re: Olin Kreutz's effect on the Saints' gameplan against da Bears

Dan Pompei, respected Chicago writer-

After watching Thursday's New Orleans loss and Sunday's Bears victory, do you think your personal relationship with Olin Kreutz may have clouded your judgment about the Bears? Clearly, they are a much better offense without him and New Orleans now has the same problems at the goal line as we did a year ago. No matter how much we love what players have done for the team or how much we personally respect them, we can only get better if we turn the page on the past. Mike Horina, Naperville

I won't dismiss your sentiment Mike. We all have a tendency to think of good players as they were and not how they will be. And we all have a tendency to glance over flaws in people we respect. I have a lot of respect for Kreutz. But it's not like he and I are drinking buddies or something. It's possible the Bears will have a more effective offensive line without Kreutz. It's also possible they would have had a more effective offensive line even if Kreutz had stayed. The main point I've made about Kreutz' departure is he left a leadership void. We all know he's not the player he was. But it's clear he still has something left. All that being said, we only have one week to judge the Kreutz transaction. It's too early to draw any conclusions.