NEWSLETTER
I like to fancy myself a problem solver. No, I’m not someone with all the answers, but sometimes, the best problems solvers are those who snuff out little issues before they become big ones. And with that in mind, it certainly feels like a good time for the Bears to be progressive in nipping some small problems in the bud, before they get out of hand. Because I’m starting to see a troubling trend.
For instance, it sounds like Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy and cornerback Jaylon Johnson are going to have a nice discussion about some in-house matters:
Matt Nagy was not aware of Johnson posting this and says he’ll discuss it with the Bears corner.
My takeaway? Cam is going to get some Halas Hall burner accounts following him. https://t.co/LsIXjDRuK2
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 20, 2021
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Johnson posted a letter disclosing he was receiving a $2,745 fine for tardiness (Michael: That obviously seems pretty excessive, but we couldn’t be missing more context than we are, so let’s just reserve blame and talk about this issue generally). But when asked about it on Wednesday, Nagy told reporters the was news to him and would talk to Johnson about what happened. And, in isolation, I don’t expect this to be a big deal. Nagy and Johnson will hash things out and we probably won’t hear about it again. But that it happened just days after Eddie Jackson unearthed a 10-year old tweet to take a jab at retired Bears fan favorite Lance Briggs bugs me.
For what it’s worth, I don’t have an issue with players using social media in this manner. It’s only human to want to blast off some fire tweets to let off some steam in the wake of a tough loss. But this isn’t the type of thing that happens on winning teams. Better yet, none of this vibes with having the good football culture Bears President Ted Phillips insists the Bears possess.
Remember that?
Ted Phillips: “We have exactly the right culture that all football teams strive for.”
— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) January 13, 2021
Nine months have gone by since Phillips’ declaration. And some concerning moments have flashed here and there throughout the year.
For instance, when the Bears were reportedly dealing with players who were “pissed” about how things were going at the outset of the offseason. Or that time when Nick Foles seemed to throw a subliminal jab in Matt Nagy’s general direction. Or when tight end Jimmy Graham retweeted his beef with the Bears offense after a loss to the Browns. You also might remember that as the game Foles was caught mouthing the “offense just isn’t working.”
Tack on this week’s social media misadventures, and it is easy to see how the culture Phillips was raving about at the start of the year is facing a test.
Winning is a cure-all masking agent that keeps this little stuff from piling up. So one way to push this stuff to the back-burner is by getting back in the win column. But that would be just a short-term solution. I don’t want to overreact to a snapshot in the news cycle. That wouldn’t be the right thing to do in any context. Nevertheless, the Bears should probably start reeling it in before small issues spill over into bigger ones. Because if their culture is that good, then it can grow from these moments. But if it isn’t, then this won’t be the last of these issues to pop up. Especially if they can’t get back to their winning ways.
