When agent Drew Rosenhaus celebrated prematurely Saturday by hugging new Bears tight end Greg Olsen on the TV screen with the San Diego Chargers still on the clock, Jerry Angelo just shook his head as he watched from the Halas Hall draft room.
“I’m sure everybody was looking and thinking, ‘Boy, San Diego, with Olsen and [tight end Antonio] Gates,’ and I’m thinking to myself, ‘This guy could screw up a one-car funeral,’ ” Angelo said. He was referring to Rosenhaus, and the room filled with laughter.
We’ll see if Angelo can still laugh at the sight of Rosenhaus by August.
From a football perspective, the good news for the Bears came when Olsen, to their surprise, remained on the board for them with the No. 31 pick. From a front-office perspective, that could also be the bad news.
Rosenhaus is the same guy who has orchestrated Lance Briggs’ trade demand, which is likely to disrupt next season. He forced the trade of the Bears’ most proven running back, Thomas Jones, and now threatens to turn the date of Olsen’s training-camp arrival into an office pool.
Angelo insisted it played no role in the draft, but the Rosenhaus Factor obscured an otherwise happy occasion after the Bears took a tight end in the first round for the first time since 1961, when they selected Mike Ditka.
“There’s no ax to grind … We’re not going to let an agent get in the way of us taking a player we feel good about,” Angelo said.
Good for Angelo that he showed no fear in dealing with a guy who has replaced Brett Favre as the Bears’ biggest nemesis.
Besides Olsen, Rosenhaus represents five other Bears, including Briggs.
Sticking his nose into so much business at Halas Hall practically qualifies Rosenhaus for a cubicle, though he probably would demand a corner office.
“He has a tremendous amount of respect for Angelo and Lovie Smith,” Olsen said of Rosenhaus, who hosted a draft party at his home for rookie clients. “He couldn’t be happier with the scenario.”
Of course he is. No matter how optimistic Angelo is, the confluence of events thrusts the Bears into the awkward position of hammering out Olsen’s first-round rookie deal with Rosenhaus that will be anything but routine while dealing with the Briggs dispute.
If you don’t think it could get personal between Rosenhaus and the Bears, it already has. Last Tuesday, Angelo offered much less levity in criticizing Rosenhaus’ “circuslike” tactics with Briggs last month at the NFL owners’ meetings.
Now the circus isn’t leaving town any time soon. Rosenhaus publicly lobbied for the Dolphins to take Olsen with the ninth pick and expected the tight end to go no lower than No. 14. So expect Rosenhaus’ opening contract demands to reflect those top-10 expectations.
Therein lies a potential problem that, to the Bears’ credit, didn’t prevent them from taking the right player at the right time.
Is Rosenhaus capable of not letting the Bears’ hard-line stance with Briggs affect negotiations with Olsen? He will say yes, the Bears will say yes and nobody should believe them until the tight end signs a contract before training camp.
“I think it’s important for me to get in there to learn the offense, to try to develop as a player,” Olsen said. “That’s something that I have made clear.”
If Olsen makes good on his word, then every participant in the Bears’ passing game will immediately benefit.
Desmond Clark caught 45 passes for 626 yards and six TDs in a bounce-back 2006 season and just turned 30. Blocking specialist John Gilmore, good in the red zone, is more of a third offensive tackle than a second tight end.
At worst, Olsen guards against Clark’s age and injury and improves the overall speed of the receiving corps — he runs a 4.51 40-yard dash. At best, Olsen gives the Bears a potential mismatch who can get downfield, a necessity for a team in an NFC North dominated by Cover-2 defenses vulnerable in the seam.
More significant, Olsen could help hasten Rex Grossman’s development by giving him a threat on third downs when secondaries start to double-team Bernard Berrian.
It’s not hard to see Olsen changing the complexion of the passing game from Day 1, provided he shows up for Day 1.
As with any rookie, concerns about Olsen extend beyond the holdout question.
Former University of Miami offensive coordinator Rich Olson criticized Olsen’s consistency after a key drop last fall against Louisville. Olsen also figures to need time before he masters the art of blocking NFL defensive ends.
“He has been known more for his receiving skills than his blocking ability, but we feel good about that,” Smith said. “[Olsen] will open up a lot of options.”
As many options could present themselves in the Chicago market for Olsen, whose image appeared on a Times Square billboard courtesy of Nike and Rosenhaus’ publicity machine.
He is the son of a coach, a college graduate with a degree in criminology and as articulate as he is handsome.
Rosenhaus has dubbed Olsen “Captain America,” and he has been mentioned as the most marketable face in the first round outside of quarterback Brady Quinn, who was part of the same 2003 Notre Dame recruiting class before transferring to Miami.
“[The Bears] are getting a guy who really cares about the game of football who is going to do everything he can and everything he is asked to contribute,” Olsen said.
He can start by reporting to training camp on time.
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dhaugh@tribune.com
