Years after the fact, as far as any lingering contentiousness between Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, the latter finds any notion of a feud or hard feelings between them a bit amusing.
The two exchanged unpleasantries in a December 2007 game in which Cutler was under center for the Denver Broncos and had words with Rivers after a defensive stop by the Chargers. Film of the incident made it appear that Rivers was barking at Cutler.
Out of that grew The Feud.
“It’s funny because there was really about 5-10 seconds of interaction that kind of sparked the so-called rivalry, us against one another,” Rivers said, laughing. “Other than that there’s really been nothing there other than that 5-10 seconds of a little banter back and forth.
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“Other than that, shoot, I’ve always thought he was a heck of a player. We had some good games when he was in Denver and now we only play Chicago every four years.
"There’s nothing there for me. Shoot, even after that, it was always a handshake prior and after, and we don’t really know one another.”
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But Cutler was considerably more pointed not that long after their spat. On "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period" during the 2008 season, Cutler made it clear he didn’t care for Rivers.
"We're not best of friends, at all,” Cutler said. “We don't really have a lot of contact with each other. It's become a nice rivalry. I'm just not that big of a fan of the guy. I don't like how he carries himself. I don't like some of the stuff he does on the field."
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Rivers and the Chargers won four of the five games the two started against each other before Cutler was traded to Chicago in 2009.
Unrelated to anything having to do with their relationship, Cutler has suffered at the hands of the Chargers. It was in the 2011 game in Soldier Field, won by the Bears to reach 7-3 at the time, that Cutler suffered a broken thumb while trying to make a tackle after throwing an interception.