James Pearce Jr. involved in training camp scuffle again

For at least the second time in Atlanta Falcons training camp, former Tennessee defender James Pearce Jr. has been involved in a scuffle. He first got into a dust-up on July 27, before a repeat performance today.

According to Maria Martin of 11 Alive News in Atlanta, Pearce was in the middle of a scuffle at training camp. Head coach Raheem Morris then got into his face.

But the action wasn’t done there. Martin reported that James Pearce Jr. and Tyrone Wheatley were “chirping at each other for a while after.” At some point, Pearce then grabbed a facemask and was taken out of the next rep in the practice.

The news comes a little more than a week after Pearce was at the center of a pair of dust-ups in a practice. Although defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich told ESPN he liked to see the fire from the first-year player, he also admitted it went “a little too far.”

One one series, Pearce got into it with left guard Matthew Bergeron, whose helmet came off. Multiple players from both sides got involved and edger rusher Leonard Floyd had to come to Pearce’s defense.

Just one play after that, James Pearce Jr. again found himself fighting with another teammate, this time right tackles Kaleb McGary, who was screaming at Pearce with his helmet off. Floyd again stepped in as more pushing and shoving ensued.

“We’re trying to develop a culture, a style of play for sure, and part of that is the violence with which we play and aggression, the urgency and all that,” Ulbrich said at the time. “Today, at times, it went a little too far and we’ve got to learn how to manage that.

“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. In those moments, you got to thrive and not retaliate and so it’s a good lesson to be learned today.”

Pearce was selected with the No. 26 overall pick in this past year’s NFL Draft out of Tennessee. He figures to be a key part of the Falcons’ future and gives them a promising pass rushing prospect who recorded 17.5 sacks the past two years with the Volunteers.

Of course, James Pearce Jr. will need to learn the right balance of aggression and composure going forward. Regardless, those in Atlanta seem quite excited about his talent and his fiery demeanor.