As Lovie Smith and the Bears officially report Friday to Bourbonnais amid so much uncertainty, it seems important to remind everybody the tight end the Bears traded to the Panthers was Greg Olsen. Not Mike Ditka.
Despite the public outcry in Chicago, face it, we will remember Olsen's unfulfilled potential in four seasons more than his production. Can a football city miss what it never had?
On and off the field, Olsen represented the Bears proudly. But he caught only 41 passes last year in a Mike Martz offense that has as much use for pass-catching tight ends as airports have for pay phones. Whether it was the scheme or the skill, Olsen tended to disappear for stretches more than a first-round draft pick should. He was an average blocker and too often went down after the first hit.
Sure, he might flourish in Carolina, but in Martz's system, he was unlikely to emerge into a guy worthy of the Pro Bowl-caliber money agent Drew Rosenhaus figured to demand in an extension. He was a good player who inevitably would want to be paid like a great one.
It's easy for me to see why the Bears would unload a player they never understood how to use. But based on several conversations, it has been harder for Olsen's former teammates to accept. And Jay Cutler thought his last breakup was tough.
If only player reaction to Olsen were the lone issue threatening team chemistry on Day One. It feels as if the Bears are trying to jam 4 1/2 months of stored-up lockout angst into four days.
Besides heads shaking over Olsen's trade, Smith will welcome veterans wondering why the Bears have yet to lock up popular teammates Olin Kreutz and Anthony Adams. Running back Matt Forte has hinted at the h-word — holdout — and wants a raise. Other teammates probably do too. And Robbie Gould took a veiled swipe at special teams coordinator Dave Toub while addressing punter Brad Maynard's exit during a Halas Hall news conference.
Are the Bears going to issue pacifiers with their playbooks?
When Team Turmoil convenes for its first meeting, Smith faces the immediate challenge of reminding every player to worry about only one thing: beating the Packers. That everybody in the organization has a job, and leave the roster moves to Jerry Angelo.
The relative unrest in the isolation of training camp plays to Smith's strengths as a unifier. In Smith's world, the toughest opponent every year is Them. That process of bonding starts Friday night in a meeting room on the Olivet Nazarene University campus as Smith begins earning his third contract with the Bears. Half-full glasses of everything are on Lovie.
Knowing Smith, he likely will ask his audience not to overreact until the entire roster forms and Angelo finishes this unprecedented flurry of business compressed into a week. At least I would.
There has been so much consternation over Angelo's deliberate approach to transactions that I was waiting for Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti to pile on with criticism. But judging Angelo so early with so many quality free agents still on the market seems like evaluating a chef based on the salad. By the end of camp, Angelo might have earned your derision. He hasn't yet.
I won't blame Angelo if Forte holds out. It would be an unwise, selfish move by a smart guy. Forte might be the most underpaid, unappreciated running back in the league. But there is a time and place to make such stands, and this camp is neither the time nor the place. The extension he deserves likely will come in due time, but it's foolish for Forte to think Angelo should put his deal at the top of the list and risk losing players who can help him win.
Despite the public outcry in Chicago, face it, we will remember Olsen's unfulfilled potential in four seasons more than his production. Can a football city miss what it never had?
On and off the field, Olsen represented the Bears proudly. But he caught only 41 passes last year in a Mike Martz offense that has as much use for pass-catching tight ends as airports have for pay phones. Whether it was the scheme or the skill, Olsen tended to disappear for stretches more than a first-round draft pick should. He was an average blocker and too often went down after the first hit.
Sure, he might flourish in Carolina, but in Martz's system, he was unlikely to emerge into a guy worthy of the Pro Bowl-caliber money agent Drew Rosenhaus figured to demand in an extension. He was a good player who inevitably would want to be paid like a great one.
It's easy for me to see why the Bears would unload a player they never understood how to use. But based on several conversations, it has been harder for Olsen's former teammates to accept. And Jay Cutler thought his last breakup was tough.
If only player reaction to Olsen were the lone issue threatening team chemistry on Day One. It feels as if the Bears are trying to jam 4 1/2 months of stored-up lockout angst into four days.
Besides heads shaking over Olsen's trade, Smith will welcome veterans wondering why the Bears have yet to lock up popular teammates Olin Kreutz and Anthony Adams. Running back Matt Forte has hinted at the h-word — holdout — and wants a raise. Other teammates probably do too. And Robbie Gould took a veiled swipe at special teams coordinator Dave Toub while addressing punter Brad Maynard's exit during a Halas Hall news conference.
Are the Bears going to issue pacifiers with their playbooks?
When Team Turmoil convenes for its first meeting, Smith faces the immediate challenge of reminding every player to worry about only one thing: beating the Packers. That everybody in the organization has a job, and leave the roster moves to Jerry Angelo.
The relative unrest in the isolation of training camp plays to Smith's strengths as a unifier. In Smith's world, the toughest opponent every year is Them. That process of bonding starts Friday night in a meeting room on the Olivet Nazarene University campus as Smith begins earning his third contract with the Bears. Half-full glasses of everything are on Lovie.
Knowing Smith, he likely will ask his audience not to overreact until the entire roster forms and Angelo finishes this unprecedented flurry of business compressed into a week. At least I would.
There has been so much consternation over Angelo's deliberate approach to transactions that I was waiting for Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti to pile on with criticism. But judging Angelo so early with so many quality free agents still on the market seems like evaluating a chef based on the salad. By the end of camp, Angelo might have earned your derision. He hasn't yet.
I won't blame Angelo if Forte holds out. It would be an unwise, selfish move by a smart guy. Forte might be the most underpaid, unappreciated running back in the league. But there is a time and place to make such stands, and this camp is neither the time nor the place. The extension he deserves likely will come in due time, but it's foolish for Forte to think Angelo should put his deal at the top of the list and risk losing players who can help him win.
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