Mulligan weary of Olin on Sunday....

[madlithuanian]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...,4160512.column

 

Kreutz's presence will be felt Sunday

Former Bears center will affect both sides of ball as Saints captain

Mike Mulligan

 

9:46 p.m. CDT, September 13, 2011

There was always a hint of menace to Olin Kreutz as he dominated the Bears locker room for the past 13 seasons. Bright, funny, valiant, ruthless, dangerous, a thousand words wouldn't be enough to capture the guy's spirit. The stories are legendary, if not always easy to confirm:

 

He once stood up to a member of the 1985 team with a two-word blunt assessment of a harsh criticism from that former player; he let a highly paid defensive end know it wasn't right to throw a teammate under the bus; he threw a guy across the room when told he would have to miss a game after getting his appendix removed.

 

In a sport of tough guys and heartless thugs, Olin Kreutz was as much Ubermensch as Alpha Male.

 

Which makes it disappointing but probably understandable, that Kreutz the charismatic demigod somehow has been recast as a temperamental bully.

 

Around some segments of the team there's a belief that losing Kreutz is somehow the football equivalent of the ouster of a tyrant. Without the big, bad bully in the locker room, the theory goes, there is newfound freedom for all. Quarterback Jay Cutler finally can take over the offense three years into his tenure. Young offensive linemen can blossom and grow in the sunshine, instead of withering away in the shadows. The organization can remove its feet from the fire.

 

Ding, dong, Kreutz is gone.

 

"I have heard that argument and I disagree with it 100 percent,'' said Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly, who now seems destined to hold the team record for years of service. Mannelly, a draftmate of Kreutz's in 1998 is in his 14th season, matching Doug Buffone and Bill George for longest tenure with the team. To put that accomplishment in perspective, Curtis Enis was the Bears' first-round pick that year, Kreutz, the third-rounder and Mannelly the second of two sixth-round selections.

 

Kreutz still would be here, of course, if he had met the team's one-hour deadline to accept a one-year, $4 million deal. He balked, the Bears signed Chris Spencer and Kreutz took his dominating personality to the Saints. Despite a late arrival with them, he nonetheless was made a team captain.

 

Still, some around the Bears wonder how Kreutz would have handled the cancellation of the family night practice at Soldier Field during training camp. Instead of a pleasant bus ride back to Bourbonnais, would Captain Kreutz have made life miserable for everyone. Mannelly said he has heard that speculation too.

 

"I disagree with that as well,'' he said.

 

Why the whisper attack on a legend?

 

"Because Olin's not here,'' reserve tackle Frank Omiyale said with a laugh.

 

Indeed, nobody seemed to have a problem with Kreutz before. Of course, that might have gotten you a nice Hawaiian Punch.

 

"I am never going to cast any shadow on Olin's legacy,'' general manager Jerry Angelo said when asked after Sunday's game if Kreutz's leadership was somehow negative. "Olin was a great player for us. He was a great leader. We wanted him back. We tried. It didn't work out.

 

"Him being a captain in New Orleans doesn't surprise me. It tells you more about the true leadership and the qualities he has. No new locker room, particularly one on a good football team is just going to hand that out.''

 

Kreutz will start at center for the Saints on Sunday, sandwiched between Pro Bowl guards Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks. The combination will be a challenge for Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton, whose coming-out party against the Falcons included two sacks, three tackles and six quarterback pressures, according to statistics coaches compiled viewing tape. Melton is stepping up in class after putting those numbers up against the likes of Falcons guard Garrett Reynolds and center Joe Hawley, who was starting in place of Todd McClure.

 

Kreutz no doubt will want to help slow his progress.

 

"He was great and there were moments where he was unbelievable,'' Mannelly said of Kreutz. "He gave everything above and beyond.

 

"People don't know how much he did to prepare for games, what he played through. How he dealt with everyone throughout the locker room who would call him and ask him questions. He dealt with all sorts of stuff. There was a lot more that went on behind the scenes that people will never know about and I guarantee he will never talk about.''

 

Not even to defend himself.

 

 

[lemonej]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...,4160512.column

 

Kreutz's presence will be felt Sunday

Former Bears center will affect both sides of ball as Saints captain

Mike Mulligan

 

9:46 p.m. CDT, September 13, 2011

There was always a hint of menace to Olin Kreutz as he dominated the Bears locker room for the past 13 seasons. Bright, funny, valiant, ruthless, dangerous, a thousand words wouldn't be enough to capture the guy's spirit. The stories are legendary, if not always easy to confirm:

 

He once stood up to a member of the 1985 team with a two-word blunt assessment of a harsh criticism from that former player; he let a highly paid defensive end know it wasn't right to throw a teammate under the bus; he threw a guy across the room when told he would have to miss a game after getting his appendix removed.

 

In a sport of tough guys and heartless thugs, Olin Kreutz was as much Ubermensch as Alpha Male.

 

Which makes it disappointing but probably understandable, that Kreutz the charismatic demigod somehow has been recast as a temperamental bully.

 

Around some segments of the team there's a belief that losing Kreutz is somehow the football equivalent of the ouster of a tyrant. Without the big, bad bully in the locker room, the theory goes, there is newfound freedom for all. Quarterback Jay Cutler finally can take over the offense three years into his tenure. Young offensive linemen can blossom and grow in the sunshine, instead of withering away in the shadows. The organization can remove its feet from the fire.

 

Ding, dong, Kreutz is gone.

 

"I have heard that argument and I disagree with it 100 percent,'' said Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly, who now seems destined to hold the team record for years of service. Mannelly, a draftmate of Kreutz's in 1998 is in his 14th season, matching Doug Buffone and Bill George for longest tenure with the team. To put that accomplishment in perspective, Curtis Enis was the Bears' first-round pick that year, Kreutz, the third-rounder and Mannelly the second of two sixth-round selections.

 

Kreutz still would be here, of course, if he had met the team's one-hour deadline to accept a one-year, $4 million deal. He balked, the Bears signed Chris Spencer and Kreutz took his dominating personality to the Saints. Despite a late arrival with them, he nonetheless was made a team captain.

 

Still, some around the Bears wonder how Kreutz would have handled the cancellation of the family night practice at Soldier Field during training camp. Instead of a pleasant bus ride back to Bourbonnais, would Captain Kreutz have made life miserable for everyone. Mannelly said he has heard that speculation too.

 

"I disagree with that as well,'' he said.

 

Why the whisper attack on a legend?

 

"Because Olin's not here,'' reserve tackle Frank Omiyale said with a laugh.

 

Indeed, nobody seemed to have a problem with Kreutz before. Of course, that might have gotten you a nice Hawaiian Punch.

 

"I am never going to cast any shadow on Olin's legacy,'' general manager Jerry Angelo said when asked after Sunday's game if Kreutz's leadership was somehow negative. "Olin was a great player for us. He was a great leader. We wanted him back. We tried. It didn't work out.

 

"Him being a captain in New Orleans doesn't surprise me. It tells you more about the true leadership and the qualities he has. No new locker room, particularly one on a good football team is just going to hand that out.''

 

Kreutz will start at center for the Saints on Sunday, sandwiched between Pro Bowl guards Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks. The combination will be a challenge for Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton, whose coming-out party against the Falcons included two sacks, three tackles and six quarterback pressures, according to statistics coaches compiled viewing tape. Melton is stepping up in class after putting those numbers up against the likes of Falcons guard Garrett Reynolds and center Joe Hawley, who was starting in place of Todd McClure.

 

Kreutz no doubt will want to help slow his progress.

 

"He was great and there were moments where he was unbelievable,'' Mannelly said of Kreutz. "He gave everything above and beyond.

 

"People don't know how much he did to prepare for games, what he played through. How he dealt with everyone throughout the locker room who would call him and ask him questions. He dealt with all sorts of stuff. There was a lot more that went on behind the scenes that people will never know about and I guarantee he will never talk about.''

 

Not even to defend himself.

Well I was one of the posters on this site that constantly question Kreutz and his leadership for the past couple of years and beat writers like Mulligan and Biggs always tend to cozy up to these guys when they have been hear for a while.

 

As for him being depicted as a bully he had quite big part in that perception himself as a collegiate and as a pro. Coming out he was considered a character risk as he had fought teammates at Washington on a couple of occassions and was sent to anger management. Fast forward to the incident with Fred Miller his own teammate and its clear that he still loses his temper at times. I wouldn't be surprised if that was to happen in the game this Sunday. Hopefully he will do his trade mark false snap and have a dumb personal foul at a critical time that benefits the Bears.

 

Mike Mulligan if you want to kiss up to Kreutz to get an exclusive interview this week but, he is an opponent this week so the hell with him.

[madlithuanian]

I see it as a double edged sword. He will work in our favor and against us. We know his tendencies. We also know he isn't quite what he used to be. We know he'll mess up. The flip side is that he knows our tendencies, & that he'll at least try to play the best game he has had in years.

 

So, I kind of see it as a wash. It should be no different than facing any decent center in the NFL.

 

The potential is certainly there for either team to get an upper hand somehow.

 

 

Well I was one of the posters on this site that constantly question Kreutz and his leadership for the past couple of years and beat writers like Mulligan and Biggs always tend to cozy up to these guys when they have been hear for a while.

 

As for him being depicted as a bully he had quite big part in that perception himself as a collegiate and as a pro. Coming out he was considered a character risk as he had fought teammates at Washington on a couple of occassions and was sent to anger management. Fast forward to the incident with Fred Miller his own teammate and its clear that he still loses his temper at times. I wouldn't be surprised if that was to happen in the game this Sunday. Hopefully he will do his trade mark false snap and have a dumb personal foul at a critical time that benefits the Bears.

 

Mike Mulligan if you want to kiss up to Kreutz to get an exclusive interview this week but, he is an opponent this week so the hell with him.

 

[Wesson44]

I see it as a double edged sword. He will work in our favor and against us. We know his tendencies. We also know he isn't quite what he used to be. We know he'll mess up. The flip side is that he knows our tendencies, & that he'll at least try to play the best game he has had in years.

 

So, I kind of see it as a wash. It should be no different than facing any decent center in the NFL.

 

The potential is certainly there for either team to get an upper hand somehow.

IMHO I think its just a matter of time before you see the real washed up Kreutz because when I watched the games last year he was always getting pushed around by bigger DT and could not keep up with the faster ones. So like someone said eariler the hell with him if he wanted to play for the Saints at half the money we were going to pay him. We spent the money on someone who wantes to be here.

[AZ54]

Sure he knows everything he needs to know about the new and improved Henry Melton. The newest addition Amobi Okoye.

 

Once again, what the Bears do is pretty basic. We are not the Jets. We line up, straight up, and do what we do, and Drew Brees knows that too. It's all on film, except the Saints only have one game of Amobi and Melton.

[Pixote]

It will be a chess match, but all games are. It happens every year, players go to a new team and play their old team. There is always speculation that ti will give an advantage to the team with the "insider info" available. How often has that come to be reality? I have never seen it written or said that it became an advantage after the game was played.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

It will be good to see Olin again. Especially for the players that knew him well. He'll play the way he's capable, which anymore is nowhere as good as he's been.

 

As far as overall. The Bears have won the last five (?) matchups between them. Not guaranteeing anything but I think it'll come down to how well the Bear D matches up to the NO Offense. Jay will have a decent day (235 yds 2TD 1 Int) ish.

[lemonej]

I see it as a double edged sword. He will work in our favor and against us. We know his tendencies. We also know he isn't quite what he used to be. We know he'll mess up. The flip side is that he knows our tendencies, & that he'll at least try to play the best game he has had in years.

 

So, I kind of see it as a wash. It should be no different than facing any decent center in the NFL.

 

The potential is certainly there for either team to get an upper hand somehow.

One intangible that may turn into an advantage may be if Urlacher doesn't play. No matter how long Kruetz has been with this organization he doesn't have much experience when Roach makes the calls on defense. The other wild card in the equation is Okoye. I do believe Kreutz will struggle against him when he comes into the game.Like someone else posted there isn't much familiarity with Okoye and Melton. Then I'd like to see how Kreutz matches up with Peppers when he lines up inside.

[lemonej]

BTW the 85 Bear that Kruetz stood up to is the Fridge according to a story that Steve McMichael told yesterday on AM 1000 ESPN.The disagreement started because Perry felt that Kreutz didn't acknowledge him when he came in the room at some type of Bear fest. The way McMichael tells the story with him standing in between the 2 with his Chiuahua(sp?) as he told both guys if they really wanted to fight they would have squished his dog by now. He compared to a disagreement at a family gathering and when pressed on the issue he added that Olin would not have been able to move Fridge one bit and that if the two really had tangled it would have been an all day sucker.

[LT2_3]

It will be a chess match, but all games are. It happens every year, players go to a new team and play their old team. There is always speculation that ti will give an advantage to the team with the "insider info" available. How often has that come to be reality? I have never seen it written or said that it became an advantage after the game was played.

 

I would also add that the door swings both ways. The guys that Kreutz may be able to give a scouting report on, will also be able to give scouting to the guys that haven't practiced against Kreutz (Okoye, Melton to certain extent) to explain HIS tendencies.

 

Lemonj - as for Kreutz not being familiar with a Roach called defense, I'm pretty sure that those calls are radioed in from the sideline, and would also add that Kreutz doesn't have any experience playing against the defense in game situations either.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Honestly, I think Kreutz will play the smallest role of any New Orleans o-line men this weekend. Strief will have Peppers or Idonije, Bushrod will have whichever Bears DE that Strief doesn't have, and Nicks and Evans are stud OG's. If anything, Kreutz won't be good or bad.

[AZ54]

It is not Kreutz's calls I'm worried about, it's Brees' calls.

[lemonej]

Honestly, I think Kreutz will play the smallest role of any New Orleans o-line men this weekend. Strief will have Peppers or Idonije, Bushrod will have whichever Bears DE that Strief doesn't have, and Nicks and Evans are stud OG's. If anything, Kreutz won't be good or bad.

B Bear you're saying that the guy who will snap the ball on every play and make the line adjustments on those snaps will have the smallest role of any O-linemen on the Saints? Given the fact that the Bears got 3sacks out of their interior guys leads me to believe that he will have a huge role and amount of pressure on him especially after he saw film of himself getting moved off the ball on the game deciding play.

[madlithuanian]

Thankfully we don't have to worry about Url not playing...

 

...and in no universe, known or unknown, does not having Urlacher around ever become advantageous for the Bears under virtually any circumstance!

 

Okoye's presence is a plus as you mention... Peppers will crush Olin given the chance to do so...

 

One intangible that may turn into an advantage may be if Urlacher doesn't play. No matter how long Kruetz has been with this organization he doesn't have much experience when Roach makes the calls on defense. The other wild card in the equation is Okoye. I do believe Kreutz will struggle against him when he comes into the game.Like someone else posted there isn't much familiarity with Okoye and Melton. Then I'd like to see how Kreutz matches up with Peppers when he lines up inside.

 

[Daventry]

Thankfully we don't have to worry about Url not playing...

 

...and in no universe, known or unknown, does not having Urlacher around ever become advantageous for the Bears under virtually any circumstance!

 

Okoye's presence is a plus as you mention... Peppers will crush Olin given the chance to do so...

 

 

O Lin is at least 3 years from being worth anything better than mediocre status. He is in a new team who only know that they see, which is he is pretty much useless. He plays no role...and will likely be out of the league in a year.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

B Bear you're saying that the guy who will snap the ball on every play and make the line adjustments on those snaps will have the smallest role of any O-linemen on the Saints? Given the fact that the Bears got 3sacks out of their interior guys leads me to believe that he will have a huge role and amount of pressure on him especially after he saw film of himself getting moved off the ball on the game deciding play.

What I meant to say is that of their 5 o-line men, Kreutz is the one who I am least worried about. If the Bears can beat Evans and Nicks, and Peppers can do his thing on Strief, it's not like Kreutz will be there to save the day.

[lemonej]

What I meant to say is that of their 5 o-line men, Kreutz is the one who I am least worried about. If the Bears can beat Evans and Nicks, and Peppers can do his thing on Strief, it's not like Kreutz will be there to save the day.

I should have known what you meant. I've read enough of your posts to figure out what you were getting at. Now that you spelled it out for me I'm saying Duh to myself lol.