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It was supposed to be a “thud” day on Saturday, August 7 in Oxnard during the joint practice session between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams. Even with the full pads on, players weren’t allowed to hit the quarterback and there was to be no tackling.
But nothing was said about fights…as one in the trenches went viral online.
It involved Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald and Cowboys offensive guard Connor Williams.
What Exactly Happened? Donald and Williams were engaged in an 11-on-11 drill.
Donald was tangled up with the 6-foot-5, 320-pound Williams. Even after the play stops, the two don’t stop engaging in a shoving contest…which eventually leads to both men getting dropped to the grass and players on both sides needing to be separated.
Pat Doney of NBC 5 in Dallas managed to zero in on the one-on-one exchange between the Cowboy and Ram on video.
Doney wasn’t the only one who posted video. Here’s what ESPN NFL Nation Cowboys reporter Todd Archer managed to capture, which shows everyone on the field.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated stood behind the goal post when the fight broke out.
Rams beat reporter Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic even noticed Rams safety Taylor Rapp trying to break up the fight, while wrapping his arms around the much larger Williams and trying to pull him away.
Team reporters for the Cowboys, David Helman and Rob Phillips, illustrated the details of what happened in their “Practice Points” feature following the joint session, revealing the fight broke out during the early portion of the 11-on-11 team period.
It got feisty. Cowboys and Rams were jawing at each other throughout the day. Aaron Donald and Connor Williams even wound up in a scuffle on the second play of team period – an ironic turn of events, given Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy’s focus on avoiding extracurriculars.
“The scuffle came with the Cowboys’ offense trying to get off of its own goal line. Connor Williams and Aaron Donald got tangled up on the play and wound up on the ground. The ensuing wrestling match brought both teams out to the middle of the field, but cooler heads prevailed before it got too intense. Williams and Donald went each other in two tightly-contested one-on-one reps just moments prior, so it wasn’t too surprising to see them locking horns again.
PFF Then Confuses Social Media With Another Donald-Williams Clip Pro Football Focus also hopped in on Donald versus Williams, though through a different video.
During a one-on-one period, Williams tried to control Donald at the point of attack only to be driven nearly six yards back during a pass protection drill. Yet, PFF gave the individual win to the Cowboy.
This led to some online correcting for PFF, with Donald’s linebacker teammate Justin Hollins posting a retraction.
Even a two-time Super Bowl winning offensive lineman and ESPN personality didn’t take Williams’ or PFF’s side, as Damien Woody made light of the tweet.
Another OL turned media personality Geoff Schwartz chimed in and agreed with Woody.
Overall, Donald had a rather strong day against the Cowboys. He was mentioned in Rams team reporter Stu Jackson’s “10 Observations” following the joint practice, with Jackson illustrating how Donald busted a swim move to disrupt the backfield on one play. The play Jackson likely referenced is this one.
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