Good article on Greg Olsen by the Chicago Tribune

[PhillyB]

(i got the article from a Bears messageboard, and i don't have the original link to post... sorry tribune)

Dan Pompei On the NFL 9:33 p.m. CDT, July 28, 2011

Using a high draft choice on the wrong player is one thing. Using a high draft choice on the right player and then failing to use him properly is another.

The Bears never really figured out what to do with Greg Olsen, other than to trot him out in front of the cameras wearing pink cleats and gloves to promote breast cancer awareness. He's good about having a social conscience and connecting with the public.

He's also good at stretching the seam and making big plays. He didn't get a chance to do enough of that in his four years with the Bears, but now should after being shipped to the Panthers on Thursday for a third-round pick in 2012.

Olsen should have been in the Pro Bowl by now. He has that kind of ability. But he didn't have those kinds of game plans.

Give the Bears credit for this much: If they couldn't make their round hole fit the square peg, at least they recognized it. Matt Spaeth is the kind of tight end who Mike Martz likes. Olsen is not.

What general manager Jerry Angelo did Thursday was give Martz what he wanted.

Olsen was being wasted in Chicago. He had one reception of 25 yards or more last year. There were 127 NFL players who had more than one.

In his Bears career, Olsen averaged 10.2 yards per reception. Over the last four years, 35 tight ends averaged better for at least one season, including such forgettable names as Joel Dreessen, Joe Klopfenstein and David Martin.

Olsen also averaged 32 yards per game over the same period of time. Around the NFL, 21 tight ends did better in at least one season.

Don't think for a second 35 tight ends, or even 21 tight ends, are more gifted receivers than Olsen.

"He easily is one of the 10 most talented receiving tight ends in the league," said one NFC personnel director who was surprised to see Olsen traded.

Olsen ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the 2007 scouting combine. His speed translates to the football field, too, making him one of the league's fastest tight ends.

That speed seemed to concern opposing defenses more than it excited the Bears.

"We had a hard time matching up with him," the personnel man said. "You always have to account for him, and when they play two tight ends and extend him, you don't know if you should play nickel or base. He could compromise your defense."

Players like Olsen are worth bending your scheme for. But the Bears tried to bend the player. They wanted him to major in blocking and minor in receiving.

Olsen should be a better fit with the Panthers. There he will be reunited with one of his college coaches, Rob Chudzinski, who, curiously enough, was not interested in becoming the Bears offensive coordinator when he interviewed with the team before last season. If Chudzinski had gotten job instead of Martz, it's safe to assume Olsen would not be calling the moving vans this morning.

Even though Olsen will have a play-caller who fits him better, he probably won't have a quarterback who fits him better. It may take awhile before Cam Newton starts passing as well as Jay Cutler.

Then again, Olsen's ballyhooed relationship with Cutler didn't really benefit him as much as it should have. The two of them appeared to have great chemistry at several points around River North. That chemistry was less obvious a couple of miles away at Soldier Field.

Cutler lost a buddy. Chicago charities lost an advocate. And the Bears offense lost an average blocking tight end.

The Bears drafted a thoroughbred and tried to turn him into a plow horse.

That's so Bears.

Apologies if this has been posted, but I didn't see it anywhere. It seems this wasn't such a horrible move on the Bears' part after all, if you believe the article, but if it was a decent move for the Bears it was a blockbuster for the panthers. Chudz just got his allstar tight end and i think he's going to be a staple of a deadly carolina offense for years to come. :patriot:

[Ivan The Awesome]

Great article, and I think it was posted already.

[Highlandfire]

Great Article! Chicago just further shows why that GM and HC need to go. You just took your QB's best and most relied upon weapon and a personal friend from him. Good job dumb asses.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

I still can't believe we got this guy for only a 3rd. Looks like such a bad trade for the Bears. I get it, he wasn't being utilized anyway, so he didn't have much value in Martz' scheme. Though I think it's better to adjust your scheme to maximize the talent you do have rather than ship out guys for much less than they're really worth but hey what do I know.

[TruCatzFan]

This is a different article.

I just watched his interview on panthers.com

He said He wants to finish his career here! How awesome is that.

This dude is gonna be a BEAST this year. I think that he'll go to the Pro Bowl in his first year here.

I think that it's interesting to note that both He and Cam did NOT mention LaFell, Gettis, or AE as threats or weapons. Hopefully it was intentional to spark them up. We all know the potential these guys have.

To sit here and try to put in words the sheer excitement I have for this team is damn near impossible. We are young and have locked in more than just our core this offseason.

Greg is really going to flourish as a Panther... So glad that we didn't end up giving a player for him in conjunction with the 3rd round pick!!! Best trade in Panthers history!

Edit: I also likes the way he said that we should expect BIG things this year... Not next year or two years from now. He's new to the team and already believes that they will be a force to be reackoned with... Hellz yeah!

[Cape Fear Cat]

You know, one of the things I have really missed seeing was a big, strong tight end grabbing catches and pouncing into the end zone. We've had some good ones (Wesley Walls comes to mind, obviously), but with Fox it was like playing with just ten men on offense. Like many of you, I can't help but wonder how last season would have gone if the tight ends had been utilized more as a safety valve for our QBs when they got in trouble. It's gonna be fun to watch this year!

[HPPantherzfan]

At practice yesterday he and Dwill were working with the JUGS machine doing some drills; it was amazing.

The dude was practicing catching balls one handed both right and left hand only dropping 1 ball. DWill only caught 1, I think. He was laughing the whole time and yelling at the fans that he was working on "knocking them down". Besides whoever number 75 is, he looked to be the biggest player on the team; he is a monster...white version of Julius Peppers IMO.

Those two seems to have bonded somewhat. After practice they started running sprints together and others joined in shortly after.

One great pick up for us, I love it!

[Razeyfingers]

The only knock on Olsen that ever seems to pop up is that he goes down too easy after the catch.