Bears' Jay Cutler Shrugs Off Confrontation With Pernell McPhee
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- During John Fox's first season as coach of the Bears, his team wasn't good, but it had likable characters.
Fox has placed a priority on creating positive chemistry in his Bears locker room. So it can be considered a concern when the Bears' first big signing under Fox's watch, Pernell McPhee, greeted injured quarterback Jay Cutler on the sidelines after his interception Monday night.
Cutler/McPhee pic.twitter.com/jTiNnNPHEB
— Matt Clapp (@DaBearNecess) September 20, 2016
In approaching Cutler, McPhee was quite emotional. Cutler shrugged it off after the 29-14 loss to the Eagles.
"I'm fine with that," Cutler said. "He's a passionate guy. Everyone has a lot invested into this, and he does as well. No one likes to lose. No one likes to lose in that fashion. He's upset, I'm upset, everyone in that locker room is upset right now."
Both McPhee and Cutler were voted team captains for the 2016 season. McPhee wasn't available to the media following the loss, as he misses the first six weeks of the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list due to a knee injury.
Cutler had been playing through an injured right thumb, going 0-of-2 with two poor throws after a strip sack caused aggravation to the thumb. Cutler stated that he was unable to grip the football properly on his throws.
Speaking prior to Cutler, Fox said that he wasn't aware of the verbal altercation between McPhee and Cutler.
"We're a family," Fox said. "We, we do have arguments, and we do have frustrations. I didn't see it, so whether he was "in his face" and all this other stuff, I don't know. But our guys have discussions all the time."
The Bears fell to 0-2 with their loss to the Eagles on Monday night and now have a short week to prepare for Sunday's next primetime contest with the Cowboys in Dallas.
Following a poor moment on their sidelines, the Bears may have more to figure out than how they will get ready for the Cowboys.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.