All those Bears fans aching to know just what exactly was going through Marion Barber's mind when he ran out of bounds during the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos will have to keep waiting for an explanation, Barber is done thinking about last week. The running back's eyes solely are on Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.
"I'm looking forward to this week," Barber told the site. "Practice yesterday, guys are really excited about this next week, and that's really what it's all about."
Barber had kept silent up until Thursday, refusing to speak to the Chicago media in the aftermath of the Bears' overtime loss and following Wednesday's practice. The Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday that Barber would be fined $10,000 if he failed to speak to the media by Friday, and he'd be subject to a separate $20,000 fine if he rejected interview requests following Sunday's game.
Barber, who rarely speaks to the media in good times or bad and describes himself as an introverted guy, made two crucial mistakes that directly resulted in the Broncos' comeback. The first came when he inexplicably ran out of bounds with less than two minutes in the game, the Broncos out of timeouts, and the Bears clinging to a three-point lead.
The second came on the first possession of overtime when he fumbled on the Denver 33-yard line after rushing for a first down.
Asked for his thoughts on his performance, in which he also rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown, Barber responded:
"My thoughts on it is getting to this next week and just preparing as much as I can to be ready for this game of course."
When the reporter then attempted to bring up the play when Barber ran out of bounds, the running back cut him off and said, "I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but I just move on. Just bear with me."
