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Krenzel Gets Some Love

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Carmen Ohio said:
CK detractors should take a look at today's NFL.com article on him. They love Craig in Chicago... they say he's already got the offense down. I'd cut and paste it here if I knew how :)
Click to expand...

Entire article follows:

Krenzel Impresses In Bears Camp

Bob LeGere
Daily Herald
08/17/2004


BOURBONNAIS - Even with limited practice reps and playing time behind starter Rex Grossman and backup Jonathan Quinn, No. 3 quarterback Craig Krenzel has had an impressive training camp.

"He has a lot of athletic ability," Bears coach Lovie Smith said of the fifth-round draft choice from Ohio State, where Smith coached linebackers in 1995.

"He can really run. He has more speed than the rest of the guys in the group. The Hail Mary pass (against the Rams), just to be able to have the speed to get away to throw it last week (was impressive), and his first pass throwing out of the end zone (showed) his poise."

Krenzel completed 4 of 7 passes for 33 yards in the preseason opener in St. Louis. He has quickly grasped the offense, which isn't surprising for a molecular genetics major.

"Of course he's an extremely intelligent guy," Smith said. "He's an Ohio State grad, so that tells you an awful lot right there. Of course, I'm biased. But he's exactly what you're looking for in a third quarterback, to grow each day. He knows that he's not going to play right away, and he knows that he's just getting ready for the future."

Getting the point: Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera admitted he was as mad as heck Sunday morning and that he couldn't take it anymore when he launched into his post-practice tirade.

"It was spur of the moment," he said. "Sometimes things happen when you're watching practice and you're not happy with it, and if it continues, you try to say some things. You have some guys step up and say some things. Sometimes you've got to speed up."

Rivera was more satisfied with the pace of Monday morning's practice.

"For the most part it was spirited," he said. "I think the guys practiced at the tempo that we were looking for them to practice at. That's the biggest thing, to get them to understand that the way we need them to practice is how we want them to play."

Injury update: Defensive tackle Bryan Robinson missed Monday's practices with a sore left knee.

"He should be OK," Lovie Smith said. "He's gone through all of the practices so far. Eventually you're going to need a little bit of time off. It's nothing serious."

Of greater concern is the reinjured calf that has sidelined defensive end and returning sack leader Alex Brown since last Thursday's preseason opener.

"We don't know exactly when he'll come back," Smith said. "There's swelling in it, (and) we've got a lot of (other) guys to look at, (so) we're looking at different combinations right now. We know what Alex can do."

Brown missed a week earlier in camp with the same injury, but he won't be forced back onto the field before he's healthy.

"It's important for him to get back," said Smith, "but guys that we know can play for us, that are going to be a part of what we do this year, we're taking our time bringing them back. And that's what we're doing with Alex."

Running back Anthony Thomas, who has been sidelined for two weeks with strained abdominal muscles, said he might be back after Saturday night's second preseason game.

Long snapper Patrick Mannelly missed Wednesday's workouts with tendinitis in his right elbow. Guard Bryan Anderson (back) also missed Wednesday's practices.

Coming and going: Defensive tackle Dan Rumishek, an Addison Trail High School graduate, was waived on Monday and was replaced on the roster by long snapper Brian Pare.

Rumishek is a first-year player who spent part of last season on injured reserve with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being signed as an undrafted player from Michigan.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Pare was originally signed by the Bears as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 1, 2004, but he was waived on June 30. He is the first player from Florida Atlantic University to sign an NFL contract.
 
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Found it myslef yes he was at osu

"Two years later Smith made the jump to the college ranks at his alma mater of Tulsa University as linebackers coach, where he stayed through 1986. Smith coached linebackers in 1987 at Wisconsin, at Arizona State (1988-91), and at Kentucky (1992). Smith was the defensive backs coach at Tennessee (1993-94) and at Ohio State (1995)."

http://www.chicagobears.com/team/coachbio.jsp?id=31

chalk me up as a part time fan of DA BEARS
 
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http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...132aug18,1,3463013.story?coll=cs-sports-print

Poise perfect prescription for Krenzel

BY TERRY BANNON

August 18, 2004


BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- There's something about Craig Krenzel that doesn't seem right. In the NFL, rookies are supposed to have dazed, vacant looks in their eyes.

The adjustment to the NFL playbook and training-camp regimen makes some of them look as if they're carrying bricks on their shoulders, to say nothing of the thick playbook under their arms.

And many of them drafted in the fifth round know that in a year or two, they may be on their way to what former Pittsburgh coach Chuck Noll referred to as "your life's work."

Some day, Krenzel's work may be medicine. But medical school is on hold and he's enrolled in football school.

Actually, he has been studying the game for quite some time and that's one of the reasons Krenzel is hardly fazed. He spent five seasons at Ohio State, redshirting as a freshman and leading the Buckeyes to the national championship his junior season.

Maybe that's why his Bears' debut last week at St. Louis won't leave him with the memories it might for others.

"I don't know if there was a play where I said, `Oh, I'm in the NFL now,'" said Krenzel, 23.

"I was excited; I don't get a whole lot of reps in practice. I'm getting more than I expected a No. 3 guy would get, but just to be able to get game-time experience and have a lot of fun was good."

The game was tied 10-10 when he relieved Jonathan Quinn in the fourth quarter.

Krenzel completed 4 of 7 passes for 33 yards with no interceptions.

Krenzel had three possessions with the game tied, starting drives at the Bears' 6, 29 and 44. He produced one first down, hitting tight end Mike Pinkard for 11 yards on his first play.

It looked like he would get another chance in overtime, but Ahmad Merritt returned the kickoff 87 yards to the Rams' 7 and Paul Edinger kicked the game-winning 25-yard field goal on first down.

Did the rookie feel like a rookie? Not exactly.

"We're trained to do a skill, that's why we come out here [to practice] twice a day," Krenzel said.

And did he play like a rookie in his first game?

"What he did at the end of the game, how he handled the last four or five plays, his thought process was outstanding," offensive coordinator Terry Shea said. "His poise in the pocket is so beyond his years in experience."

Krenzel started his final two seasons at Ohio State. He showed moxie and toughness, leading the Buckeyes past Miami for the national title in the Fiesta Bowl. He was named the game's MVP despite completing only 7 of 21 passes. He made up for it by rushing 19 times for 81 yards. Last season he was the Fiesta Bowl's MVP again, leading Ohio State past Kansas State when he completed 11 of 24 passes for four touchdowns.

Krenzel showed he could win without having a big passing day, though that won't work often in the NFL. Questions about his passing accuracy are one reason he was available to the Bears in the fifth round.

"His accuracy was a little off sometimes, but he never made the stupid play," college scouting director Greg Gabriel said. "There are a lot of guys who will force things; he won't do that. He can think quickly on his feet. He doesn't make the bonehead mistake.

"He was a streak passer. When he got in a groove, he could complete 10 or 12 in a row. [His accuracy] is correctable. But in our game you have to have a poised, intelligent guy, and that's what he is."

Accuracy is high on Krenzel's to-do list.

"There isn't a quarterback in the league who wouldn't like to be more accurate," Krenzel said. "The biggest part of accuracy is being decisive. If you're guessing where to go with your ball, you're not going to have it where you want it."

At Ohio State, Krenzel played before packed houses in one of the game's most historic programs. Although Columbus has not been a breeding ground for NFL quarterbacks, the experience can make the transition to the NFL easier. At least it has for Krenzel.

"When you're out there on the field, you're thinking play calls, progressions, defenses, coverages," Krenzel said. "In that respect it's no different from college."

Krenzel gets most of his work in practice with and against reserves. He takes success anywhere he can find it.

"It feels good to do the right assignment, but at the same time, it was expected," said Krenzel, who lofted a long touchdown pass to Justin Gage in Tuesday afternoon's workout. "We're not here to once in a while get it right."

Much has been made about the Bears' complicated offense and how much can be installed in the first season. The only Bear with a bachelor's degree in molecular genetics is not overwhelmed.

"It's not complicated in terms of the scheme; it's complicated in terms of the volume," Krenzel said. "Once you get through the concepts and plays and progressions, everything makes a lot of sense."

Krenzel will be the No. 3 quarterback. A year from now, he may be in position to challenge for the No. 2 job.

"He has a lot of athletic ability, he can really run, he has more speed than the rest of the group," said coach Lovie Smith, a former Ohio State assistant. "He's exactly what you look for in a third quarterback. He just grows each day. He knows he's not going to play right away; he's getting ready for the future."

Krenzel might not get on the field all season. That's why August is so important to him. He's scheduled to play in the second half against San Francisco on Saturday night at Soldier Field.

If he keeps progressing, it might not be a cause for panic if he does have to play.

"He has a tremendous mind for retaining what you tell him," Shea said. "He doesn't play like, `Where do I go now.' He won't be your average No. 3 rookie. He could probably enter a game and make something happen for you."
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