Well that’s not ideal. Rookie left tackle Trevor Penning has been pushing the envelope every day at New Orleans Saints training camp, sustaining blocks to and sometimes through the whistle — and some of his teammates are pushing back. After winning a rep against backup defensive lineman Malcolm Roach on Wednesday, Penning got into it with his opponent and things escalated until a small crowd of teammates got involved and had to be separated.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen threw them both out of practice, saying afterwards, “We don’t have time for that.” Allen did praise the energy and competitive nature both players bring to the table, but emphasized the importance of reigning it in, adding: “We’ve got to learn as a team how to compete and how to play, and how to practice and push ourselves to the limit, but yet not take it over that edge.”
It’s the third day in a row Penning gotten caught up with an opponent in practice, and his fourth fight of camp so far (he previously exchanged blows with Payton Turner). There’s a difference between playing with aggression and taking things too far, interrupting practice and risking injury to his teammates. That’s part of the learning curve he’s experiencing after jumping to the NFL from Northern Iowa.
Still, he’s got several good coaches working with him. Former NFL head coach Doug Marrone is his position coach. Longtime Saints starting right tackle Zach Strief is Marrone’s assistant, and his old teammate Jahri Evans is working in camp as a coaching intern. They all know what won’t slide in front of referees and what is detrimental in practice. Hopefully they can get with Penning and nip this in the bud before it becomes a persistent problem.
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