Twenty years ago it would have seem laughable. Ten years ago extremely unlikely. Five years ago, an outside chance. But there it was in the aftermath of the NFC championship game in the chilly Soldier Field locker room -- reporters asking questions to a player about Twitter posts.

  Quarterback Jay Cutler's exit -- some say surprising, others say justified -- from the 21-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers was due to a knee injury. But when he was seen walking on the sidelines in the second half of the game, it was just too much for some former and current NFL players to take. Some went on twitter to question Cutler's toughness; one (a part-time ESPN analyst) ripped Cutler for not hobbling out to finish the game. Of course, fans went to Facebook and Twitter to voice their displeasure -- that is their right and has become a rite of passage in a world of social media -- but the players' posts were a bit surprising.

  More surprising was the fact that reporters who had read the posts asked for reaction -- from Cutler, Coach Lovie Smith and other players.

  First and most obvious was what did these reporters expect in the way of answers. From Cutler's no comment (we teach not ever to say that, a more appropriate response was to ignore it and talk about the game) to others ripping those who made the posts, all the responses were predictable. The roles were reversed. It was the players and coaches who were concerned with the who, what, where, why and how of the game than someone's rantings. Besides, how could they have seen the posts or even trust they were real. The Bears handled it like professionals, the reporters handled it badly simply by making such a big deal.

  Frankly a minuscule percentage of players ripping Cutler isn't a groundswell; but if it's on social media it must be big news, theorized some reporters. It was questionable journalism but hardly ground breaking.

  A generation ago it was talk radio. Callers into these shows would say outlandish things and reporters would ask for players and coaches' reactions. It was then, as it is now with social media, manufactured, pre-packaged fodder for stories. Some of the callers to talk radio when I was a host were legit and intelligent. The large majority were not. The fact that mainstream reporters would ask for reactions of those they cover to these rantings was surprising.

  Just as it is now with the 2011 version -- tweets. They should be taken with a grain of salt and nothing more; when they become the basis of reporters' questions as will be the case with growing intensity -- athletes and coaches should remember to handle it the way the Bears did. Concentrate on what you know; avoid responding to what you don't know or consider frivolous and stick to your answer.