LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — This time, Jay Cutler and
Philip Rivers had little to say.
If there is any lingering ill will between them,
the quarterbacks weren't interested in discussing it as the Chicago Bears
prepared to host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
"One little incident that got blown into a
huge deal," is how Rivers described it.
It happened on a big stage, in front a national
audience on Christmas Eve in 2007, when Cutler was with Denver.
ESPN cameras caught Rivers yelling at him from the
sideline after he threw an incomplete pass on a fourth down during the fourth
quarter of a 23-3 Chargers victory, and Chargers linebacker Matt Wilhelm
mockingly waving toward him.
When Denver and San Diego played early the
following season, the quarterbacks didn't say much to each other during the
pregame coin toss. Later that year, Cutler made his feelings about Rivers clear
on a Fox Sports Net show when he said, "I don't like how he carries
himself. I don't like some of the stuff he does on the field."
On Wednesday, Cutler didn't have much to say. He
basically sidestepped questions about the incident with Rivers, giving mostly
short answers.
Where did the rivalry start? "I don't
know," Cutler said.
Was it during that 2007 game? "I don't
remember," he said.
Do you miss playing against him? "No,"
Cutler said.
Have your feelings about him changed?
"I haven't played him for years so it's kind
of different," said Cutler, who last faced the Chargers in 2008.
"It's something that's in the past. Defensively, he's a great player. He's
still putting up big numbers, and they're going to throw the ball down the
field. The way we're playing defensively, hopefully we have a chance to shut
him down."
As for his relationship with Rivers? When asked if
he's had a chance to soothe things with him, Cutler said, "I don't know
him. You have his number, so we can talk?"
Rivers said he'd gladly talk to Cutler, but he
wasn't about to pass along his number on a conference call.
"We've spoken in the past since then, whether
it be the coin toss or the postgame," Rivers said. "It wasn't as if
we were big buddies beforehand and then had a big falling off. I mean, he and I
had minimal conversations even before all that got blown way out of proportion.
But I have nothing against Jay. I think he's a heck of a player. One thing you
know about him, he's a super competitor. One thing he's doing right now is he's
leading his team to win four in a row, and I'm fighting like crazy to just try
to get a win."
The Bears are on a four-game win streak and are
looking like strong contenders after a rough start. They pounded Detroit last
week, intercepting Matthew Stafford four times while coming away with six
turnovers in a 37-13 victory. That put them in a second-place tie with the
Lions in the NFC North, which would have seemed hard to believe just a few
weeks earlier given the way they were playing.
The defense has cut down on big plays. The run-pass
balance on offense is better. The Bears are getting the ball out of Cutler's
hands quicker. Matt Forte is having a career year, and the blocking has
improved, although the line did struggle against Detroit.
The Chargers? Well, they're going in the opposite
direction after a 4-1 start. They're short-handed on the offensive line, thanks
to injuries, and Rivers just hasn't been himself.
He's the league's fifth-leading passer with 2,743
yards, but he also has more interceptions than anyone with 15. He got sacked
six times against Oakland last week and now ranks third in that category with
25 — two more than Cutler.
It's safe to say finding ways to keep the ball away
from opponents and stay on his feet rank higher on the priority list than any
issues he's had with Cutler.
"We haven't had much time to worry about
that," Rivers said. "We're just trying to find a way to win a game.
It's been a rough stretch."
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
