Friday, August 13, 1999
Kreutz after
starting job
The St. Louis alum is in a two-
By Pat Bigold
man battle to be the Chicago
Bears' top center
Star-BulletinHawaii's Olin Kreutz resumes a torrid battle tonight with Casey Wiegmann for the Chicago Bears' starting job at center.
Kreutz, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound second-year man, will have to go up against 6-2, 308-pound Pro Bowl nose tackle Joel Steed as the Steelers host the Bears at Three Rivers Stadium.
"This will be a good test for him," said Chicago offensive line coach Bob Wylie, who was brought in this year by new head coach Dick Jauron.
"Olin and Casey are neck and neck right now, and it's a nice problem for me to have," he said.
It will also be a night for Kreutz and Steelers running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala to reunite briefly. They were teammates at St. Louis School.
They are among 17 players with Hawaii ties now under contract in the NFL.
But Kreutz's competition with Wiegmann will dominate his priorities tonight.
Wylie alternated the two centers against Indianapolis last week. Wiegmann started but Kreutz came in seven plays later. He wound up being in on 28 to 30 plays.
"I alternated them because I wanted them to battle it out," said Wylie.
The 6-3, 295-pound Wiegmann is a fourth-year NFL veteran from Iowa who has also played with the Jets and Colts. He owned the starting job last year. But Kreutz's strong starting performance in the final game of the 1998 season led the former coaching staff to believe he could be ready to take over in 1999.
Wylie said he won't make a decision on a starter until the week of the Sept. 12 home opener against Kansas City. But he doesn't hesitate to say that Kreutz reminds him of five-time Pro Bowler Mark Stepnoski, the Dallas Cowboys' center.
"Olin is not overly big at 285, and Step is about 275 but he can block anywhere," said Wylie, who previously coached with the Jets, Bucs and Bengals.
"Olin reminds me of him. He has good leverage concepts and a natural snap in his body when he hits you. He must have been a wrestler somewhere in his life."
In fact, Kreutz was a state champion heavyweight wrestler at St. Louis.
Wylie said Kreutz's pass and run blocking skills are "excellent."
"He has good, quick hands, strong punch, can bend his knees, is flexible and has good hip strength," Wylie said.
Wylie said Kreutz shows an aptitude for the job.
"He's very smart, and he has a great passion and love for the game. He asks intelligent questions at meetings and works hard at practice. There's no problem with his grasp of the plays. He understands both the offense and the defense."
Wylie said the job of NFL center demands leadership and mental clarity.
"Our center controls most of the blocking assignments," he said. "He's the quarterback of the front five guys. He has to be a very intelligent kid to put everyone where they're supposed to be."
The 22-year-old Kreutz, a third-round pick out of Washington last year, is the youngest member of the Bears' line. But that's a problem Wylie said is easily overcome.
"They'll respect you as long as you show you can play hard, you're a tough kid, you know what you're doing, and you can keep people going to the right spots," said Wylie.
He said Kreutz benefits from the presence of veterans on the line.
"We have Todd Perry, who plays on the left side and he's in his seventh year," he said. "There's Chris Villarrial at right guard in his fourth year, and Blake Brockermeyer at left tackle in his fifth year. So there's some knowledge around Olin."
Wylie said he especially appreciates the ferocity with which Kreutz approaches each game.
"I like Olin's toughness," he said. "He plays offense with a defensive mentality, and that's a plus."
