The last time the Chicago Bears were truly relevant can be traced back to 2010. That was the year they reached the NFC championship game. The second and last of the Lovie Smith era. While far from perfect, that was a good football team. Though known mainly for its defense, they had some promising offensive talent. The two headliners of course were quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte.
Considering how long the two were teammates from 2009 to 2015, one would think they have nothing but love for each other. However, sometimes things are always as they seem. It’s hardly news that a number of former teammates weren’t the biggest fan of the mercurial quarterback. Devin Hester is one of the most vocal about it based on recent interviews.
It might be that Forte too has been concealing some hard feelings.
At least that’s the way it comes across. Recently the NFL posted a video on Instagram of the infamous play from that championship game against Green Bay. The one where B.J. Raji intercepted Caleb Hanie for a touchdown. The play that essentially ended the Bears’ season. He lamented how Hanie failed to find Devin Hester on that play, then seemed to take a thinnly-veiled dig at his former quarterback.
The other storyline coming out of that game was how Cutler suffered a knee injury at some point in the second half. Enough to force him to the bench where he sat the rest of the game. Fans and players alike blasted the quarterback for not trying to gut it out through the pain. Real leaders would do whatever it takes to give their team a chance. It was revealed later he’d suffered an MCL sprain.
Matt Forte hasn’t been shy with his comments in the past
People tried to say that the running back was being sarcastic when he said that. Was he though? It’s not like the two were ever buddy-buddy and haven’t been tight after their careers ended. Forte battled through a lot of pain and injuries in his career. That game was his first shot at a Super Bowl. One he knew might be rare. Is it so hard to believe he’d have hard feelings toward Cutler for what happened that afternoon?
Especially given what came after? No further playoff appearances and the quarterback always seeming to deliver his worst performances in big games or getting hurt at the worst possible times. For a competitor like Matt Forte, that can be hard to accept. He was one of the best running backs of his generation. To participate in the playoffs only once? It’s a bitter pill to swallow.
If only Cutler had been better. Or if only the Bears had found a better QB.
Sadly there is no changing the past. What happened happened. Forte still seems angry about it. One can’t really blame him. Coming so close to a Super Bowl only to have the dream crushed like that is hard to accept. Especially when you may feel the guy responsible didn’t care enough to leave it all on the field.