Friday, Sept. 16, 2011
Posted: 8:53 a.m.Updated: 5:00 p.m.
By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com Bears InsiderFollow @CSNMoonMullin
Olin Kreutz did not get what he wanted from the Chicago Bears in terms of a final contract. But he is not taking any hard feelings onto the field with the intent of taking them out on the players for a team that drafted him in 1998 and for which he played his entire career until now.
None of those guys Im playing against made a decision me, Kreutz said. And to be perfectly honest and perfectly fair, they made a fair offer to come back and I didnt go back.
Theres no hard feelings.
Kreutzs comments are not surprising. He has always had a sense of whats right and not right, regardless of whether it squares with everyone elses. Indeed, it should be noted by critics fond of bashing the Bears for not paying him, that he considered the Bears offer fair. And he signed for about half the Bears offer to play for the Saints when the Bears pulled their offer off the table.
But if there are no hard feelings, that doesnt mean that there arent strong feelings.
Its hard to say its another football game, Kreutz said. Itll be like playing against your brother or your friend. You probably want to beat them more than you want to beat anyone else.
NFL
Im sure seeing them in the beginning will be a little emotional. But they know how I feel about them. I know how they feel about me.
"But that doesnt mean were not going to try to kick each others ass.
Nicks and bruises
With receiver Roy Williams missing a second day of practice with the groin strain suffered against Atlanta, expect Johnny Knox back in the starting lineup opposite Devin Hester.
Running back Marion Barber has been expected to miss his second game with a calf strain from the Tennessee preseason game. He has not played since then, did not practice again Thursday, and Kahlil Bell should get his second game as primary backup to Matt Forte.
Knox lost his No. 1 job to Williams early in camp when the former Dallas CowboyDetroit Lion arrived and started to settle in. But Knox caught 3 passes for 60 yards coming off the bench in the Atlanta game and is a proven deep threat after leading the Bears in receiving yards last season and ranking fifth in the NFL in average yards per catch.
Urlacher returns
Brian Urlacher was practicing again Friday, the final confirmation that the middle linebacker will be in his customary spot Sunday despite the recent death of his mother Lavoyda.
Measuring gauge
A game of some note for Bears fans will be the Philadelphia Eagles going against the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome. Colleague Ray Didinger at CSNPhilly.com does a very in-depth look at the offense, defense and special-teams situations.
The game is worth checking out because its a future Bears opponent (Eagles) against a team the Bears just finished with, and this is another of those deals that have playoff implications because of potential tiebreakers. Its also a chance to measure the Philly defense and that self-proclaimed Dream Team that the Eagles assembled in the offseason.
You have to love the East Coast media hype, though. The Bears sign five No. 1 draft choicesWilliams, Amobi Okoye, Chris Spencer, Vernon Gholston, plus a 2007 Pro Bowl tailback (Barber) whos sitting on the benchand get picked to slip backwards from 11-5 to 8-8 or worse by many observers.
Lockout blues
The Bears showed zero negative effects from either the long offseason lockout or players opting to work out pretty much on their own without a lot of wasted energy on group sessions. The Oakland Raiders, with new head coach Hue Jackson, got past the Denver Broncos last weekend in a meeting of two Bears November opponents.
But check out what Bill Romanowski has to say on CSNCalifornia.coms Raiders page about the lockout effects.
Bears going to funeral for Urlacher's mother
As perhaps befitting the second-most senior member of their roster, the Bears will be represented by members from all areas of their organizational family.
The private service for Urlacher's mother will be held on Saturday. The following Bears representatives are scheduled to attend: Chairman of the Board George McCaskey, President and CEO Ted Phillips, General Manager Jerry Angelo, head coach Lovie Smith, linebackers coach Bob Babich and linebacker Lance Briggs.
As a friend, you support your friend, Briggs said. I think everyone in the country right now is sending out their condolences and their prayers to him and his family, so I think thats the best way to support him and help him get through the situation.
In lieu of flowers, the Urlacher family has asked for donations to be made to the following:
Lavoyda Fund
co City of Lovington Youth Center
214 S. Love St.
Lovington, NM 88260
Its just sad, Smith said. Im lucky to be his coach. But our relationship goes a lot further than that. I lost my mother earlier this year, one of the first guys on the telephone with me was Brian...
Were just going to be there to support him in any way that we can and just be there to help him through a tough time. Unless youve been through it, theres no way to make it any better than it is at the time. But hell get through it.
With a little help from his friends.
John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.