LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- 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 prepare 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 the Denver Broncos.
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 SportsNet 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. 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."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
