Waking up on a Sunday morning in Chicago with five inches of snow and Dick Butkus trolling Aaron Rodgers was wonderful.
“(F)annie, orange juice tastes a little sweeter this morning,” Butkus tweeted, referring to the Green Bay Packers’ 13-10 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
And in case that tweet was too cryptic, Butkus added, “Maybe it’s me, but I almost felt like @AaronRodgers12 was distracted last night like someone was in his head.”
The Great Chicago Bear naturally meant himself.
Two days earlier, Butkus had celebrated being confirmed on Twitter, a lengthy saga in which Butkus ridiculed the social media company for not deeming him worthy of a blue tick. When Butkus was finally accepted, he sent out another punctuated tweet: “Now that I have the blue mark, I can kick people off the platform (cq), you hear me @AaronRodgers.”
Watching a Hall of Famer linebacker troll a future Hall of Famer quarterback may have been the highlight of the season for Bears fans, who watched Rodgers beat their team year after year and then proclaimed during the 2021 win at Soldier Field that he “owns” them.
As chairman George McCaskey and his wolf pack continue their grueling search for a new general manager and coach – someone who will surely leave no stone unturned – the Packers’ stunning end of the season on a snowy night at Lambo Field was a little exhilarating. cold solace for weary Bears fans watching at home.
And the man who hammered the nail into the Packers’ coffin was none other than Robbie Gould, the only kicker in all these years who seemed oblivious to winter lakeside football. It’s been years since the Bears decided Gould’s career was over, but he keeps ticking… and kicking. On Saturday, he was perfect again and hasn’t missed a single hit in the playoffs so far.
Gould is still quite popular in Chicago, so his presence was another reason Bears fans cheered for the 49ers. Former teammate Lance Briggs tweeted in advance: “Just to keep us all on the same page, you’re all rooting for the @49ers, right?”
The answer was almost unanimous. After Gould landed the winning shot, Briggs tweeted, “[email protected] did it for Chicago!!
Schadenfreude was all over social media after the Packers were eliminated, especially in Chicago. Former Bear Olin Kreutz tweeted a GIF of Tony Soprano smoking a cigar.
Enough said. Troll down, Chicago bears.
Memes depicting Rogers being fired wearing a half mask were widely shared, with many social media users credited as being the first to joke that Rogers received “natural immunity” from playing in the Super Bowl.
It seemed like Bears fans and former players were in the mood to beat up Rodgers, with the possible exception of former linebacker Brian Urlacher, whose last tweet was a promotional of his new haircut, which looks very natural and not fake at all.
And as happy as many were to see the Packers — and Rogers — go up in flames, it seemed like it was Gould who had to do it. NFL Network Reporter Stacey Dales posted the video on Twitter. about Gould, who went out of bounds after the game-winner and was called a “(expletive) legend” by quarterback Jimmy Garappolo, who added, “(expletive) Packers”.
It was a great moment in the Bears’ karma just a few notches below the 1985 NFC Championship at Soldiers Field when it started to snow as Wilber Marshall picked up Dieter Brock’s fumble and brought him back for a touchdown en route to the Super Bowl.
A reporter later suggested that the snow was sent from heaven by “Papa Bear”, the late owner George Halas. Coach Mike Ditka responded that Papa Bear sent “sun, snow, touchdowns, everything.”
And besides being a good kicker, Gould is just a good guy in every way.
He recently spoke to the Tribune about the life of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson, who died of cancer on Dec. 30. They remained friends after Gould left the organization, and the 49ers star spoke eloquently about what Dickerson meant to him and others.
“You will see so many people come together and they will laugh and shed some of that positive light on each other at a very difficult time,” Gould said.
And so Gould was on a cold snowy night in Green Bay, sending Rogers and the Packers into the fabled frozen tundra. It’s really some kind of positive light.
It wasn’t a Super Bowl for bear fans. But for now, it will.
