Cutler, Rivers say there's nothing to 'feud'

When Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was with the Denver Broncos, he and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had a brief trash-talking exchange late in the 2007 season that had a long shelf life.

"It was Christmas Eve, and we were both battling for a playoff spot," Cutler said. "They reeled off four in a row to get to that point. It was just one of those things that stuck in people's minds."

Rivers and the Chargers defeated Cutler and the Broncos 23-3 for their fifth straight victory, won again in the season finale and reached the AFC title game where they lost to the New England Patriots.

"It's funny," Rivers said this week, recalling the Cutler incident, "because there's really about a 5-10-second interaction that sparked a so-called rivalry, us against one another.

"There's really been nothing there other than that 5-10 seconds of a little bit of banter back and forth.

"Other than that, shoot, I've always thought he's a heck of a player. There's nothing there for me. I don't know what he told y'all. Shoot, even after that, there's always a handshake prior and after.

"We don't really know one another. It was fueled by that 5-10 second clip and everyone on the outside."

Cutler adds no fuel to any alleged fire.

"Over the years, I've gained a lot of respect for his game and the way that he plays," the Bears' quarterback said.

"He's been a staple in the league for a long time and has put up huge numbers year in and year out. He's always fun to watch, always fun to play against."

Competitors competing:

Linebacker Pernell McPhee enjoys playing against Philip Rivers because he considers the Chargers' quarterback a fierce competitor.

"He talks a lot of trash," McPhee said with a big grin. "It's all competitive stuff. He'll get in your face. I think he's a great guy, but he's a fun guy to play against. He's real competitive.

"You hit him, he'll get up and he'll tell you to 'keep bringing it,' so that's the fun part of playing Philip Rivers.

"I don't want to make it seem like he's just trash talk, but I'm looking forward to playing him. He's a great quarterback."

You sunk my battleship:

With rookie Jeremy Langford filling in for injured Matt Forte, offensive coordinator Adam Gase's play-calling will change as he adapts his game plan to a new running back with a different style.

"That's going to be the interesting part of the game," Gase said. "They're going to test him out, and they're going to figure out what we're going to do protection-wise, and they're going to see what kind of runs we're going to end up doing with him."

Because Gase previously worked with Chargers head coach Mike McCoy and coached against veteran Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano twice a year for seven years as a Broncos assistant, the chess game gets even more complex.

"Obviously the head coach knows me very well," Gase said of McCoy. "He knows some of our coaches, and the defensive coordinator is a challenging guy to go against.

"It's always a battle. I've never had a game (against the Chargers) where it's been one-sided. It's always come down to the end of the game and, whether we've won or they've won, it's been a tough battle.

"Going against Coach Pagano is always tough. You feel like you're playing a game of 'Battleship' sometimes."

In a hurry:

San Diego's offense operates in no-huddle mode more often than not, something the Bears haven't seen a lot of this year. They have frequently practiced against it.

"Obviously we've practiced against a no-huddle all off-season and in training camp and pretty much similar tempo and operation," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "So there might be some 'comfortability' there."

The no-huddle still makes it difficult for the defense to change personnel.

"You may have to stay in what you're in on third down sometimes," Fangio said. "You might not be able to freely sub as you can normally."

There'll be no money:

With rookie center Hroniss Grasu doubtful with a neck injury, left guard Matt Slauson could make his second straight start at center Monday night.

But Slauson joked that he doesn't expect any financial reward.

"The general rule of thumb," he said, "is the more you can do in the NFL, the less you get paid."