LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Out of all the strange stories that have swirled around the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid, the one I read this morning had to be one of the strangest.

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Morten Andersen is from Copenhagen, so maybe he can help Chicago land the Olympics.

The Chicago bid committee announced that it was sending a cavalcade of stars to Copenhagen for the final round of presentations to the IOC. Among that group will be Oprah Winfrey, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Michael Johsnon, Dikembe Mutombo and -- if that's not strange enough -- Morten Andersen.

Really?

On the surface, the addition of the former NFL kicker to a group that already includes First Lady Michelle Obama, and possibly the President himself, seems bizarre.

What in the world would Andersen bring to the table that would help Chicago land the Olympics? I'm still not exactly sure, but Bears kicker Robbie Gould thinks it seems like a good idea, especially considering Andersen was born in Denmark and played in Chicago off and on throughout his career.

"I think it's great, he's from Copenhagen," Gould told me. "Obviously, there's some input that maybe he has being from Copenhagen that he can help out with to get the Olympics in Chicago. Hopefully, he plays a big part in what is gonna happen as far as Chicago getting the Olympic bid."

Does that mean that for the next week Andersen suddenly becomes the most important kicker in the country?

"I don't know," Gould said with a laugh. "I don't know if it's the most powerful kicker or not ... being from Copenhagen he can probably show the Olympic committee around in a sense, and maybe being in the National Football League and visiting the city of Chicago, he can give his opinion on how great of a city it really is."

You've got to like Gould's positive attitude on the whole situation, but the fact that Andersen is headed to Copenhagen next week still makes me scratch my head. But hey, if Andersen is the difference maker that the Chicago committee feels it needs, then I'm all for it.

While we're on the topic of the Olympics, here are some more of Gould's thoughts about the Games:

Would you still like to see the Olympics come to town? It seems like a lot of people are apathetic about the possibility these days.

Robbie Gould: Obviously, it would help the economy out. It could be hard a little bit on tax payers, although Mayor Daley and everyone's telling us it's not going to be, but I think it would be awesome for Chicago to host an Olympics ... I think it will bring and generate a lot of new facilities for the city of Chicago but also help the economy out as well.

Do you think President Obama should go to Copenhagen ?

RG: He's got a lot on his plate. If [having] the Olympics in Chicago is a big deal to him, or he feels as though it's necessary to make that appearance then great, obviously it will help the city of Chicago. But at the same time I think he's got more on his plate with the health care plan and taxes and the economy, more so than the Olympics.

Do you think football will ever appear as an Olympic sport?

RG: I don't know if it will ever appear. Will it be awesome to see it? Sure. Then again, with it appearing in the Olympics, what guys are going to be able to play? I don't think any guys on an NFL roster are going to be able to participate like the Dream Team did for basketball. It's just completely different. It would be awesome to see it out there, I think it would give other people an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Are the Olympics and the Super Bowl comparable at all?

RG: It's like the gold medal of football. It's an opportunity for everyone to showcase their talents and to be seen on a national level. Can you compare it to the Olympics? I don't know. It's one big game, a gold medal game for our sport. But you gotta go out and perform every day like an Olympian would.

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