There's nothing like a little melee to break up the monotony of training camp.
Jaguars receiver Damon Gibson had Saints linebacker Roger Knight pinned to the ground and was throwing haymakers at his helmet.
Knight's teammate, Bryan Cox, came flying in to knock Gibson off the pile. Moments later, Jaguars receiver Bobby Shaw went after Cox.
It was the highlight of an otherwise routine day Friday, as New Orleans traveled to Jacksonville for a pair of practices.
"I'm out there to play and protect myself," said Gibson, who gives up about 3 inches and 50 pounds to Knight. "If someone comes after me, I'm coming after them."
Gibson's fight was about the only facet the Jaguars won, however. Coach Tom Coughlin said he was disappointed with the play of his linemen.
"The fronts are obviously something we're very, very concerned about," he said.
Several Jaguars receivers fighting for jobs — most notably second-year free agent Chris Redmond — made a number of nice catches.
New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks, who reported Monday after a brief holdout, said he thought the Saints looked good in the passing drills.
"We got beat a couple times up front, but hey, that's part of the game," Brooks said. "Overall, I felt we were where we want to be."
FALCONS: Atlanta has finally signed first-round draft pick T.J. Duckett, who they hope will be their No. 1 running back this season.
Earlier this week, the team said it had broken off talks with Duckett, chosen 18th overall in last April's draft. And before that, they postponed negotiations for physical examinations of the player, who was injured in a fight following a concert in Michigan.
CHARGERS: Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, already slowed in training camp by a blister, sprained his left ankle and was driven off the field on a cart.
Tomlinson, who was to be examined by a doctor, was hurt during a team drill in which he was to hit the hole between the right guard and tackle. He thinks another player fell on his ankle from the inside.
"I don't think it is too bad. Hopefully it will just be a day-to-day thing, but we've just got to be careful with it," Tomlinson said.
SEAHAWKS: Defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, who sat out last season, announced his retirement from football.
Kennedy, who played 11 seasons in Seattle, was the NFL's defensive player of the year in 1992 and was named to the all-decade team of the '90s. He was the third overall pick in the 1990 draft.
49ERS: Coach Steve Mariucci will play it safe when the San Francisco 49ers face the Washington Redskins in the American Bowl in Osaka, Japan.
The 49ers and Redskins will meet again in Week 3 of the regular season, and Mariucci said Friday that will influence how he approaches his team's first exhibition game.
"I think that will be a factor," Mariucci told reporters. "You don't reveal everything you have when you've got to play the same team again in a real game three weeks later."
REDSKINS: Offensive tackle Chris Samuels became the first food victim of the team's trip to Japan, missing a practice with an upset stomach.
"Remind me not to ask him what to eat," guard Kipp Vickers said.
The Redskins are the home team and will debut their deep burgundy throwback jerseys and helmets from the 1960s, which they'll wear at home games this season to celebrate the franchise's 70th anniversary.
BILLS: Linebacker Brandon Spoon is out indefinitely after tearing his right biceps tendon in practice.
Spoon was hurt while attempting to make a tackle as the Bills spent the day practicing against the Browns in preparation for Saturday's scrimmage against the Browns at St. John Fisher College.
Bills coach Gregg Williams said Spoon will have surgery Monday, after which the team will evaluate whether to place him on the injured reserve list.
Meanwhile, the team's revamped offensive line ran into injury troubles. Left guard Ruben Brown sprained his left knee and right tackle Mike Williams, the No. 1 draft pick, suffered a thumb injury and left the practice field.
RAVENS: The Baltimore Ravens signed free agent lineman Ethan Brooks to a one-year, $525,000 contract, a move that could ultimately end the team's experiment of using guard Edwin Mulitalo at right tackle.
Brooks has played both offense and defense since breaking into the NFL with Atlanta in 1996. But Baltimore plans to use him exclusively on offense.
If Brooks, 30, can assume the starting right tackle role, Mulitalo would be able to return to his strongest position.
BEARS: Wide Receiver Ahmad Merritt injured his left hand and starting right guard Chris Villarial hurt his right thumb in practice.
Coach Dick Jauron said both will have X-rays and Merritt may have fractured his hand.
Safety Mike Brown broke a small bone in his right hand earlier this week and will likely miss the first two preseason games.
BROWNS: Running back William Green, Cleveland's top draft pick, hurt his right shoulder in practice Friday and is listed as day to day.
Browns coach Butch Davis said X-rays were negative, but wouldn't say if Green would take part in Saturday's scrimmage against Buffalo. He was hurt in the afternoon practice session when the Browns offense was facing the Bills defense in joint workouts.
After yelling angrily at a Bills player, Green left the field and spent the rest of the session in a trainer's tent.
Green was the 16th player taken in last April's draft, and ended a five-day holdout by signing a deal last weekend. He is being counted upon to help the Browns establish a running attack after they finished 31st in the league last season.