teams sometimes fight. Guys want it so bad, guys are very competitive, guys push each other.”
“So you saw a little tempers flare again today,” Allen continued, referring to the dust-up between Diggs and Rousseau. “And again, that’s all because we want to win. We want to work really hard. We want to beat the guys across from us and it doesn’t matter who it is. But it’s good to see the intensity right now coming out from both sides of the football and the whole team because we just want to win football games.”
McDermott is more content forcing players to cool things down rather than to pick it up, according to Allen.
“Things get chippy when guys are working hard and trying to beat the other guy across from them,” the 26-year-old Wyoming alum said. “I think that’s kind of just the spot where we’re at. Guys want to win. Guys want to beat each other. We’ve got a lot of talkers on this team, too. So it’s been a fun camp, it really has been. And I appreciate the intensity from both sides of the ball.”
The Bills’ Preseason Schedule
The Bills have the first preseason game at Highmark Stadium on Saturday, August 13 at 4 p.m. ET, during which they’ll face quarterback Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis Colts
In Week 2, the Bills will take on the Denver Broncos in Orchard park on Saturday, August 20 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
During Week 3 of the preseason, the Bills will travel to face the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, August 26.
READ NEXT: Bills Make Final Decision on QB Josh Allen for Preseason Opener
Comments
Bills Pro Bowl OL in ‘Big Fight’ on Last Day of Training Camp: Report