San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
So far, it hasn’t been a great season for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In that context, within the insane social media world that exists, Twitter gives license for anyone with a phone or computer to show how degrading they can be.
Most athletes would never admit to reading what is written or listening to what is said by those that have never seen a sunny day in their life. If they did, they’d probably complain that the sun is too bright.
But I digress. Kaepernick is not like most athletes. Not only does he read what is written, but he actually uses it as motivation.
After the 49ers lost to Carolina in Week 10, Kaepernick acknowledged that he not read much of the negative words, but actually put them as “favorites” on his own Twitter page.
He said, “It’s something I do for me. It helps me.”
Four tweets he posted were particularly over the top:
*“TOO MUCH HYPE.”
*“I saw Kap becoming this from his Super Bowl performance … he couldn’t handle that pressure either.”
*“Bro, you suck. Shoulda kept Alex Smith.”
*“You are an overrated clown, keep killing your team’s chances dumb a– lol.”
Jonathan Martin said it best, and no, not THAT Jonathan Martin. This Jonathan Martin is a national political correspondent for the New York Times, so, even though his Twitter account has “nyt” in the handle, that didn’t stop well-educated tweeters from thinking he was the Dolphins’ Jonathan Martin.
That meant a large amount of vulgar messages were sent his way.
Martin wrote, “My “@” mentions on Twitter began including about an equal mix of hang-in-there notes of encouragement and pointed inquires about the robustness of my manhood. As the story has intensified and misplaced 140-character assaults have piled up, though, the misunderstanding has lost some of its charm. I feel bad for my fellow Jonathan Martin — Lord knows what his Twitter feed looks like — but the whole affair has also been a reminder about how ugly discourse can be on the Internet.
“During campaign season, nasty, even abusive, emails and Twitter messages are standard fare for political reporters. Partisans (or, in this case, fans) say things online they would never contemplate saying to the face of a stranger, let alone one the size of the brawny Jonathan Martin. As one person said in a message to me this week, it is ‘keyboard courage.’”
None of us are immune. I sent out what I believed to be a totally sarcastic and humorous tweet (@Hbalzer721) the night Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was injured that said, “Word is the Packers have reached out to Brett Favre.” I was just curious what the reaction would be.
Critics said it was irresponsible journalism and that I was hurting myself because I am viewed as a serious journalist. That was flattering, as I responded that I wasn’t aware Twitter was the bastion of journalism, while also noting the real irresponsible journalism occurred when it was reported earlier that the St. Louis Rams had made serious inquiries to see if Favre was interested in playing after Sam Bradford was injured.
The entire media landscape has obviously changed with the Internet and what is available. And, like anything, we have to accept the bad and the ugly along with the good.
Full Circle for Flynn
Things haven’t gone well for quarterback Matt Flynn since he left the Green Bay Packers as a free agent after the 2011 season. He’s made a lot of money, but hasn’t played a lot of football.
In 2012, he was beaten out by Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. After the season, Flynn was traded to the Oakland Raiders and appeared to be on his way to being the starter when he had a brutally bad preseason game, and the Raiders decided to go with Terrell Pryor.
He was eventually released by the Raiders, and had a small cup of coffee with the Buffalo Bills before being released again. Talk about timing. Shortly after that, Rodgers was injured, and then Seneca Wallace was injured in Week 10.
Suddenly, he was back in Green Bay. Flynn said, “I definitely never expected to be back here in this locker room. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have this opportunity. I know what I can do. I know I can play in this league. Nothing anybody says or opinions that anybody else has is going to affect me because, frankly, I don’t really care about it. I know that my best football is in front of me.”
Prior to Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, which Scott Tolzien started, coach Mike McCarthy was asked about Flynn potentially playing less than a week after being signed. Said McCarthy, “We’re not going to need him, OK? I’ve had enough of this bad karma about quarterbacks getting injured. So, Scott’s going to play the whole game.”
As for Tolzien, he is known for his work ethic and the hours he spends learning the offense. That was evident as he prepared for his first NFL start.
He said, “The most important thing is that the preparation is where you make your hay. You have to win the week first. That’s where a lot of the wins and losses come, how do you approach the week leading up to the game. The best way to combat pressure is to prepare the right way.
“I think you build your confidence through your preparation through the week. It’s Wednesday right now. Hopefully as the week goes on your confidence builds more and more with your comfort level and your preparation and your plan.”
Ironically, Rodgers said, “Scott reminds me of a young Matt (Flynn). I said that before Matt was here – and I don’t like to make a ton of comparisons – but it is a compliment. When Matt came in, you saw a lot of growth in the way he was throwing it and in his approach. And I think Scott, he’s been throwing it better since the first day he got here, and his approach has been very solid, he’s very detail-oriented.”
No Place Like Home
Philadelphia Eagles wide received DeSean Jackson is challenging the home fans to support the team Sunday when the Eagles host the Washington Redskins.
Said Jackson, “We need everybody in the stands really encouraging instead of the opposite. Trying to get that energy to be on our side. I feel like it’s against us sometimes.”
Some would say for good reason. The Eagles are 5-5 this season and tied for first place in the NFC East, but they have yet to win a home game this season. In fact, the Eagles have lost 10 consecutive home games.
Jackson added, “Going into the game sometimes, when you’re three minutes into a game when you hear boos and things like that, that’s kind of crazy to hear. (I would) never blame that for the reason you’re losing, because you’re a professional athlete and you’ve got a job to do go out there and win a game. Within our locker room, there’s no game where we feel we don’t have a shot to win a game.
“We already have to beat our opponent. Now we’re trying to fight our fans. That energy to help us go out there and help us (get an) interception, delay of game penalty, whatever it is, we need them on our side, not against us.
“Can’t blame anybody but ourselves for losing a game. As long as we have that energy to help us go out there and win, that’s all we need.”
As one of the older Eagles, Jackson said he’s worried about the effect the negative reaction has on younger players, who aren’t jaded by years of experience with a notoriously hard-boiled crowd.
“For myself, I understand it, being here six years,” he said. “I could understand where the frustration comes from and why the fans are the way they are.
“But to the younger guys, I don’t think they really understand the ins and outs of why it is we’re getting booed and the frustration and where it’s coming from. I’ll take the booing. Let them boo me. But don’t boo the younger guys.”
The Quote
New Jets safety Ed Reed on why he believes he was criticized for not playing well with the Texans: “When you critique me, you’ve got to critique everybody. But it seems that Ed Reed is held to a higher standard – and I created that monster. I’ve been blessed to create that monster. I love it. I’m all for it.”
