Bears Blitz

Published by Mike Pascale on January 24, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Modern technology: isn’t it great? I have a smartphone so I can send text messages and emails, use the internet, and listen to satellite radio all from one small, portable device. Oh, and it makes phone calls too. 

However, as is often true of progress, like nuclear weapons or the Flowbee, if it gets into the wrong hands it can be dangerous. And this weekend we saw just how dangerous Twitter can be. 

The internet was inundated with tweets by current and former NFL players accusing Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler, of being a quitter. Cutler was unable to return to the NFC Championship game due to a knee injury, and the messages quickly came pouring in. His already questionable reputation had instantly taken another hit.

Some messages were small jabs, and some were just doing their jobs as network commentators, but a few were just plain nasty.

“Hey I think the urban meyer rule is effect right now… When the going gets tough……..QUIT,” – Maurice Jones-Drew

“If I’m on chicago team jay cutler has to wait till me and the team shower get dressed and leave before he comes in the locker room!” – Darnell Dockett

Jones-Drew backed off but the sting of his tweets remained. Cutler seemed visibly upset when he was told of the players’ comments.

There were many things that led to this situation getting out of control: the Bears saying that Cutler was “questionable to return” instead of “out”, Cutler walking on the sideline without the aide of crutches, and a Fox report that even the quarterback himself didn’t know when the injury occurred. If even one of those tidbits were unknown, then perhaps the speculation dies down quickly.  

So why is there this much public animosity toward Cutler? It’s partly because a lot of NFL players share my feelings that he comes off as self-centered and indifferent. He has become a public whipping boy, which enables his peers to feel comfortable piling it on him.

But I believe it is mostly because famous people with numerous Twitter followers feel compelled to entertain them. Twitter has given them the means to connect with their fans instantly, and with that comes the pressure to perform.

No one really cares what you are eating or how your flight was—they want something good and they want it now. And what could be more intriguing than questioning someone’s manhood? 

Twitter has turned athletes into individual sports networks. The things they say would probably be better if they were thought through, researched, and filtered, but they need to feed the beast now. That means waiting until the next day to find out that Cutler actually had a torn MCL just isn’t possible.

But really, what’s the downside of being so candid? Jones-Drew may turn off a few people, but he most likely gained numerous followers. Cutler is an easy target, MJD knew it, and he will probably gain in popularity because of it.

NFL compatriotism be damned.

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