Thread: Olin signs a deal w/the Saints.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

I still think that it was a lack of respect thing with Olin, the Bears waiting til 0 hour to even begin talking with him and then giving him an hour to take it or leave it.

That's what I'm thinking, too. The man was THE leader on that line for 13 years, and on what might be his last year in the league, they give him, "Here it is, you have an hour to decide. Take it or leave it."

He's earned better than that. I don't blame him for walking off.

This makes me hope that we go down to New Orleans and absolutely wipe the field with their candy asses. I'd like to thumb my nose at that manipulative bastard.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

I still think that it was a lack of respect thing with Olin, the Bears waiting til 0 hour to even begin talking with him and then giving him an hour to take it or leave it.

That's exactly what he said in his comments about it after it was over and done. Some of you say that he overvalued himself. That's real easy to say now after seeing what he agreed to with the Saints but before negotiations with the Bears broke down other guys were signing multi-year deal averaging $6-$7mil per year so based on that just how far out of whack was $4.5 mil? Not far at all as I see it.

To begin with he was hung up on two year deal so why didn't they offer him $8 mil for two years with only year one guaranteed and he'd have probably taken it. NFL contracts aren't guaranteed so if EWill or one of the rookies was ready to start next year they could have told him that in the offseason and let him retire honorably.

He believed he bargained fairly when he came off the multi-year demand and that asking for about 75% of what other interior lineman were getting was fair in view of the "hometown" deals he agreed to before. Obviously the Bears didn't feel that same way but that final one hour take it or leave it was probably what did it. To Olin Kruetz that was final slap in the face and I agree.

This may have been poorly handled on both ends and in the final analysis we ended up losing a 13 year vet and team captain who was the backbone of our Oline and would have helped our cause far more this year than Chris Spencer or Roberto Garza will. The Bears were penny wise and pound foolish in my opinion.

You know it's real easy for some of you to label him manipulative and put the black hat on him now that he took less to sign with NO. How many of you can honestly say that you knew he'd get that much less? The fact that he took what offer was left on the table doesn't mean that he wasn't worth more, it just means that NO could take advantage of the situation just like we did in signing a few of the guys we picked up. I'm sure that if it was money alone that was at the center of it then Olin wished he would have taken the $4 mil too but I think pride was also played a big part in it.

Those of you who are now calling him manipulative and dishonest are among the same guys who were so adamant that we needed to re-sign him at all costs no more than two weeks ago. What a bunch of hypocritical bastards!