Thread: Kreutz is basically gone.

The Olin Kreutz era is now officially over. It ended regrettably rather than proudly, as it should have. No question there was bungling and dumb pride on both sides of the recent failed negotiations.

I blame the FO for not locking down OK even before the lockout began, but certainly after it ended. With the obvious holes we had on the OL last year, OK was the one "piece of glue" we had that was "plug and play". His non-physical attributes and the OL situation made him more valueable to the Bears than his field ability would otherwise indicate. It sounds like JA ruffled some feathers and got into a pissing match with OK/his agent with that 1hr take-it-or-leave-it ultimatim. Not exactly the best way politically to retain a 13yr loyal veteran (who certainly had some wounded pride) there. Nor was it wise to paint yourself into a corner by not having groomed a replacement and being left in a position of being under the gun to get a Center at the last minute. I blame JA for mishandling the non-numerical aspect of the negotiations.

On the other hand, OK didn't exactly cover himself with glory here either. JA made him a very fair offer by the numbers on paper, one that reflected his greater intangible value to the Bears than to any other NFL franchise. On a purely physical level, Kreutz was in the twilight of his effective playing days, had really slipped a lot the last 2 years, and notice that $4mill+ offers didn't exactly come pouring in to him after he & the team parted ways. First, he whined about retirement, then he wanted to still play, and he ended up settling with the Saints for $1-2mill less (w/o incentives) than the Bears' offer he had just turned down. OK had wanted to stay and finish his career in Chicago--sounds like he let his bruised ego get in the way of what could have been (and should have been ) a win-win for both sides.

Like it or not, it is Spencer for 2011 and I hope Tice gets him going there asap since we have no one to cover Garza's OG spot otherwise.

Handled poorly all around, but time to move on...