With the start of the 2017 NFL season less than a week away, NFL training camps are officially over—and NFL players couldn’t be any happier about it. Over the course of the last six weeks or so, players have spent minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day competing under the hot summer sun for the right to earn a spot on their respective team’s 53-man roster. And for most of them, it’s been nothing short of torture. Sure, you get the chance to bond with your teammates and show what you can do on the football field during training camp. But it’s a grind and it’s the time of year that most NFL players look forward to the least.
Most NFL fans actually enjoy training camps, though. It gives them their first real taste of football in six months. It also provides them with the opportunity to head down to their local team’s training facility to check out some action for themselves. And of course, training camps often provide some memorable moments. From acrobatic catches that players would (probably) never try to make during real games to fights—oh so many fights—that take place when tempers flare during drills, training camps are routinely filled with moments that we will never forget.
This year’s training camps weren’t quite as memorable as some of the training camps in the past. No players held impromptu press conferences in their driveways like Terrell Owens did after he got banned from Eagles practices back in 2005, and no head coaches broke their assistants’ jaws like former Raiders coach Tom Cable did during a dispute back in 2009. But there were a handful of things that happened that kept us entertained during the dog days of summer. Here are the Most Mind-Blowing 2017 NFL Training Camp Moments.
Antonio Brown Pulls the Classic RR Into Practice
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has made a habit out of showing up to training camp every year in a sick ride. In 2016, he pulled up in a Rolls-Royce Wraith with a space-inspired paint job that was, well, out of this world (sorry, couldn't resist). But he outdid himself this year by going with a vintage Rolls Royce—with chauffeur—that was just ridiculous. How is he possibly going to top that in 2017?
Odell Does What Odell Does Best
At this point, we’ve seen Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. make so many crazy catches that it’s become almost impossible for him to make one that truly surprises us. But then, he pulled out this one-handed catch in the middle of a practice that was just… wut? How. Did. He. Do. That?
Bad Blood Spills Between Two New Neighbors
In a few years, the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams (ugh, still feels weird saying that) are going to play in the same stadium. So they’re going to need to learn to play nice. But for now, they’re still feeling one another out, and as part of that process, they were involved in the most memorable brawl of all the brawls that took place during NFL training camps this summer. The battle for supremacy in L.A. is officially on.
Cutler Gets the Call He Didn’t See Coming
At the start of the summer, Jay Cutler thought he would be entering his first year as an NFL broadcaster in the fall. But after an injury to Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill at the start of training camp, Miami asked him to come out of retirement and play under center for them this season. He said yes—and the internet rejoiced as one of the most meme-worthy quarterbacks in NFL history stepped out of the broadcasting booth and back into the spotlight.
Marshawn Goes Beast Mode During a Live Interview
Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch still hates doing interviews with the media every bit as much as he did before he retired a couple years ago. But his former Seahawks teammate Michael Robinson managed to score some face time with him during training camp this summer for a quick on-air NFL Network interview, and it went all kinds of wrong. Between Beast Mode cursing—twice—on air at the top of the interview and him hitting on Robinson’s fellow reporter Colleen Wolfe (who is married, by the way), Lynch did one of his most memorable interviews ever, even if it wasn't necessarily for the right reasons.
Boldin Busts Out of Buffalo Sooner Than Expected
Is playing for the Bills really that bad? In early August, Anquan Boldin signed with the team and figured to play a key role as one of their starting wide receivers. But less than two weeks later, he announced he was retiring and leaving Buffalo after just one preseason game. That was fast.
Jameis Handles a Hot and Heavy Play-by-Play Call
Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston said and did a lot of crazy things on HBO’s Hard Knocks during Tampa Bay’s appearance on the show. But we still can’t believe he took time out of the opening episode to narrate two roaches mating on the steps of his grandmother’s home. Even if he has a breakout season this year like many people are expecting, it’s going to be hard for him to top this moment.
Rodgers Shows Off His Insane Accuracy
Just in case you’re wondering if you should spend one of your top fantasy football picks on Aaron Rodgers this year, the answer is still yes.
Rookie Lays His Life on the Line for Football
Roger Goodell has done everything in his power over the last few years to try and convince everyone that football is a lot safer than people think. So imagine the thoughts that were going through his head when Jets rookie safety Jamal Adams sat next to him on a panel this summer and told a crowd full of NFL fans that the football field would be the "perfect place to die." We all know what Adams was trying to say when he said that, but we still wish we could have a transcript of what was going through Goodell’s mind at the time.
Kaepernick Gets Stuck on the Sidelines
Colin Kaepernick is better than almost all of the NFL’s first and second-string quarterbacks. And yet, he still doesn’t have a job. Nothing that has taken place over the summer has blown our minds more than that.
