Aug. 20--There wasn't a player during Olin Kreutz's 13-year run with the Chicago Bears that spent more time in the locker room when it was open to media.
Kreutz viewed it as his duty as the center of the offensive line, as a captain and as one of the higher-paid players on the roster. He was accountable. During an eight-game winning streak in 2005. During an eight-game losing streak in 2002. In good times and bad, Kreutz didn't duck.
And Kreutz was always quick to point out if he believed criticism of the team was off base. Now, he's going to be the one offering analysis after signing on with his longtime friend James "Big Cat" Williams to host the Bears postgame show on WSCR-AM 670 beginning with the season opener Sept. 13 against the Packers.
It's something Kreutz and Williams, who work out together regularly, considered for a while.
"We didn't just dive in," Kreutz said. "Would we be able to talk about players? We know how hard it is to be a player. We've been in the locker room. It's always easy to be the critic. I have the easy job now. Being the critic is the easiest thing to be but when you decide to do something, you have to do it the best you can."
Williams participated in the ninth annual NFL Boot Camp: Broadcasting in June at the NFL Films studios in Mt. Laurel, N.J. He was one of 24 participants, including former Bears safety Cameron Worrell, that took part in the four-day program that is selective in choosing its students each summer. Kreutz has done media appearances selectively since retiring in 2011 and was a regular on the "Kap and Haugh Show" on CSN Chicago last year.
"I don't know what it's going to be like," Kreutz said. "That's a good question. I'll find out when I do it. It's definitely different. You just have to recognize and realize what job you have now. My football career is over and this is what I have decided to do."
There are a small number of players remaining on the roster that he once played with, including quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte. Will it be more difficult to be critical of a player he played with as opposed to someone he didn't have that relationship with?
"I don't think so," Kreutz said. "If I am sitting there and I am saying what I saw during the game, I don't see how that could be hard. Definitely be honest and fair from a perspective of someone that played the game. Being fair is also being fair to the player knowing what he is going through, how hard he is working. But you have to point out when they miss a block or miss a throw or don't run hard on a certain play but you also see their side of the field too."
Kreutz broke out laughing when asked about replacing the late Doug Buffone and Ed O'Bradovich, who has moved to WGN-AM 720. Yes, he tuned into the longtime pairing.
"I loved their show like everybody else," Kreutz said. "They were great. They were awesome. They were insane. Screaming and yelling. That is not an act I think we are capable of following. We are never ever going to try to be them. We'll try to be ourselves and see how that goes.
"Obviously, me and Big Cat wouldn't be doing this if we weren't huge Bears fans and want to still be part of the Bears games in a way. It should be a fun year."
