As one incident,I don't think it's a big deal. The problem is there have been a few screw ups that seem to define Angelo as a bumbling,stumbling boob.
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http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/sp ... 0892.storyForget for the time being the Chicago Bears miscalculated what the Kansas City Chiefs planned to do at the end of the first round.
But realize after general manager Jerry Angelo got off the phone following an apology to the Baltimore Ravens, he needed to call Scott Pioli in Kansas City to thank him for not taking his guy.
After all, the Bears' desire to trade with the Baltimore Ravens for the 26th pick Thursday night was born from their belief the Chiefs were targeting Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi, the same player they wanted. The Bears agreed on a trade with the Ravens but they failed to follow NFL protocol and the deal fell was never consummated by the league, allowing the Chiefs, who were to pick 27th, to move ahead of the Ravens.
It was an embarrassing incident for the Bears that angered the Ravens, but in the end everyone got their man. The Bears wanted to make the trade -- sending the 29th pick and their fourth-round pick (127th overall) to the Ravens for the 26th pick -- because they were convinced the Chiefs were drafting Carimi. Instead, Kansas City chose Pitt wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin.
The Ravens, who were skipped at No. 26 following the snafu, then took Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith at No. 27, the man they wanted. The New Orleans Saints executed a trade with the New England Patriots for the 28th pick and grabbed Alabama running back Mark Ingram. That left Carimi for the Bears at No. 29, giving them the man they coveted and allowing them to keep their fourth-round pick at No. 127. The Ravens, obviously, believe the pick should belong to them after agreeing to the trade.
"There was an agreement between the team and I," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "The other team never got confirmation with the league."
Angelo repeatedly called it a "glitch" and was emphatic he apologized to the Ravens after the fact. But at that point, after the Chiefs had selected Baldwin, nothing stopped the Bears from then completing the trade with the Ravens they agreed to make. The Bears had reached a deal on the phone with the Ravens and at that point they could have traded the 29th pick and the 127th pick in exchange for the 27th pick. Baltimore, after all, was told it had a deal in place before the clock ran out on the previous pick. Sure, it was clear Carimi would likely fall in the Bears' lap, but they had struck a deal in good faith.
After a long wait following the selection of Carimi, Angelo entered the Halas Hall auditorium to discuss the pick and the trade that didn't happen.
"We had a disconnect and there might be something said about it because of not communicating with the league and proper protocol and that was my fault," Angelo said. "I called Baltimore and I did apologize to Baltimore and told them that it was our fault. They did everything according to the rules and we thought we were following everything and we just ran out of time. No more than that. It was a glitch on our part and that glitch obviously was under my reign. It worked out. We got our player. I feel they got their player and we moved on.
"Whatever you hear, Baltimore did everything the right way."
There were a total of five trades made during the first round. The last time Angelo traded up was in the fifth round of the 2003 draft when the Bears moved up to select Missouri wide receiver Justin Gage.
"We didn't take advantage of the time we had to do it according to what we know is the protocol in the league," Angelo said. "I did call Baltimore and I did apologize for that. I want to go on record to say that."
The process to make a trade while on the clock in the draft is simple. Each team needs to call Joel Bussert, the NFL's vice president of player personnel, and tell him the terms. Newsome said the Ravens told Bussert of their deal. The Bears either didn't get to him or didn't get to him in time.
When asked if the disconnect was with the league office, Angelo tried to put the issue to rest.
"I don't want to get into it," he said. "It's been a long day. There are a lot of things happening in a draft room, you are getting a lot of calls. We dropped the ball. I dropped the ball. I can't say anything more than that. I'm not going to get into the specifics other than that. I made an apology because an apology needed to be made.
"We certainly didn't do anything to circumvent the spirit of the rules by any nature. I'm not going to talk on it anymore. What's been done can't be undone and hopefully everybody at the end of the day got their player."
Angelo seemed somewhat shaken by the turn of events. It's more troublesome for the club than the checked-box errors made with restricted free agents in 2002 because this situation involves another team. They lost wide receiver D'wayne Bates because of that error and were forced to match a deal with the Chiefs to keep linebacker Warrick Holdman.
The Bears' communication was off in the draft room last year. While the team was on the clock in the sixth round, college scouting director Greg Gabriel called Buffalo running back James Starks, informing him the team was selecting him. After this, Angelo walked in and informed Gabriel there had been a change of plan and the team was drafting Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour. Gabriel called it the most embarrassing moment of his career in a column for the National Football Post.
Like Angelo said, it worked out in the end. The Bears badly wanted Carimi and had no idea he'd fall to them. He got past the team they figured would snatch him up, the Chiefs. The Ravens didn't suffer any harm in the process although they now lack the pick the Bears agreed to trade them in the fourth round.
Whether or not the Ravens can pursue any recourse is unknown. An NFL source experienced with draft day trades said it was unlikely. The Bears will be more experienced for the next situation that comes up when they want to trade up. It would be surprising if they cut any deals with the Ravens in the near future
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