Mort: Chicago Not Interested in Briggs' Trade

This is from sportsline (http://www.sportsline.com/columns/weblogs/entry/10033019):

A source close to Washington owner Daniel Snyder on Tuesday denied the club is close to making a deal for Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs.

"Not true," he said.

Reports indicated that Washington is willing to switch first-round positions with Chicago -- sacrificing the sixth overall pick for the 31st -- to gain Briggs, the Bears' unhappy franchise player. But that's not true, either, said the source.

"That's just Drew talking," he said.

Drew is Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Briggs, and it was he who escorted the Bears' linebacker to a table Monday night where Snyder was dining at the annual NFL owners' meetings. Also there, according to others, were Washington's vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato and Baltimore owner Steve Bischiotti.

Anyway, the source said, Rosenhaus said something about how much Briggs could do for the Redskins and suggested Snyder make a deal for him. Snyder responded by saying the Redskins and Bears should switch first-round positions to gain Briggs.

"It was innocent and meant as a joke," said the source, "but it's taken off."

This is from sportsline (http://www.sportsline.com/columns/weblogs/entry/10033019):

A source close to Washington owner Daniel Snyder on Tuesday denied the club is close to making a deal for Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs.

"Not true," he said.

Reports indicated that Washington is willing to switch first-round positions with Chicago -- sacrificing the sixth overall pick for the 31st -- to gain Briggs, the Bears' unhappy franchise player. But that's not true, either, said the source.

"That's just Drew talking," he said.

Drew is Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Briggs, and it was he who escorted the Bears' linebacker to a table Monday night where Snyder was dining at the annual NFL owners' meetings. Also there, according to others, were Washington's vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato and Baltimore owner Steve Bischiotti.

Anyway, the source said, Rosenhaus said something about how much Briggs could do for the Redskins and suggested Snyder make a deal for him. Snyder responded by saying the Redskins and Bears should switch first-round positions to gain Briggs.

"It was innocent and meant as a joke," said the source, "but it's taken off."

I hope it was a joke. I hope DS isn't making serious offers without conferring with Gibbs first. I hope DS isn't involved in player acquisition at all.

Glad to hear someone say this was all a bunch of whostruckjohn.

Hmm, I still don't like the idea of Dan Snyder "joking" at a bar, presumably after a few drinks, about trading first round draft picks for a disgruntled player anxious to play for another team.

For once, it would be nice to read reports of top members of the Redskins front office taking their job seriously.

I don't think joking around in a social setting should be misconstrued as someone not taking their job seriously.

I don't think Snyder reached his level of success by not taking things seriously.

Lighten up Skins fans, this was a joke from the start and a lot of us bought into it hook, line, and sinker.

Wasn't so much a joke like Danny tried to play a joke on the media or on us or anything, it was more that he made a half-joke to Drew about a trade for Briggs, Drew ran with it, and started up a rumor.

The way the rumor came out, with Glazer from Fox, Schefter from the NFL network, and Pastabelly from ESPN all over the story, it seemed to have legitimacy despite the fact that it made little football sense.

It sounds like a situation where Drew Rosenhaus either misunderstood Snyder's half-joke, or understood his joke perfectly but decided to use Snyder to drive interest in Briggs. Snyder just simply cracked a joke, it wasn't that he wasn't taking his job seriously. He just didn't expect Rosenhaus to run with it, and he certainly didn't expect three major media outlets to buy into it.

Or maybe since Danny and Drew are so buddy-buddy, maybe Drew asked Danny to help him start up a huge rumor about Briggs just to drive interest for his client. Rosenhaus was likely looking for something to break the Bears' inertia on Briggs.

So maybe Rosenhaus had Danny in on the whole thing, or maybe Rosenhaus took Danny's joke and just ran with it. Either way, this was all Rosenhaus' doing.

I don't think joking around in a social setting should be misconstrued as someone not taking their job seriously.

I don't think Snyder reached his level of success by not taking things seriously.

Lighten up Skins fans, this was a joke from the start and a lot of us bought into it hook, line, and sinker.


ESPN's John Clayton confirmed the Reskins made an offer for Briggs. The Bears feel like they are being pushed into this so that is the main reason it may not happen.

What's the problem with Dan talking at a bar ? Don't these types of deals have to be signed or does the NFL work on a handshake policy now ? He's at a bar, talking shit, that's it. What else is he going to do. Have you ever been at a bar with your friends and played the how much to do her game ? Seriously ? He's an owner of a football team. The man knows that there are contracts that have to be signed, red tape that has to be hammered out. I'm sure he's not going to draw up a contract at a sports bar over a glass of 1738. I mean if you guys owned a football team, I'm sure from time to time you'd talk a little trash, having rich owner fun ! It probably started like this.

Drew : 'Sup Dan ! Whatcha drinkin' ?

Dan : 1738, want one ?

Drew : Sure

Dan : Nothing really, just bored as hell man. Then I got this whole nanny thing and ...

Drew : Yeah I know what you mean.

Dan : Hey don't T.O. me with Sean (Taylor) cause I want to keep him here. You know how many jerseys he sells ?

Drew : Naw I'm not gonna do you like that. You're not like alot of these other guys. Like Chicago ! **** this Briggs thing is killing me. Just give the guy his money. Hell, you guys should take him.....

Dan : Yeah, if Chicago would give us him and their first pick what is it ?

Drew : 31, hold on Dan. Hey Lance,...... LANCE..... let me introduce you to my good buddy Dan Snyder

Lance : Hey

Drew : Okay Lance go back over there..................

Lance : Later guys....

Dan : That's a big guy, how much does he want ?

Drew : You don't want to know

Dan : I DON'T WANT TO KNOW ? ....................... damn

Drew : I know, well I'll see if they'll take your first for him and their 31st okay.

Dan : They won't but, just in case let me know.

Drew : Hell you wouldn't do that, and you've don'e some wild things.

Dan : Not anymore

Anytime Rosenhaus is involved, I think a very cautious eye should be placed on what is being said.

The guy is notorious for doing whatever it takes to pump up a client's worth.

How serious the offer was, or how serious Dan Snyder was after tipping a few drinks is anyone's guess. If it was a "wink-wink" situation to help out Danny's buddy Drew -- fine. We seem to be the type of team that doesn't hesitate to do other people favors.

But did you notice that only after the Bears officially shot it down did an "unnamed source" close to Snyder say that it was only a rumor, that the rumor wasn't true, and it was all a joke?

Ha ha. Very funny.

Still, with knowledge of recent trades over the past few years, this one doesn't seem all that preposterous considering the track record of this organization. Despite all of Snyder's "success," something tells me you won't find Scott Pioli, Ron Wolf, or A.J. Smith schmoozing it up at a bar casually tossing out 1st round swaps to help out a buddy-player agent.