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Vikings receiver Adam Thielen created a problem by publicly calling out quarterback Kirk Cousins after Sunday’s loss to the Bears. Cousins created a problem by publicly apologizing to Thielen on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, coach Mike Zimmer was asked about the situation.

“He was probably just being nice,” Zimmer said regarding the apology, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Seriously, I’m not worried about it. Maybe he should get off the podcast.”

Zimmer is right. Even if Cousins was just being nice, it’s a bad look for a quarterback to act like anything but the leader of the team. Cousins should have been upset with Thielen for taking private business public, and it should have been Thielen publicly apologizing to Cousins for the breach of protocol, not the other way around.

Zimmer should be upset with both of them, especially Thielen. It’s not Thielen’s job to comment publicly on the performance of any other player. And that’s precisely why New England’s “Do Your Job” mantra works.

Making it work is the incessant willingness of Patriots coach Bill Belichick to give a player an earful whenever he crosses that line. Maybe that’s what Zimmer, who like Belichick is a former Bill Parcells assistant, should do. Maybe Zimmer already has done it.