After a walkthrough practice on Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills training camp was back in full force on Thursday, August 4. During an 11-on-11 team drill, tempers flared between the Bills’ No. 1 wide receiver Stefon Diggs and second-year defensive end Greg Rousseau.
13 WHAM reporter Mike Catalana tweeted, “Greg Rousseau swats at ball with Stefon Diggs. Diggs takes exception and throws some punches. I would label it a skirmish,” while the station’s Dan Fetes added, “Diggs just took swing at Greg Rousseau after a play. Things calmed down but then it continues into the huddle. Ed Oliver had to be held back.”
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WGR 550 reporter Sal Capaccio tweeted that there were “players pouring in from both sides” during the altercation, while SB Nation’s Matt Warren reported that the “entire defensive sideline joined in on the affair.”
While neither Diggs nor Rousseau got hurt, another incident at training camp was concerning for many fans. Most notably, quarterback Josh Allen recently got into it with defensive end Jordan Phillips, and on Tuesday, wide receiver Tavon Austin got into a fight with safety Siran Neal.
The Josh Allen practice scuffle for #BillsMafia with video from @Constantine824
“I’ve never seen this many fights in camp….has to be the heat,” one fan tweeted while another person responded, “Then you’ve never seen a camp lol.”
While numerous fans commented that they loved seeing that kind of passion on the field, one woman tweeted, “It’s nice to see these guys fired up but they will need to control their emotions by the time the season starts because those 15 yard penalties are killer.”
Diggs has been giving Rousseau, the Bills’ 2021 first-round draft pick, tough love since he first joined the team. Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino tweeted during the postseason in January, “Stefon Diggs finds Greg Rousseau before games to let him know he better get his hands on somebody or Diggs is going to get his hands on him. ‘I’m proud of him up to this point but… He’s got more juice in those legs and he’s gonna make some more plays for us.'”
Bills’ Von Miller Proudly Said Rousseau Is a ‘Demon on the Football Field’
.@VonMiller: “Greg Rousseau is a demon on the football field and I’m going to bring it out of him. I’ve been feeding him gunpowder and gasoline.” #BillsMafia
Rousseau also got into a heated situation with running back Devin Singletary on Thursday. AP Sports writer John Wawrow described the situation as one of the most intense fights to break out at camp as head coach Sean McDermott and Allen needed to step in.
“Now that was a scuffle,” Wawrow tweeted. “Singletary and Rousseau exchanging shoves to the point McDermott actually has to step in. Then Josh Allen steps in front of a charging Ed Oliver to prevent things from escalating.”
After practice finished on Thursday, eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller addressed Rousseau’s altercations and took partial credit for the 6-foot-6, 266-pound defensive end getting after it.
ESPN’s Alaina Gatezenberg tweeted, “Rousseau sparked a fight in practice today, swatting at Stefon Diggs while he had the ball. Von Miller just described Rousseau as ‘a demon on the football field’ and that he’s been feeding him ‘gasoline and gunpowder’ to help bring it out in him.”
On a persona level, however, Miller says he’s too old for skirmishes at camp. “When it comes to fighting out there, that’s past my time,” he said, per Bills reporter Maddy Glab.
Diggs Recently Got Into It With Rookie CB Kaiir Elam
GettyThe Buffalo Bills 2022 first-round pick, Kaiir Elam (L), opens up about the quarrels between him and veteran Stefon Diggs (R).
Diggs, a team captain, said he’s working to bring out the best in the Bills’ young up-and-coming studs, and Rousseau is not the only player he’s giving tough love. Last week, the two-time Pro Bowler got into a heated situation with Kaiir Elam, the team’s No. 23 overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, and players had to separate the two.
“This is the second day in a row Diggs and Elam barked at each other a bit,” Capaccio tweeted on the fourth day of training camp. “Yesterday, Stefon stared him down and had a few words on his way back to the huddle after a contested play.”
The 21-year-old cornerback broke his silence on the matter while speaking to The Buffalo News reporter Jay Skurski on July 29, making it clear that he’s got nothing “personal” against the receiver.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to maximize my potential and just go as hard as I can,” Elam said. “Ultimately, to do that, I’ve just got to compete my behind off. I think me and Stefon have the same type of mindset, we just want to dominate and win, honestly.
As for the trash talking, “I appreciate it,” the young corner said. “But if he’s pushing me, I’m going to push back.”
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Bills’ Star Wide Receiver ‘Throws Punches’ at DE During Practice: Report