The highlight (or lowlight) of Wednesday’s joint practice between the 49ers and Texans was seeing Jimmie Ward and DeAndre Hopkins come to blows. It happened on their first rep against each other to open practice. Ward got his hand into Hopkins’ helmet and popped it off before Hopkins cut back to catch the pass. Ward appeared to shove Hopkins, but it likely was him trying to strip the ball. Hopkins swung back and we were off to the races, after which both men were thrown out of practice.
I’ve re-watched this video quite a few times over the past 24 hours, and I think 49ers fan Tony Tedford still has the best point: Richard Sherman had the strong veteran move putting on his helmet before intervening.
Frankly, that’s probably my favorite part of the whole thing. You knew Sherman would get in the middle of it, but you rarely see the veteran savvy of putting on a helmet before people might start throwing blows against you. Gotta protect the head!
I really hope we don’t see a fight today, or if we do, it involves players near the bottom of the roster. Ward lost out on some key reps against a quality wide receiver, and I imagine more than just Ward lost out on reps against Hopkins. The two players shook hands before going their separate ways, so hopefully things settle down today.
.@DeAndreHopkins and @49ers DB Jimmie Ward throw punches at @HoustonTexans training camp. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/I0Xw12g20Z
— Alex Radow (@alexradow) August 15, 2018