O’Donnell: Warren’s words temper happy week for Bears
THE TRIP COULD HAVE BEEN as smooth as a swan on the Thames.
Bears fly to London. Bears encamp at stately Hanbury Manor. Bears manhandle increasingly jagged Jacksonville Jaguars. Bears come home healthy at 4-2 to a bye week brimming with hope.
Hello buoyant October. Hello playoff dreams.
All of those stipulated football-centric boxes got checked.
But Kevin Warren had to draw more attention to himself and open his ponderous yap.
And George McCaskey had to follow with words of open-ended confidence in his camera-seeking lead yapster.
THE BEARS PRESIDENT BROKE THE PLACIDNESS of the English countryside last Wednesday when he spoke of his self-generated Warren's Folly — the non-starting idea of a new lakefront stadium in Chicago — and outrageously said:
“We stayed focused still to be able to be in the ground, start construction sometime in 2025.”
McCaskey loped along a day later by stating, “Yes, we're confident in Kevin,” noting that the Bears will have three tries in the next nine months to get enabling legislation in Illinois to finance the dream scheme.
It is all so banal and grating.
SO BANAL THAT HERE'S A PROPOSAL for McCaskey and minions:
--- Take the $2 billion that the franchise purportedly has earmarked for its share of the $5 billion cost of the seaside pipe dream;
--- Find a deep-pocketed speculator — and they're out there — who will book the $2B against the position that there will be no Bears stadium construction on the proposed site by Dec. 31, 2025;
--- Electronically transfer the $2B to said speculator on Jan. 1, 2026.
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO SURPRISE that in the middle of a week of resurgent air and triumph in London, Kevin Warren would be the one to introduce a touch of deflating nonsense.
He is said to be in year two of a five-year contract at Halas Hall.
There is a growing segment of the Bears fan base who are wishing and hoping he finds more appropriate employment before then.
HE COULDN'T LET THE FOOTBALL TEAM enjoy six splendid, successful days on the British turf savoring its forward progress.
Instead, more blather.
Enough to make even the most buoyant swan on the Thames flap away.
STREET-BEATIN':
The Bears opened as 2-point favorites for their Oct. 27 showcase at Washington. CBS has moved the game to its 3:25 p.m. window to spotlight the rookie throwdown between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Matt Eberflus and staff will likely try to duplicate what John Harbaugh and the Ravens did against WAS last Sunday — take Daniels' legs away and make him live and die as a passer. …
Nice that Bears OC Shane Waldron finally got the text that Cole Kmet is one of the best tight ends in football. Anyone who saw father Frank Kmet and Duke Tobin lead Bruce Glover's Hersey High to the 6A state championship in 1987 has been keenly aware of the pedigree. Kmet's fire-bell long snapping merely edges him closer to the most hallowed designation — “Ditka-esque.” …
A WNBA season that began with unprecedented hype now wheezes to the final horn with the sort of niched interest reserved for Charlamagne tha God. Here's a Post-it for followers still engaged by the Lynx-Liberty finals: If Caitlin Clark never plays another game for the clubby association, she's still an automatic into the Naismith Hall. …
Molly Hennig of Round Lake High School will serve as an analyst Saturday as “The U” presents the final three games of the inaugural IHSA girls flag football tournament (11 a.m., WCIU-TV). Emma Carpenter and Juliana Zavala will also be on the call. In four seasons, the statewide sport has grown from 12 teams to more than 200 and is leaving memories of “Powder Puff” games in the scrapbooks. …
Bret Bielema and Illinois still have a path to the CFP, which for the Fighting Illini in mid-October is saying something. Visiting Michigan (-2 ½) is the next step (2:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS). Naysayers will note that Bielema has been self-immolating since burning through Scott Tolzien and Russell Wilson at Wisconsin 13 years ago. A consistently productive identity from OC Barry Lunney Jr. would also help. …
Lonzo Ball's scheduled return to the Bulls Wednesday night vs. the Timberwolves is like finding out Celine Dion will tour again. He has grossed close to $58M from only 35 games played since his risk-laden 2021 acquisition from New Orleans. …
And NY-bred Seth Auerbach, on the pronounced annoyance of Aaron Rodgers over the Buffalo Bills being called for roughing him Monday night: “He continues to raise the face bar for crusty contrarians everywhere.”
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.