jason

Now that I think about it, this is pretty easy. Mark Sanchez has received a ton of notoriety for a variety of reasons. He's a nightlife player like Brady, and has recently been linked to Kate Upton. There are plenty of pictures out there of him just going to the theater and various sporting events. Tony Romo dated several A-listers and eventually got married to a model. He also shops at Walmart. Tim Tebow for obvious reasons. And one more. Peyton Manning has been seen on SNL and did a voice on the Simpsons, not to mention a ton of commericals. Eli Manning could potentially be put into that circle as well. Brett Favre received tons of attention while playing, and even more during his career. So much so that he was a known figure to even non-football fans. Hell, we even know his brother is a criminal. I've seen photos of him in a car, and we all saw his wedding photo.

There is a difference between athletes and movie stars. Movie stars get more photographers. But that doesn't mean high-profile athletes get none. This is especially true when the profile goes from QB on down. QBs are the faces of the league. The gap between Brad Pitt and Jay Cutler is huge when talking about the photgraphers, but the gap between him and his new girlfriend isn't nearly as huge. But I'd say it's just as huge as the gap between pre-celebrity GF Cutler and a relatively unknown (to the general public) player. How many do you think follow around Roberto Garza? There is a difference between Brady and other QBs. But that mostly has to do with the fact that if he weren't playing football he would easily fit into with celebrities on looks alone. Again, movie stars - and players who look like movie stars - get more photographers. Other than Brady, I'm sure Peyton Manning gets a ton of followers. Vick as well. Maybe a few others. I'll do some research into this when I get a chance, but I know I've seen photos of other QBs doing random, every-day things. Trying to get on a high horse about any of this is what's truly ridiculous. We watch; we listen. No matter the story, fans of [insert person/team/etc.] will flock to stories and photographs of that item.

I hope so, too. But I obviously have my legitimate doubts. And the first time Cutler gets pounded, chased, or starts to revert to poor mechanics because the OL can't hold up their end of the bargain, you can guaran-damn-tee there will be a thread about it.

Please. You may have a distaste for what they do, but get off the high-horse a little and come visit reality. You know you'd read virtually any story about Jay Cutler. Just like the rest of us. And there's nothing wrong with it. These people are celebrities. You may read it and say, "Ahhhh, so what." But you will still read it, and readers drive media.

Your statement should be dead on accurate. Somehow I think it won't be, because they'll find another fall guy. It's still virtually unfathomable that they saw this OL play the last couple years and thought, "Yeah, we're good. Let's focus attention elsewhere." That's simple incompetence. There isn't one front office or coaching staff in the league that would agree with the lofty appraisals of the Bears' OL.

Brown's doing well - Lovie talking up a player - Brown actually ending up as a starter -

I love the fluidity of this board sometimes. From Shea signed - ho hum, we knew it would happen - to Forte's contract. Forte is being greedy. Period.

I'll agree it's somewhere in the middle. But an NFL QB garners attention on his own. Adding celebrity girlfriend just makes it worse.

Yes, they were that bad. Please quit with the revisionist history. They had a decent stretch where they played relatively consistent as a unit, but for the most part they were bad. As for the first part, we shall see. People have been saying for years it was a matter of weapons. I've said all along that it doesn't matter how many weapons you have if Cutler is running for his life and has turf stains on his back. This year we will find out if it's because his guys weren't getting open. With Marshall, Jeffery, Bennett, Hester, Davis, Rodriguez, and Forte, there is no way someone can blame the weapons if Cutler continues to get pounded. My true hope is for Williams to move outside, put Webb on the bench, and have someone else fill the LG spot. Ideally it'd be Garza, with Spencer at C, but I just don't see that happening.

See, now this is where I disagree. And since the "pressures" statistic is highly unreliable unless paired with extensive gamefilm study and specific play breakdown, it's difficult to compute. But since I saw all the Bears games last year - most of them more than once - and several of the Packer games last year, I can say without a doubt that Rodgers had a much lower percentage of plays in which he was pressured than Cutler did. Furthermore, Cutler had to predict this so often that he began to move his pocket, roll out, scramble, etc. much more than Rodgers did. It's about consistency, which is where the Bears' OL problems primarily exist. Very rarely did they all get together on the same sheet of music. When Webb didn't suck, Garza did. When Garza didn't, Louis did. When Louis didn't, Williams did. Repeat over and over. Where the Packers differ is they seemed to gel as a unit more often, and while they may have had a similar number of sacks, the percentage of snaps in which Rodgers truly got pressured is, in my opinion, nowhere near as bad as the heat Cutler felt. Combining all the OL stats (i.e. rushing, zero yard plays, pressures, hits, pressures) more accurately tells the story, but it's still not the whole story.

Dude, that is NOT hindsight. That is as foretold and obvious as a sunrise. And it predates the link to celebrity girlfriends. All the girlfriend does is amplify the situation. Become star NFL player = get publicity, get millions of fans, lose privacy in public Become star NFL player who shacks up with a celebrity = See above, and muliply by infinity If he doesn't move, then he has nobody to blame about his lack of privacy other than himself.

I agree completely.

None. Who said he did? I'm not downing Cutler for flipping the bird. I couldn't care less. I'm just pointing out the facts that the photographers in this case also didn't break laws, and if Cutler is that sensitive maybe he should have thought about his desire for privacy before he went ahead with being a professional athlete who shacked up with a celebrity. There are plenty of celebrities who stay off the radar. If Cutler wanted that, he could afford to make it a reality.

Thank you for a common sense reply to the age-old "but the Packers" argument. Cutler was on a treadmill all year, even when the sacks weren't coming so frequently.

No they don't. That's unequivocally false. Check their stats again (make sure you scroll past thier primary accomplishments as returners).

Much better described, and now we're talking about specifics. Your scenarios get the following from me: OK, OK, Bad, OK, Bad/Confusing. The Princess Di thing is a whole ball of yarn that needs to be unraveled. Other factors besides the paparazzi were definitely contributing (e.g. driver was drinking, driver was speeding, lack of seat belt use). Unless the photographers are breaking laws, I don't see much problem with their actions. So, back to Cutler...were they illegally in his neighborhood? That's almost certainly a no. One of the prices of fame is a diminished amount of privacy. If Cutler doesn't like it, he should move into a gated community where the average Joe can't just waltz in with his camera. That's his choice. And his money allows that choice. And his money is derived from his celebrity. Full circle.

Defining "wrong" is subjective. I'm sure there families don't think it's "wrong" when they put food on the table. Again, when they sign they should know. If they don't, they're too ignorant to have that much money and responsibility. That's B,C, and D. As for E, they are responsible...for taking photographs.

The paparazzi vehicle does not drive without the celebrity fuel. You blame the photographer for doing his job - no matter how much you dislike it - but don't really blame Cutler for providing the impetus? If Cutler smiles the entire time or simply ignores the guy, we never see the photos. I don't care what Cutler did, and I obviously don't care if Cutler is a Boy Scout, but I also don't see how someone in his position can get upset about someone wanting to take his photograph because he is in the position. It's circular logic. 1a. Cutler is a celebrity 1b. Cutler married a celebrity 2. Photographer takes photo of celebrity 3. Cutler gets mad at photographer, whose job is to take photos of celebrities (see steps 1a & 1b) Can't be famous without fame.

I'm disagreeing with whether or not Cutler et. al. have a moral justification to flip a photographer when it's the celebrity that causes the photographer, not the other way around. They knew what they were signing up for when they put their John Hancock on the dotted line. And if they didn't realize the price of riches and fame had a few bumps and bruises, then I have even less sympathy for them than I do now (which is already infinitesimal). These people live in fantasy worlds we can only imagine, where nearly everyone around them caters to their needs, gives them freebies at every turn, and there is still the not so minor detail of getting paid millions and millions to either play a game or the oh so difficult task of acting in front of a camera. The lawsuit stuff I agree with; it's pathetic. But I don't agree with the concept the paparazzi deserve derision. This is simply supply and demand, and they are doing a job like any other. If anything I'd say the athletes and celebrities who live in a utopian bubble, where they expect all the good and none of the bad that results from their status, are the people deserving derision. (proverb: have your cake and eat it too) If I were rich I'd be the happiest and most friendly guy you ever met, and I'd probably know most of the paparazzi people by their first name. Then when their presence truly bugged me because I was having a bad day, or whatever, I'd kindly ask them to just give me a little space today for some really cool shots tomorrow. (proverb: more than one way to skin a cat) If they don't like the spotlight, they have plenty of other options out there, and I'm sure the professional sports and Hollywood ranks will have more than a few people who will gladly fill the absence.

Just giving you a hard time. But you're making too much out of the time Thomas spent in NY. He had almost four full years before that in Washington and Carolina where he did squat. And the Falcons weren't exactly stacked during Weems' tenure in Atlanta. He couldn't beat out Jenkins and Finneran; he's not that good. This is 100% about ST, but in a world where MSW is willing to play ST, he's preferred over either Thomas or Weems on a team that already has the greatest return man in NFL history.

I realize that; I was just giving wesson a hard time. If MSW didn't get picked up by a team he may have to bite his tongue and get in on some ST play. If so, he's a better option than Thomas at the very least. But then again, if frogs had wings...

First, you don't want another WR?! Did you know MSW is 6'2"?! C'mon!~!!! Also, MSW has a single year of 63 rec, 869yds, 7 TDs on a bad Jacksonville passing offense. In one season he's done almost exactly (4 less catches, more yards/TDs) what Weems and Thomas have done their entire careers.

I agree with Daventry, and disagree with you, on this one. Cutler may not like it. Celebrities may not like it. But the fact remains that they get paid ridiculous sums of money because people idolize, love, and want to know everything about the richest celebrities and athletes in the world. Marry up a celebrity and athlete and the stakes get higher. Where does this news come from? How do the pictures get taken? What other possible way does the void get filled? The simple answer is, it doesn't. It's part of being a famous and filthy rich celebrity or athlete. Don't like it? Get a job at Wendy's. One can't crave the spotlight while simultaneously shunning attention.

I'll avoid it for now, but somehow the "vet minimum"+"roster bonus" idea seems valid to for nearly every other player and every other position.

I hate Skip Bayless so much that when Jalen Rose - a player/personality I hate - called Bayless out I stopped hating Jalen Rose.