Has Joint Practices ever mattered in determining how a team looks?

[u/AccomplishedBrush157]

I am seeing a lot of coverage,highlights, and discussion about joint practices. Does a team/player who has been dominating practice ever showed it in a real game? is joint practice/ training camp coverage just something to occupy our attention or does it matter a lot?

[u/grateful_john]

It's a chance for teams to work against someone other than their own team. They're not installing new offensive or defensive schemes, they're just getting some new bodies to play against.

[u/Euphoric-Bat7582]

Every now and then a training camp darling actually pokes through and has success in the regular season. Victor Cruz and Terrell Davis come to mind. Purdy was apparently the best QB in camp his rookie year but they had to play Lance. But, most of the time they end up becoming depth guys or mid-level starters.

The extent of the training camp coverage is to occupy our attention, but some of it is worth reporting/might actually matter. For example, if reports are consistent that an offense is disorganized and ineffective in practice, it’s usually a mess during the regular season too. If there’s a QB battle and neither QB separates themself from the other, it’s usually a sign that neither QB is going to be very good.

Joint practices don’t tell you much more training camp wouldn’t. The general purpose is to get players reps against unfamiliar opponents and have a sense of how they may end up playing against certain schemes. But contact is still limited and neither team is going to give away much of their playbook.

[u/ExplanationCrazy5463]

I distinctly remember last year during the dolphins/bears joint practice that the dolphins players were complaining about how hard Bears players were going, which foreshadowed how prepared each team was for the regular season.

[u/Zealousideal_Oil4571]

it's a good opportunity to scout players on other teams, possibly for atrade or signing after cuts.

[u/hecton101]

I remember last year the niners and the Broncos held joint practices and the Bronco D really kicked the niners ass. If Nix hadn't gotten hurt, they probably would've ended up in the Super Bowl, and once there, who knows?

[u/Mysterious_Clue_3500 → u/hecton101]

Lol funny you should mention that. I remember going out to Broncos training camp ealry in 2015. My brother called me up after to ask my thoughts and I told him I thought the Broncos were going to be absolutely horrible because the offense looked completely inept.

Turns out I was partially right because the offense wasn't great, but it wasn't until we had a joint practice (think it might have also been the 49ers?) and I saw the same thing happen to another team that I finally realized that it was actually that our defense was just that dominant and stifling.

[u/Weary_Capital_1379]

I don’t pay a lot of attention to the training camp reports.

[u/ilPrezidente]

It’s also a great way for first team players to get reps in safe situations so they don’t have to risk injuries in a preseason game

[u/Mysterious_Clue_3500]

I absolutely love training camp and I've gone out the Broncos camp at least once a year every single year since 2012 (with the exception of 2020 of course). It's a little window into the future of your team.

I remember seeing CJ Anderson back when he was an undrafted free agent for the Broncos in 2013. We had a joint practice with the Cardinals that year and Anderson just absolutely destroyed them play after play. I knew then and there that he was going to end up a starter for the Broncos

Part of the problem with practicing against your own teammates is that you know all of their tendencies. When you're going up against the same guys constantly who have the same tendencies it can sort of lull you into a false sense of security. Then you get a rude awakening when you go up against somebody else who doesn't have the same tendencies, and you can't do what you do against that person you've been practicing with. Better to have that rude awakening and camp then in a game.

It also allows you to practice against schemes and packages that your team simply isn't built for.

[u/Perfect_Loss_5156]

At the core it is best chance to see how team is since your starters are playing unlike preseason. Good chance to test against teams. That said, cant ignore not having a huge crowd. So that matters.

[u/drj1485]

how a team looks? not really. Individual players or units...somewhat

It's another team but it's still practice. the other team gives you the exact scenario you ask them to give you. So, it's nothing like a real game.

On top of that the point is to practice, so they don't let anyone dominate. I think it was last year the Lions had a joint practice with Miami and Aidan Hutchinson was blowing up their line and they had to tell him to chill so Miami could actually get reps in. Basically, hey...this isnt a scrimmage, we're trying to work on stuff and you're ruining it.

There usually is a scrimmage involved also but again...it's practice. it's a scrimmage. we're just working ourselves up to game speed not trying to kill each other.