Bears Compliment Vikings After Week 2
By Adam Carlson
Sep 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett (83) scores a touchdown with Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook (20) defending during the second half at Soldier Field. Chicago won 31-30. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings pushed the Bears to the limit in week 2. Chicago pulled off the win after a touchdown in the closing seconds of the game gave them a one point lead. Minnesota and Chicago are division rivals, so you would usually expect lots of trash talking after a game like this.
Instead, the Chicago Bears have taken to complimenting the Vikings. Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall on Twitter was asked by Hamza Abdullah who the hardest hitting safety in the NFL is. Marshall replied “Minnesota’s 22”. Vikings fans know #22 for the Vikings as Harrison Smith. Smith is a second year player out of Notre Dame who has already made his fair share of big hits in the league. Here is the tweet from Marshall:
But Marshall wasn’t the only one with kind words to say about a Vikings player. Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman has a new found respect for Minnesota’s quarterback, Christian Ponder.
"Sep 8, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman (33) takes the field against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. Chicago defeats Cincinnati 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports“My respect level has gone up tremendously for Ponder. He did some great things out there. He made some plays with his feet.” – Charles Tillman"
Although Ponder’s performance through the air wasn’t anything really special, Ponder did manage to keep a lot of plays alive by using his mobility to avoid pressure. The Vikings quarterback was sacked only once in the contact which resulted in no loss or gain on the play.
This display of sportsmanship is something that is sorely missing from the NFL. These days, people are too quick to focus on the negatives and be extremely vocal about them. It is great to see players being classy and nice.