The Chicago Bears passed up on the opportunity to hire Bruce Arians in 2013, choosing instead to pick Marc Trestman as their new head coach.
The Bears defense appeared to take a couple cheap shots at quarterback Carson Palmer, including a low hit that seemed aimed at his surgically-repaired knee.
Yes, the Arizona Cardinals had plenty of reasons to stay aggressive at the end of their 48-23 stomping of the Bears in Soldier Field on Sunday. The 48 points were the most the Bears have ever allowed in the 685 games they've played at home in their franchise history.
But were the Cards too aggressive late in a game that was already decided -- and if so, was payback a possible motivating factor?
Ahead by a comfortable margin late in the game, Palmer and the Cardinals continued to pass the ball rather than take their foot off the gas and keep the ball on the ground, much to the surprise of TV play-by-play man Thom Brennaman.
But the Cardinals didn't hit the brakes on defense, either. Leading by four possessions in the final minutes, they continued to blitz the heck out of hapless Bears backup QB Jimmy Clausen, who was filling in for the injured Jay Cutler.
It's impossible to say whether Arians is at all bitter about the 0-2 Bears' decision to bypass him -- but after the game, he noted everything worked out just fine.
Bruce Arians to @PaulCalvisi on beating the Bears, who didn’t offer him their head coaching job: “I’m just so happy they said no.”
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleABC15) September 20, 2015
Arians also called out the Bears for what he considered a dirty tackle on Palmer midway through the game.
So: Were the Cardinals trying to embarrass the Bears in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game in Chicago -- and if so, were they justified?
"I hope it's yes to all of those things," ABC15 Sports' Tom Zenner said. "I hope they were trying to run up the score. Why not? Do it while you can. You have nothing to lose.
"No. 2, you always blitz Jimmy Clausen. You talk about a deer in the headlights. That guy's not ready for the NFL. Never has been."
Zenner said Arians should have gift-wrapped a game ball and given it to the Bears ownership team as a thank-you for hiring Trestman, who was fired at the end of last season.
"I'd say, 'Thank you very much, sir, for not hiring me and making a colossal error two and a half years ago,'" Zenner said.
What do you think? Were the Cardinals trying to show up the Bears a little too much late in Sunday's game -- and if so, is there anything wrong with that?
Leave a comment or tweet us @abc15sports to give us your take.
