Everyone took a day to breathe in Washington, and amid what looked to be a backhanded war of words between coach and franchise quarterback, political correctness prevailed.
First, there was Robert Griffin III, who came out with the full Bill Belichick on Wednesday (and who can blame him?).
Jay Gruden came next, and apologized for criticizing his quarterback in the first place.
"I think it was a mistake on my part," Gruden said at his press conference Wednesday. "After a loss like that, we're very disappointed in the way we played, and the question came up about how we played, and all that stuff from that. I just answered with the first thing that came to my mind, and sometimes the first thing that comes to your mind isn't the smartest thing. It wasn't the right thing to do on my part."
It's not surprising that Gruden and Griffin have decided to take whatever lingering frustration they may have and keep it behind closed doors. Washington is a franchise that isn't far away from turning the corner if they can get everyone on the same page, and nothing says dysfunction like a coach talking about his quarterback publicly while saying things like "he needs to worry about himself."
At the end of the day, both were probably the victim of some overreaction, but both were certainly unhappy enough to voice their opinion.
Don't expect much more public opinion for the rest of the season.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews Chiefs-Raiders and reacts to the drama in D.C. as well as Adrian Peterson's suspension. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
