TE Greg Olsen: Three Keys to 2009, Courtesy of TSX
by The Sports Exchange of BearReport.com, September 8, 2009 at 1:50pm ET
Greg Olsen Profile
1. QB Jay Cutler has to stay healthy. Behind him are Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez, who have thrown a total of 11 NFL passes between them. Cutler threw for 4,526 yards last season. While he probably won't approach that number with the Bears, he has the ability to get the offense airborne when necessary. The backups are unproven and inexperienced.
2. The pass rush must improve. In the Bears' Cover-2 defense, pressure from the linemen is imperative. It was absent most of the 2008 season, when the Bears had just 28 sacks as a team and their leading sacker was DE Alex Brown, who had just six. That lack of pressure was a major factor in a pass defense that was 30th in yards allowed in 2008. Almost all of the players on the defensive line have returned, but the belief is that the coaching and teaching of Rod Marinelli will make them better as individuals and as a team.
3. TE Greg Olsen needs to have a breakout season. It won't matter that the Bears' wide receivers leave much to be desired, as long as Olsen and Cutler continue to display the chemistry that was evident from the early days of training camp. Olsen has the pass-catching ability, the speed, the hands and the body control to be an 80-catch guy, challenge the 1,000-yard barrier and possibly hit double digits in TD catches.
|
