Chip Kelly says Cary Williams is not a problem in the Eagles locker room

Yesterday at Eagles practice CB Cary Williams and WR Riley Cooper were involved in a brief scuffle.  For more information on the fight itself, including picture and video, check out this BGN post. Cary has still refused to address the media since the incident occurred yesterday.

Chip Kelly was then asked about the event prior to today's practice. His response:

Chip Kelly on yesterday's altercation: We talk all the time about playing with emotion and not letting emotion play with you.

— Eagles Insider (@EaglesInsider) September 6, 2013

As you can see, Kelly downplayed the incident. After all, football is a contact sport and fights happen. Emotion truly does get the best of people sometimes, especially in the case of Williams. Cary's history of starting conflicts in games isn't necessarily encouraging to a team that severely lacks depth at cornerback, though. Starting QB Michael Vick reiterated the importance of Williams staying on the field.

"I know after yesterday Cary understands that we need him on the football field, not to be hot-headed at times," Vick said. "We know he’s a guy who’s very into his work and what we do. And he can’t be high-strung all the time. He’s gotta stay even-keel like everybody else just out of respect for the game more than anything."

Vick was also seen trying to break up the tension between Cooper and Williams yesterday. After Vick directed Cary away, Williams seemed to direct aggression towards Vick as well. It's unclear what exactly that was about, because Vick wouldn't elaborate on it.

It's hard to argue with what Vick had to say about Cary. Toughness is a great skill to have in football. Some may say it's an area where the Eagles have been lacking in recent years. There needs to be a balance, though. Williams can help the team if he can be tough without getting penalized or thrown off the field.

Speaking of "off the field", there are some concerns in that area as well. Last night, Howard Eskin tweeted the following:

I'm told #eagles CB Cary Williams has had issues with coaches and players before today's fight w Riley Cooper. Handled w private meeting

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) September 6, 2013

The validity of this report is unclear, but it raises the question if Williams is a problem in the Eagles locker room.

When Chip was asked if Williams was a locker room problem today, he firmly stated: "No."