Olin Kreutz says he’ll kind of miss John Randle, the Minnesota Vikings’ perennial Pro Bowl defensive tackle who went to the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent last off-season.
Randle would study media guides for information he could use against opposing players. Upon discovering Kreutz was born and raised in Honolulu, he prepared a welcome for him–he yelled out Kreutz’s name, and when Kreutz looked over, Randle began swaying in a Hawaiian dance.
“He probably got that dance from all the Pro Bowls he was in,” Kreutz said laughing. “It was one of the funniest things I’ve seen on a football field.”
Playing against Randle was not a fun thing for the Bears or anyone else. But now he’s gone. So is another tormentor, linebacker Dwayne Rudd, best known for his backpedaling taunt into the end zone with an interception in the face of pursuing Bears in 1998.
The Bears find themselves in search of new villains on the only NFC Central opponent they failed to defeat last season.
How they plan to go after the oft-despised Vikings seems apparent; before they threw passes on their last nine plays against Baltimore, the Bears had run the ball 27 times compared with 30 passes. And that was against the best run defense in the NFL, one with 340-pound tackles.
If they cannot break the post-Randle Vikings, the Bears might not be able to claim physical superiority over any other team on the schedule.
“We know they have a solid team, but I think we match up well with them and we have in the past,” offensive coordinator John Shoop said. “We have some big, physical wide receivers. We have a physical team up front as well.”
The Bears’ offensive line averages 308 pounds per man; the Minnesota front four averages 285. Bears fullback Daimon Shelton (258 pounds) and tight end Fred Baxter (265) are bigger than Vikings defensive end Lance Johnstone and all three Minnesota linebackers. It’s time for the Bears’ offensive line in particular to do what it was designed for.
“I’ve got physical guys,” line coach Bob Wylie said. “I tell the young guys you can look good, jump over the [agility] bags, do all that stuff, but if you’re not physical and knocking someone backward, you’re not going to be here. I want physical guys who knock people off the ball.”
There is an expectation of more work for 230-pound rookie running back Anthony Thomas, whose contribution against Baltimore consisted of three carries in the fourth quarter.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen, but we plan on Anthony being a part of our offense,” coach Dick Jauron said.
The Vikings have had a reputation for physical play, a mystique built chiefly by Randle. Now the Bears believe it is their turn to be the bullies. James Allen carried 21 times against the Ravens and remains the starter, but Thomas is prepared for his time.
“I’ve been in a learning process for a while and I think I’ve learned a lot,” Thomas said. “I know the guys and I feel like I’m finally ready.”
Thomas appears to have recovered from a knee injury sustained during training camp.
“Anthony has gotten healthy,” Shoop said. “We won’t hesitate to call his number.”
