Hair on hair crime — Bucs LB Alex Anzalone and Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence get into a tussle in joint practice
The Bucs and Jags’ joint practice got testy on Tuesday.
Joint practices in the NFL can result in some egos clashing, and often shoves follow and some fists fly. That’s nothing new, as it happens every season when two teams get together on the practice field.
But on Tuesday in Jacksonville, one confrontation existed that few folks would have expected.
Bucs LB Alex Anzalone got tied up with Jacksonville linebacker Ezra Cleveland, and according to those in attendance, Anzalone took exception to Cleveland landing on him, which led to a scuffle.
Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence and Tampa Bay LB Alex Anzalone had an encounter during a scuffle in joint practice
Of all people, Jacksonville’s franchise quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, ended up grabbing Anzalone and, according to Sports Action Jax, took him to the ground by the neck.
As most fans NFL know, those are two of the players in the NFL with the longest blonde locks. As such, that’s not something you see every day, particularly with a quarterback putting his hands on a linebacker.
According to former Bucs OC and current Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen, Lawrence stepping in was more about protecting those involved in the scuffle than escalating the situation.
“No, he wasn’t trying to take him down,” Coen said. “I watched the whole thing. He was just trying to break up the whole scuffle. He wasn’t trying to fight Alex by any means. I think it was just the hair on hair fight, you know, work, was going at it. I didn’t have a better word for it. But no, he was just trying to protect Alex and the guys.”
Of course, from the Tampa Bay perspective, that’s something you perhaps take with a grain of salt. Coen is going to stand up for his guys in more situations than not.
But in any event, it’s good that Anzalone and his teammates showed some fight there, at least. Per Baker Mayfield, the Bucs didn’t match the Jaguars’ physicality during the joint practice, and that’s more concerning than a minor scuffle.
But hey, it might be a long time before we see two players with that type of hairstyle square off again. And it won’t be Lawrence and Anzalone again after this week — unless it’s in February in Super Bowl LXI.
