Right after a dominant win over the Colts in the first game of the season, the Chicago Bears hit the wall against the Packers. The defense held their own relatively well in the 23-10 loss, but the offense tanked and QB Jay Cutler spent most of the game on the turf. Packers linebacker, Clay Matthews, effectively made mince meat of his counterpart on the Bears offensive line, J'Marcus Webb, and got to Cutler probably more often than his own mother.
The poor QB was not at all a happy camper, and berated his hapless tackle on Thursday-night national TV. What got football circles buzzing angrily, though, was his shoulder bump against the much bigger Webb. His apparent reluctance to apologize afterwards only kept him in the neighborhood of villainy.
In the heat of the game, every athlete and coach know that this sort of thing can happen. At the end of the day, it's no big deal. It's better, of course, if the particular combatants kiss and make up privately, and little else has to be disclosed to the media.
Importance of team engagement
There is superb research by Gallup on employee engagement. Organizations do what they can to promote motivation and commitment, as this makes for a high-performing culture and a highly satisfying milieu for everyone. In particular, Gallup found that safety incidents diminish, the stronger the bond among the staff. Why? Because colleagues who feel that kinship look out for, and take care of, each other. So for Cutler's sake, I hope he did make lovey-dovey with Webb sometime afterwards.
That Thursday night loss and incident receded from the limelight well enough, as the Bears beat their opponents in the three games since.
Still, since Cutler's arrival to Chicago, the favor he curries even with us Bears fans waxes and wanes because of his attitude and behavior. My sister and I were texting each other, while watching the Redskins-Vikings game last week, and she wondered why Cutler couldn't play like Robert Griffin III. I quipped, "RG3 is a stud, Cutler is a dork (lol)."
Cutler suffers from diabetes
Then a reader commented on a Peter King article in Sports Illustrated that Cutler had Type 1 Diabetes. He pointed out that stress can result in mood swings, like anger and irritability, in those who suffer from this condition. I didn't know that, and it stands to reason that diabetes could account for part of what Cutler does on the field. The condition doesn't excuse his behavior, but it offers an additional explanation.
I scoped out more information on Cutler, and I saw that this was a serious condition and that it both shocked and relieved him when he was finally diagnosed. Here he was on Larry King Live, where he related his efforts to help children suffering from the same thing:
That same reader above acknowledged that Cutler may very well be a jerk, but seemed to give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought, good point, but reasoned that his personality probably accounts more for his behavior than his condition does. One, I trust that the Bears' training and medical staff have his diabetes under control. Two, he isn't exactly the most gracious athlete in the media, and few people are likely to characterize his personality as winsome.
But I tell you what, in finding out more about him, I came to appreciate him better. Apparently he's eschewed endorsement deals, in order to dedicate himself to playing football and helping the Bears win a championship.
That's cool, I like hearing that!
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
Ron Villejo, PhD
Here are more references on Cutler, diabetes, and athletics:
Jay Cutler's Journey with Diabetes
MH Spotlight: Diabetes-Beat the Blitz
Management of Competitive Athletes with Diabetes
The poor QB was not at all a happy camper, and berated his hapless tackle on Thursday-night national TV. What got football circles buzzing angrily, though, was his shoulder bump against the much bigger Webb. His apparent reluctance to apologize afterwards only kept him in the neighborhood of villainy.
In the heat of the game, every athlete and coach know that this sort of thing can happen. At the end of the day, it's no big deal. It's better, of course, if the particular combatants kiss and make up privately, and little else has to be disclosed to the media.
Importance of team engagement
There is superb research by Gallup on employee engagement. Organizations do what they can to promote motivation and commitment, as this makes for a high-performing culture and a highly satisfying milieu for everyone. In particular, Gallup found that safety incidents diminish, the stronger the bond among the staff. Why? Because colleagues who feel that kinship look out for, and take care of, each other. So for Cutler's sake, I hope he did make lovey-dovey with Webb sometime afterwards.
That Thursday night loss and incident receded from the limelight well enough, as the Bears beat their opponents in the three games since.
Still, since Cutler's arrival to Chicago, the favor he curries even with us Bears fans waxes and wanes because of his attitude and behavior. My sister and I were texting each other, while watching the Redskins-Vikings game last week, and she wondered why Cutler couldn't play like Robert Griffin III. I quipped, "RG3 is a stud, Cutler is a dork (lol)."
Cutler suffers from diabetes
Then a reader commented on a Peter King article in Sports Illustrated that Cutler had Type 1 Diabetes. He pointed out that stress can result in mood swings, like anger and irritability, in those who suffer from this condition. I didn't know that, and it stands to reason that diabetes could account for part of what Cutler does on the field. The condition doesn't excuse his behavior, but it offers an additional explanation.
I scoped out more information on Cutler, and I saw that this was a serious condition and that it both shocked and relieved him when he was finally diagnosed. Here he was on Larry King Live, where he related his efforts to help children suffering from the same thing:
That same reader above acknowledged that Cutler may very well be a jerk, but seemed to give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought, good point, but reasoned that his personality probably accounts more for his behavior than his condition does. One, I trust that the Bears' training and medical staff have his diabetes under control. Two, he isn't exactly the most gracious athlete in the media, and few people are likely to characterize his personality as winsome.
But I tell you what, in finding out more about him, I came to appreciate him better. Apparently he's eschewed endorsement deals, in order to dedicate himself to playing football and helping the Bears win a championship.
That's cool, I like hearing that!
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
Ron Villejo, PhD
Here are more references on Cutler, diabetes, and athletics:
Jay Cutler's Journey with Diabetes
MH Spotlight: Diabetes-Beat the Blitz
Management of Competitive Athletes with Diabetes
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