Brawl At Training Camp Cause For Concern?

In a practice Wednesday night, 22,633 fans watched an all out brawl break out in Foxborough. The New England Patriots are known for being a low-key team. Very seldom do you hear a story of this sort coming out of the camp of the defending AFC Champions. Apparently Offensive Tackle Nate Solder, and Linebacker Brandon Spikes were at the center of the confrontation, with Spike leaving the field with a trainer after a blow dealt to him by Solder.

So what does this all mean? Well first, let me ease your mind. Spikes returned to practice, and appears to be fine.

Wednesday's scuffle was very out of character for Nate Solder, who has been a standout along the offensive line. (image via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nate_Solder)

However heated he was, Nate Solder made a poor judgement call in going after a player coming off of knee surgery. The ramifications of either of these players being injured are enormous, so Brandon Spikes didn't exactly have his "thinking cap" on either. Luckily everyone is okay physically. But one would probably wonder what this means for team cohesiveness. As members of the AFC East, we saw how easily the New York Jets had their 2011 season fall apart due to locker room turmoil so this can be a bit worrysome, as the Jets finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

My thoughts? I like LOVE this. It's about time the defense played with some heart. Brandon Spikes is the best thing to happen to this defense as far as the energy he brings to the table. With another coaching staff, I might be worried, but a Bill Belichick coached team will be fine. With Tom Brady as the head of your team, you will execute on the field. Period. So this is fine by me. The Patriots defense could use a little tenacity, and some fire displayed by Spikes. My advice however, is to save it for August 9th, when we take on the New Orleans Saints in our preseason opener.

Only time will tell whether this event will help or hurt New England in the long run. I think it helps. But we here at PatriotsLife would love to hear what you Pats fans think! Comment your thoughts below!