There was some hand-wringing from outsiders Sunday after TV cameras caught Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden and Derek Carr bickering on the sideline after the quarterback badly misfired on a third-down pass.
Gruden shrugged off the dust-up, and the suggestion there was something more to it.
"That's the first time you've seen it," the coach told reporters, "but it isn't the first time it's happened. We're both competitors. We're competing hard there. We had a man-to-man situation and he went for the big play.
"We had a mild disagreement. But you know what, that's part of this business. We're going to have times where we clash a little bit, but we're also very supportive of one another. I'm really proud of him. He's been through a lot this year, and I'm glad he's our quarterback."
Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, the 2002 most valuable player, said those exchanges were commonplace when he played for Gruden.
"We had some epic exchanges," Gannon, now a CBS analyst, said by phone Monday. "I never had that with anybody else. We were very similar in age, we were wired the same way, we were both ultra-competitive. We were emotional guys ...
"I think it's much ado about nothing. At that position, if you can't be coached and take constructive criticism and feedback, and every once in a while a little bit of a verbal beatdown, then you're probably in the wrong league and maybe at the wrong position. I think Derek can handle that. Jon's just trying to get it out of him."
