James Pearce Jr. is bringing intensity to the Atlanta Falcons training camp this summer.
Per Marc Raimondi of ESPN, the No. 26 pick in April’s draft got into two “skirmishes” with teammates during Sunday’s practice. He got into heated moments with left guard Matthew Bergeron and left tackle Kaleb McGary.
Helmets were off in both instances, with pushing happening in the latter.
James Pearce Jr. got into a few fights before talking to Kirk Cousins
Following practice, Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich called out Pearce for letting his anger get the best of him at practice No. 4.
“He’s prideful as it gets,” Ulbrich said of Pearce. “He loves this game. He’s got deep love for his teammates … and he wants to come out here and create a strong impression on everybody — and himself included — that he can do this. And you do this at a high level, and I think when you’re in that place of just every ounce of your body’s trying to prove who you are, sometimes it gets to that place where it can get a little wacky sometimes.
“His anger got the best of him a little bit and it is going to be a great learning experience for him.”
Not all was bad for Pearce on Sunday, as veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins pulled Pearce aside after practice to compliment his young teammate for a batted ball.
The Atlanta Falcons had a heated practice
Pearce wasn’t the only player being an instigator at practice. Ulbrich said the team is figuring out how to build an aggressive culture while managing emotions with teammates. He thinks the team went “too far” on Sunday.
“You’re going to get agitated and, especially when you’re playing really good defense, the offense is going to get very agitated, so you’ve got to anticipate punches being thrown, things being said, people getting pushed,” Ulbrich said. “In those moments, you got to thrive and not retaliate and so it’s a good lesson to be learned today.”
Pearce is going to have to learn to manage those emotions in August. If he acts out like that in the regular season, the Falcons will be called for unsportsmanlike penalties. That won’t help Atlanta win games.
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