Emma: Bears-Packers Rivalry Still Coated With Hate
By Chris Emma—
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) – The Great Green Bay Massacre of the Bears, an elephant in the Halas Hall locker room to some, is a relative unknown to most.
What happened to the Bears on that listless night at Lambeau Field last season is something that many players on the revamped roster aren't even aware occurred. That Chicago trailed its hated rival 42-0 at halftime, how Aaron Rodgers threw for six first-half touchdowns and the manner in which Green Bay dominated is an unknown to many current players.
That's something to be thankful about.
But Alshon Jeffery was on the sidelines, watching the pure obliteration of the Bears. It still stings, and it's most certainly personal.
"It always sticks with you," Jeffery said Tuesday, two days before the Thanksgiving game and more than a year removed from the blowout loss. "I felt like it was disrespectful how they put up points. But, at the same time, it's our job to stop them."
The Bears were humiliated in grand fashion, exposed in primetime as a completely dysfunctional mess. It was the beginning of the end for coach Marc Trestman's tumultuous tenure in Chicago.
Yet, that night in Green Bay only felt like a more extreme version of so many other tough losses at Lambeau Field, a house of horrors for the Bears. Like so many Brett Favre performances, Rodgers was outstanding for what would've been a record-shattering performance if he played the entire game. It was a disgraceful game for the Bears, who seemed to have reached rock bottom for the 2014 season (whether it got worse from there is left for discretion).
Narratives such as this will follow the Bears up I-43 to Green Bay, because it's natural with such a rich rivalry. The all-time series is at 93-92-6, in favor of the Bears, yet the past decade would suggest otherwise.
Such storylines matter to some Bears, but not so much for most. This is a fresh start to the organization, with great leadership in place from coach John Fox, general manager Ryan Pace and some new voices in the locker room. If the rivalry doesn't feel personal yet, it sure will soon.
"I'm so excited," said linebacker Pernell McPhee, a team captain for the Bears in his first season with Chicago. "Team I hate, new stadium I'm playing in. Should be all fun on Thanksgiving."
Voices like that of McPhee resonate through the Bears' locker room. He's one of the team's most important leaders, a player whose example shines. For newcomers like McPhee, hatred of the Packers comes simply because this is an archrival and the gold standard in the NFC North.
The Packers are what the Bears want to be – and hope to beat.
On Thursday night, the Packers will retire Brett Favre's famed No. 4, with greats like Bart Starr taking part in the ceremony. It will be quite the event for Lambeau locals. For those in Chicago, this is just a cruel reminder of how Green Bay has sustained success with excellent quarterback play.
But the Bears aren't sacrificial lambs for a memorable night in Green Bay – so they say. Their hope is to shut down Rodgers, who has been off his game at times this season.
"Hit his ass," McPhee said. "That's it. Just hit it. Nothing else. We just need to hit his ass. He won't be able to run then.
"One thing we need to do is hit the quarterback and win the game – that's it. Go eat us some turkey dinner. Happy Thanksgiving."
670 The Score's own Patrick Mannelly, the former long snapper who played more games than any player in Bears history, spoke to the Spiegel and Goff Show on Wednesday of the great pride in playing – and beating – the Packers, something that feels even sweeter for those who have been with the organization for a long time. The rivalry is important to those who cherish the Bears.
Bad blood still flows from games past, when the Bears-Packers tradition becomes personal. Just ask Jeffery, who's still fuming from a game that took place what seems like ages ago.
"They pretty much kicked our behinds," Jeffery said. "This year is going to be a different outcome. I guarantee it won't be like it was last year, I guarantee that."
Clean, good, old-fashion hate is natural in any rivalry, but especially this one. Family members become enemies, neighbors build barriers and friends turn into foes. That's what happens when the Bears and Packers take the field.
Players from both sides feel the disdain for each other, growing greater with each meeting. What happened last November in Green Bay is only one of so many stories.
The latest chapter of football's greatest rivalry comes Thanksgiving night at Lambeau Field.