Christian Verde/New Orleans Saints
By Ross Jackson
It’s probably an unpopular opinion, but I’m not convinced that joint practices carry much value in the NFL today.
So much so, in fact, that I think the New Orleans Saints should withdraw from conversations around hosting a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said after a practice last week that his team was engaging in conversation with the Saints about holding a joint practice session between the team teams after the Los Angeles Chargers withdrew from a previously scheduled set of sessions with the Rams.
The Saints should politely decline.
The value of joint practices has diminished over the years as the practice parameters have changed. With little to no contact allowed, shorter practices and the litany of different approaches teams have to their practice environments, trying to have two teams acquiesce to one another is hardly worth the effort when the payoff is so limited.
Sure, the teams get a chance to go up against unfamiliar faces, new opponents and a scheme they wouldn’t otherwise see. But with the limited number of reps that would come with it, the value is hardly enough for the risk that comes with surrendering a more controllable environment.
Especially when that group of unfamiliar faces may not even include the opposing team’s starting quarterback.
The benefit of joint practices has often not been demonstrable. Instead, the risk of injury and, as has often been seen, bickering and fighting are about the only elements that are increased in these circumstances.
While injury data suggests that playing in preseason games helps players and teams stay healthy, no such data exists for joint practices.
New Orleans has held joint practices with the Chargers and Green Bay Packers in recent years. It was also set to host the San Francisco 49ers last year in Irvine, Calif., but the amount of injuries the 49ers suffered in camp forced them to change plans.
With a recent uptick in injuries for the Saints, it would be wise to reverse course as well.
Sure, joint practices are fun. But the return on holding them is hardly convincing. The Saints have found interesting ways to change things up all throughout training camp this year. They’ve held scrimmages, run many “call it” periods allowing coaches to live call plays throughout team drills and have even mixed up first, second and third offensive and defensive units to create new and less familiar matchups for the players.
If the key value of joint practices is limited to seeing new players lined up across from your team, I’d argue there’s little to no value at all.
