At a time when many are waiting for and anticipating a deal between owners and the NFL Players Association, there was a point Tuesday when talks clearly regressed.

One person close to the talks went so far as to say, "This almost blew up yesterday."

How close it got to that point is a matter of opinion. The moment may have come shortly after lawyers from both sides were brought back into the process at an undisclosed location in the Washington, D.C., area.

As tensions rose and anger grew, two sources said NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith instructed his lawyers to "stand down."

With lawyers removed from the direct negotiations, the process was said to be getting back on track and to be in a good spot. The scenario Tuesday is an example of how tenuous the talks can be and how quickly they can be derailed.

But it also is proof that Smith and the players and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners have taken the process out of the hands of the attorneys and demanded control to hammer out a collective bargaining agreement.