Jerry Angelo Needs to Be the “Manager”

[tshanno]

http://bearingthenews.com/?p=1446

 

Jerry Angelo Needs to Be the “Manager”

 

The Peter Principle states that “in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence”, meaning that employees tend to be promoted until they reach a position at which they cannot work competently.

 

 

The problem with climbing up the latter at any place of employment is that they promote you for doing a well at what you do to fill a position where you are called upon to do something totally different. For instance, I was promoted to professor in a science department at an academic institution because I could do experiments at the bench. Guess how many experiments I’ve done in the past five years? What I do all day now is sit at a desk and write when I’m not in committee meetings. The people who work for me do all the real work that I used to do. That’s the way of the world.

 

 

 

I doubt very much that the world of professional football is very different. You go from scout to general manager and your duties differ considerably from what you did before. You either adapt or you fail. Sometimes I wonder about Bears general manager Jerry Angelo‘s transition into his role.

 

 

Michael C. Wright says that Angelo was extremely embarrassed by the Bears-Ravens trade debacle. He should be:

 

[embedded video]

 

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune relays the account of what happened (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-0430-ravens-bears-chicago-nfl-20110429,0,7413272.story):

 

“[The Ravens] say the trade was finalized with three minutes remaining on their clock. The Bears never reported the trade to the league.

 

“Angelo said he told staff members to phone in the deal with a little more than two minutes remaining on the clock. But two staff members each thought the other was making the call so it never was made. Newsome was exasperated as he spoke with the NFL and the Bears while the final two minutes expired.”

 

I know I seem to be the only fan in Chicago who is really bothered by this in the afterglow of what most consider a successful Bears draft. Certainly the tendency of Bear fans is to defend the team. Jason Cole at Yahoo Sports understands that as well (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-cole_rules_change_needed_after_bear_ravens_snafu_050511). But he also understands that Bears fans might be letting their bias cloud their view of the situation.

 

“The most popular point Chicago fans have made is that Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome is believed to have done the same thing in 2003 to the Minnesota Vikings.

 

“The problem that Bears fans don’t understand is that there’s a unique difference between the two situations.

 

“In 2003, Newsome at least tried to call the league to confirm the trade.”

 

But maybe what was most interesting in Cole's article were the quotes from an unnamed NFC executive on the matter:

 

“I would hope nobody would ever do that intentionally to screw somebody over, but even accidentally is really bad You’re talking about people’s jobs being on the line. That embarrasses everybody involved. Ozzie [Newsom] is lucky that [baltimore owner Steve] Bisciotti trusts him so much. For a lot of other guys, your owner might look at you like an idiot even if the other team made the mistake.”

 

“I like Jerry, but what he said is BS. If you gave me your word and didn’t even call the league or didn’t call me back in time to fix the situation, that’s wrong. Dead wrong. You should pay some penalty. I don’t know what it is, but something. I think Baltimore should have gotten the pick.

 

“Again, this is a high-pressure situation. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, no harm, no foul.’ That could be my job on the line.”

 

If there’s a question of whether Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newson’s job might have been on the line, how much more is it true of Angelo’s?

 

I’m not going to claim to be the best manager of people. But I can definitively say one thing. The single best way to virtually guarantee that something doesn’t get done is to tell two people to do a one person job. If you do its almost 100% that they’ll conveniently assume the other person is acting on it it. And if it doesn’t get done, then, hey, you both share the blame. Besides, if two people make the same mistake, how bad could it have been?

 

Anyone who manages people for a living will tell you that always ask one person by name to do a job and make them personally responsible. And there’s the rub. Angelo’s a good scout. But is he a good manager? Isn’t that his title?

 

There is more to being a general manager than scouting. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Angelo’s role in the process at the ground level is relatively superficial. And if last week’s snafu was any example, he needs to pick up his game in the area that his job really centers on.

[selection7]

http://bearingthenews.com/?p=1446

 

“I like Jerry, but what he said is BS. If you gave me your word and didn’t even call the league or didn’t call me back in time to fix the situation, that’s wrong. Dead wrong. You should pay some penalty. I don’t know what it is, but something. I think Baltimore should have gotten the pick.

 

“Again, this is a high-pressure situation. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, no harm, no foul.’ That could be my job on the line.”

The thing people with this view are missing is that there was a penalty. When you want to trade up to guarantee you get your man and you fail because the people you manage let you down, you run the risk of losing your guy to the team you failed to leapfrog. To suggest that because it worked out in terms of their pick, JA feels no penalty...is misguided thinking.

 

Sometimes using an extreme example is a good way of establishing something exists, then leaving only the extent to be argued. Think of it this way. Had JA's, at that moment, been guaranteed to get Paea, but instead forced to endure the risk of being shot in the head as a result of russian roulette, would anyone dare say he wasn't penalized if JA got lucky and the chamber was blank? Of course not. They'd be screaming "that's too much!" The same is true here. His main punishment is the risk of not getting his guy. Secondarily, he looks bad to his boss and others. Thirdly, it harms his standing with other owners for future trades. Fourthly, I believe the Bears knew whomever they picked with that #4 would end up being known as "The Sting", lol, or something, and they ultimately felt pressured to trade him anyway...like the pick was 'hot', just out of peer pressure.

 

The writer suggests that Newsome's ironic past trade fail was apples to oranges to JA's, and so bringing it up has no merit. I disagree, although it is apples to oranges. Yet another thing that is apples to oranges is the general manager's reactions. Newsome was arrogantly blunt in his stubborn rebuttle to his accusations; JA was almost stunningly contrite. When you act like an ass don't be surprised if no one has sympathy when you get that same shaft a few years later. Furthermore, what was Newsome thinking when 30 and then 10 seconds are left on the clock? If he didn't have a contigency plan, that's on him...especially since it should have been easy to just do what they were going to do anyway. Now this is just speculation, but I think he didn't really care because he felt strongly that the team behind them weren't taking their guy. He did want a free 4th rounder though. And when he didn't get it, he certainly wasn't shy about whining about it... after getting exactly the guy he wanted at a reduced price (because he dropped two slotted spots)...and well after JA personally phoned him with sincere apologies. Also, consider how the legal system and life itself are littered with examples of wrongdoings being significantly less punished if no harm comes. It's not a new approach; it's conventional wisdom.

 

I agree we should be concerned that JA's team bungled things. It doesn't matter that it worked out this time. I'm not against there being further punishment of some nominal value. But the league must be consistent in the future and clear about their position now. However, to give a 4th to that chump after he got his man anyway at a reduced price and made a stink about it? Hell will freeze over, and I imagine JA is thinking just that.

[selection7]

On a side note, a 4th rounder to move up two spots almost at the top of the 2nd round??? This ain't Jimmy Johnson's 1991 NFL anymore. We were about to get fleeced and I'm glad we didn't get the chance to be so cavalier with our picks out of desperation...something JA is clearly not scared to do.

[balta1701-A]

On a side note, a 4th rounder to move up two spots almost at the top of the 2nd round??? This ain't Jimmy Johnson's 1991 NFL anymore. We were about to get fleeced and I'm glad we didn't get the chance to be so cavalier with our picks out of desperation...something JA is clearly not scared to do.

If you think Carimi is a mid-first-round talent, and Tice clearly wanted the guy, then you do that sort of overpay to keep him away from the team you think will steal him.

 

If the Seahawks had taken him after the Bears blew the deal, then everyone should be furious.

[jason]

If you think Carimi is a mid-first-round talent, and Tice clearly wanted the guy, then you do that sort of overpay to keep him away from the team you think will steal him.

 

If the Seahawks had taken him after the Bears blew the deal, then everyone should be furious.

 

But that probably has a lot to do with the fact that OL is about twice the need as DT is on the Bears, and Jay Cutler's health - by extension this team's offensive success - is directly tied to that pick.

[AZ54]

I think the "manager" who wrote the article is a fool. He has clearly never built a team where you can give them the overall goals and allow them to assign the individual tasks needed to complete the job. They do exist in the real world and can be extremely successful. It's one reason our military is so successful in battle...we assign mission goals but allow more autonomy on the teams in the fight to make decisions needed to make the mission a success.

 

In this case JA has done the same thing. Two people knew what task needed to get done but they didn't feel the need to communicate and confirm it was getting done. He is accountable for that mistake. In JAs defense somewhat is the fact that he has a lot of new faces in that draft room, many who probably have never worked together in this type of situation. Again, there he should have known to be more clear in who did what, or to at least ask for a confirmation message the phone call had been made.

 

The guy getting a free pass on his bad management is Newsome. He had a deal with 3 min left and couldn't get it confirmed from the league. Was he really on the phone with the Bears at the two minute mark as suggested and still nobody on the Bears called the league? Sounds a bit fishy to me. IMO if he was managing his war room correctly when he got inside one minute, or inside 30 seconds he should have gone ahead and called the league stating if the deal hasn't been finalized then this is our pick. There are multiple phones in these war rooms too so at the same time he could have had the Bears on the line and told them they hadn't completed the deal and he going ahead with his original pick. End of discussion.

 

JA deserves criticism for his staff bungling the communications but IMO Newsome was even worse in allowing his pick to slip away. I think if he didn't get his player his fans would be more focused on why he didn't react in those last 30 sec to just send in the pick. In reality they got their player and everyone focuses on why they can't get a free 4th rounder too. Fortunately we got our player too!

 

 

[azbearsfan]

I think the "manager" who wrote the article is a fool. He has clearly never built a team where you can give them the overall goals and allow them to assign the individual tasks needed to complete the job. They do exist in the real world and can be extremely successful. It's one reason our military is so successful in battle...we assign mission goals but allow more autonomy on the teams in the fight to make decisions needed to make the mission a success.

 

In this case JA has done the same thing. Two people knew what task needed to get done but they didn't feel the need to communicate and confirm it was getting done. He is accountable for that mistake. In JAs defense somewhat is the fact that he has a lot of new faces in that draft room, many who probably have never worked together in this type of situation. Again, there he should have known to be more clear in who did what, or to at least ask for a confirmation message the phone call had been made.

 

The guy getting a free pass on his bad management is Newsome. He had a deal with 3 min left and couldn't get it confirmed from the league. Was he really on the phone with the Bears at the two minute mark as suggested and still nobody on the Bears called the league? Sounds a bit fishy to me. IMO if he was managing his war room correctly when he got inside one minute, or inside 30 seconds he should have gone ahead and called the league stating if the deal hasn't been finalized then this is our pick. There are multiple phones in these war rooms too so at the same time he could have had the Bears on the line and told them they hadn't completed the deal and he going ahead with his original pick. End of discussion.

 

JA deserves criticism for his staff bungling the communications but IMO Newsome was even worse in allowing his pick to slip away. I think if he didn't get his player his fans would be more focused on why he didn't react in those last 30 sec to just send in the pick. In reality they got their player and everyone focuses on why they can't get a free 4th rounder too. Fortunately we got our player too!

 

 

Man, I couldn't agree more. WTF is Newsome doing. Sure JA bungled it, but I think its wayyyyyyy overblown. Especially for the Rav ens to be calling people out when they were involved in a similar thing with the Vikes.

 

They were just trying to get something for nothing.

[defiantgiant]

Angelo's botched trade could have put some other GM one step closer to the unemployment line; it was a lucky thing that the team on the other end was the Ravens, and Ozzie Newsome isn't going anywhere any time soon. If it were a GM on less firm footing with his team, I could understand why he'd be pissed.

 

Really, Angelo is a pretty good GM in a lot of respects. He does an excellent job re-signing the Bears' own players, he's got a better than average track record in player trades and free agency, and he's picked up some nice players via UDFA and off practice squads over the years. But that said, he hasn't done anything to change the perception that he's one of the least prepared, most disorganized GMs in football when draft day comes around. Look at 2009: the Bears thought Mike Mitchell would fall to them in the 2nd round, and when the Raiders grabbed him two picks before Chicago, Angelo apparently didn't have anybody else on his board. So he trades down 20 spots into the 3rd. That should have given him ample time to put together a big enough board to pick somebody in the 3rd, but apparently he was just waiting on Alex Magee out of Purdue. And when the Chiefs picked Magee one spot before the Bears, I guess he Angelo was working with a one-player draft board AGAIN, because he tried to trade down again, only this time he couldn't swing it and ended up picking a guy who can jump out of a pool.

 

And then there was the time when Angelo changed his mind on James Starks after the Bears were already on the phone with him, telling the kid he got picked. He did the SAME thing this year with Carimi: they were telling the kid they'd picked him at #26 when they found out that they hadn't traded up at all and they never had that pick in the first place. That's an astonishing level of disorganization for a professional sports team. If the Chiefs or the Seahawks had taken Carimi, Angelo should have been run out of town on a rail.

[bradjock]

Angelo's botched trade could have put some other GM one step closer to the unemployment line; it was a lucky thing that the team on the other end was the Ravens, and Ozzie Newsome isn't going anywhere any time soon. If it were a GM on less firm footing with his team, I could understand why he'd be pissed.

 

When the clock expires and the NFL says there's no deal, it's Newsome's own damn fault. He has to know the NFL is a cut-throat business & should assume the worst.

 

Really, Angelo is a pretty good GM in a lot of respects. He does an excellent job re-signing the Bears' own players, he's got a better than average track record in player trades and free agency, and he's picked up some nice players via UDFA and off practice squads over the years.

 

People always forget that the money we've saved trading high draft picks has allowed us to be major players in FA for more proven players.

 

But that said, he hasn't done anything to change the perception that he's one of the least prepared, most disorganized GMs in football when draft day comes around. Look at 2009: the Bears thought Mike Mitchell would fall to them in the 2nd round, and when the Raiders grabbed him two picks before Chicago, Angelo apparently didn't have anybody else on his board. So he trades down 20 spots into the 3rd. That should have given him ample time to put together a big enough board to pick somebody in the 3rd, but apparently he was just waiting on Alex Magee out of Purdue. And when the Chiefs picked Magee one spot before the Bears, I guess he Angelo was working with a one-player draft board AGAIN, because he tried to trade down again, only this time he couldn't swing it and ended up picking a guy who can jump out of a pool.

 

While JA should take heat for a lot of things, it's incorrect to say we didn't have a "big-board" with a next best player available. The draft is unpredictable and we weren't happy with who was left so we traded down. This wasn't unprepared.

 

As for Gilbert, this was a high risk/high reward pick. He had the talent of a 1st rounder but had done little. We did the same thing in round #4 drafting a rb to play DE in Henry Melton. While we blew it with Gilbert, Melton's looking good. Who did you want the Bears to pick?

 

And then there was the time when Angelo changed his mind on James Starks after the Bears were already on the phone with him, telling the kid he got picked.

 

I believe we'd told him we were "going" to pick him if he was still there. We never told Starks we'd picked him. Then Bazuin fell to us.

 

He did the SAME thing this year with Carimi: they were telling the kid they'd picked him at #26 when they found out that they hadn't traded up at all and they never had that pick in the first place. That's an astonishing level of disorganization for a professional sports team. If the Chiefs or the Seahawks had taken Carimi, Angelo should have been run out of town on a rail.

 

I never heard we'd spoke to Carimi. That being said, sometimes it is better to be lucky then good. If we don't pull off this trade we don't get Paea.