Olin Kreutz says there was too much talking, not enough accountability from Bears

Following their loss to the Washington Commanders last Sunday, the Chicago Bears have had a week full of distractions and conversation around many different off-field facets of their team. Much of the talk in the national spotlight has centered around cornerback Tyrique Stevenson's mental lapse on the final Hail Mary play that cost them the win, the coaching decisions by the Bears on the last two plays on defense, and a goal-line handoff to Doug Kramer Jr., who fumbled it away.

Many of the veterans on the Bears have spoken up this week about Stevenson taking accountability for his actions and coming together as one unit from all the players. One former player, longtime Bears center Olin Kreutz, believes there has been too much talking and not enough accountability from this team following their catastrophic loss. When discussing head coach Matt Eberflus, Kreutz compared it to fellow NFC North coach, Dan Campbell, and called for the Bears' coach to take more accountability for the loss.

"I think as a leader you can always take blame, you can always stand up and say 'we screwed that up' coaching staff we have to do better, we have to do a better job at that point in the game," Kreutz said on 670 the Score. "And I think he should do that. I think he should take responsibility when you do something wrong because a lot of times when you do that, people will follow you even more. I've heard coaches say taking responsibility in the media is a death sentence. It's been a bad week, with players talking, with coaches not taking accountability. For me, there's too much talking, too much guys not taking accountability."

Understanding how times and the society have changed since his playing days, Kreutz also mentioned that sometimes not saying anything at all is also okay to do.

"I know everyone says nowadays we all express ourselves, sometimes it's OK not to too," he said. "Sometimes it's OK to keep quiet. I always say, are the winning teams talking like this? Are the winning teams out there questioning their coach?"

The only way the Bears will be able to silence the talk around them and put the loss behind them is to get back to the win column in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. There's been strong criticism from players, national media, and former players alike, and all of that combined makes this Sunday's game feel that much more important to not lose the team at this point of the season.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Olin Kreutz says Bears talked too much, took no accountability