FINISH LINE: Bears’ Olin Kreutz declines to address clowns

Published 11:04 pm Saturday, December 12, 2009

Those are fightin’ words

A heavyweight battle has materialized quickly for today’s game after Packers rookie nose tackle B.J. Raji questioned the strength of Bears’ center Olin Kreutz.

Raji, a first-round draft pick from Boston College, is expected to make his first career start today. He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday that Kreutz is “just fast. That’s not his game, really, strength.”

On Friday, Kreutz, a University of Washington alum, fired back: “Is that his expertise after (10) games in the NFL? That is the great thing about the NFL. We’ll find out (today).”

Kreutz is undersized at his position at 6 feet 2, 292 pounds, but he has been voted to six Pro Bowls. While he’s almost always complimentary to opposing players when asked, he’s not intimaidated by anyone.

Was Kreutz surprised at Raji’s remarks?

“No, that’s the way young players are nowadays, they are all pretty much clowns,” he said. “That’s what he thinks. After 10 games, he probably thinks he is the strongest guy in the NFL.”

The Kreutz-Raji matchup will be at the heart of the Bears’ game plan as they hope to remain committed to the run. They are 3-2 in games when Matt Forte has 20 or more carries, and controlling the ball on the ground will aid the defense against Green Bay’s offense.

Kreutz talked earlier in the week about how Raji has played all three positions on the line in the Packers’ 3-4 scheme that is ranked No. 1 on defense. He didn’t have any comment on his film work Friday.

“Ah, you know, I would rather not compliment him now,” Kreutz said. “I’m not going to talk about a rookie.”

PARTING SHOT

“The world’s first billion-dollar athlete finds himself asking forgiveness for philandering from a society that routinely shows more compassion to professional athletes who have been accused of rape and sometimes even murder.”

— Michael Wilbon

The Washington Post columnist weighing in on the Tiger Woods scandal.