Williams Apologizes To Allen, Teammates

Cary Williams has spent the early part of this week cleaning up the mess he made in the locker room Sunday following the Eagles’ win over Washington.

He came in to meet with Chip Kelly on Monday and said that he and the head coach had a “great conversation”and better understand one another’s viewpoints when it comes to in-week training.

On Tuesday, Williams stood up in front of his teammates and told them he regretted  bringing negativity into the room. He apologized to Nate Allen specifically for pointing his frustrations in the safety’s direction.

On a third-down play midway through the first quarter, Allen and Williams both ended up covering Andre Roberts, who made the grab along the Eagles’ sideline for the first down. It appears Niles Paul was left uncovered and while it didn’t bite them on that play, Williams was angry about the breakdown and could be heard yelling at Allen.

On DeSean Jackson‘s 81-yard touchdown in the third quarter, Williams was supposed to have help over the top from Allen on the play but instead was left out on an island. He let the media know about it after the game .

“I understand the concept of the next play but for some reason I just wasn’t able to get over that play, maybe because it was a DeSean Jackson touchdown. Maybe that was really what it was,” said Williams. “I told him I was sorry just man to a man, and I told him in front of the team because there’s no other way to do it. I can’t do it behind closed doors because it might seem phony. I did it in front of the team to let him know that I respect him as a man, I respect his game, I respect everything he’s done in his career and what he has done for me and my career since I’ve been here.”

“It was bold of him to do that,” said Allen. “Appreciate it. We forget about it and move on. Nothing personal. I talked to him a little bit [Tuesday]. After the game, I was good. I wasn’t even thinking about all that.”

Williams has been dealing with a nagging hamstring and vented after the game that the heavy workload during the week was leaving players without a full tank of gas on Sunday. Asked if his concerns had been alleviated after speaking with Kelly, Williams responded:  “They have been alleviated to a degree.”

His stance on the subject may not have changed much, but Williams seems to understand the bigger point now that his emotions have settled.

“My personal feelings don’t matter, simply because the team is more important. And I don’t want to bring any hardship to my teammates or any negativity to those guys simply because of what I said and what I believe, because at the end of the day that doesn’t matter,” said Williams. “We’re trying to win Super Bowls here. We’re trying to build a system here, we’re trying to build a brand here. My comments could be better, should be more team-oriented.

“My teammates forgave me, Chip has forgiven me, and we’re ready to move on.”