After another Jerry Angelo news conference for the stated purpose of addressing off-season issues with the Bears, Dick Jauron still doesn’t have a new contract.
And something still doesn’t smell right at Halas Hall.
More than that, something appears to be festering, and it isn’t someone’s forgotten sack lunch in the staff fridge.
Angelo said it first, though we could have told him before he told us. It’s hard to balance a three-way relationship, especially if the triangle has uneven sides.
More Top Picks Best Grind And Brew Single Cup Coffee Makers
Ted Phillips hired Angelo. Neither Phillips nor Angelo hired Jauron. Phillips doesn’t want Angelo to fail. And Angelo could not have been overjoyed to see Jauron succeed.
This much we know. Angelo was not eager to talk about Jauron’s contract status Thursday or last season, much less give an extension to a coach who is not his guy. And more than one person in the know has now floated the theory that Virginia McCaskey was the one who pressured Angelo into making a move at all.
For those listening closely on Christmas Eve, when Angelo announced Jauron would be back for 2002, he said nothing about extending Jauron’s contract. Rather, it was more a confirmation that Jauron was not going to be fired.
It did, however, accomplish the very important and urgent task of taking the pressure off Angelo. Can you say good p.r. move?
And now another Angelo news conference that did nothing more than strengthen the perception that Jauron’s future with the Bears is not necessarily secure.
Don’t be surprised if the big deal they’re working on turns out to be nothing more than a raise for 2002 and discussions on an extension get drawn out to the point that it doesn’t happen at all.
What exactly did Angelo say Thursday? Initially, that the only thing left on Jauron’s contract is “dotting some i’s and crossing some t’s.”
Pressed a little more, he said: “There’s nothing concrete. We’re just working on the whole package and how it ties in.”
So is it imminent? Dotting i’s and crossing t’s sure sounded imminent.
“It’s imminent that Dick is going to be our football coach,” Angelo said.
Well, yes, that has already been established, hasn’t it? Jauron is under contract for the 2002 season.
“In terms of what we’re doing contractually, the language, we’re not going to discuss it,” Angelo said.
And finally, “That’s the end of questioning on Dick’s contract.”
In passing, Angelo also mentioned Phillips’ name. But why would the team president be involved in working on the contract package? Especially when he is busy with other issues and has said that Angelo, as the team’s general manager, would have full control over his staff?
Especially when there are apparently no problems? Apparently there are problems.
Another thing we know: Jauron is not about to discuss this in any more detail than Angelo. We also know that Jauron, who has had the added burden of having a GM, not to mention a coaching staff, with contract lengths different from his own, is not a pushover much as his tranquil personality might lead people to believe.
From here it looks as if Thursday was another shrewd p.r. play, a pre-emptive strike in case negotiations stall. Pre-spin.
Time will tell, of course. Maybe pro sports has conditioned us to suspect too much. Or maybe just Chicago sports. But that triangle is an awkward proposition. And somehow something just doesn’t smell right.