Gruden, Carr downplay heated sideline exchange

Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and head coach Jon Gruden appeared to be at odds again on Sunday, but appearances aren't always what they seem.

After Carr failed to convert on third down during the first half of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, the quarterback got into a heated exchange with Gruden on the sideline. Raiders tight end Lee Smith eventually held Gruden back before the argument dissipated.

"That's the first time you've seen it, 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," Gruden said, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.

"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."

Carr also said the incident wasn't significant.

"We're both very fiery - a lot of people don't see that in me, all the time - we're both competitive," Carr said. "A minor disagreement on something and the beautiful thing is, when we do that, it's not a demeaning thing or pointing a finger. We're both yelling the same kind of thing, almost: 'Let's fix it!'

"Everything's good, I promise."

The Raiders recorded their second win of the year on Sunday with a last-second field goal from Daniel Carlson to defeat the Cardinals 23-21.