Pro Bowl Year Not a Foregone Conclusion
by The Sports Exchange of BearReport.com, October 16, 2009 at 9:48am ET

Greg Olsen Profile

As far as Pro Bowl campaigns go, Greg Olsen's is off to a sluggish start.

The Bears traded for Jay Cutler on April 2, and by April 3, there was already speculation that Olsen was destined for greatness and would be a frequent visitor to the Pro Bowl in years to come. Common opinion was that a Pro Bowl quarterback like Cutler was all a talented tight end like Olsen needed to realize his immense potential and start putting up Tony Gonzalez numbers – or at least numbers in that ritzy neighborhood.

However, through the Bears' first four games, Olsen has 10 catches for 94 yards, a pace that would leave him with 40 receptions and 376 yards, not nearly enough to get to the Pro Bowl or warrant comparisons to Gonzalez.

Olsen doesn't blame his slow start on trying to live up to the hype, and he's still confident he can achieve the greatness that's been predicted for him.

"I feel that I have that type of potential and that type of ability," the 6-5, 255-pound Olsen said. "Things have to go your way sometimes and [you have to] get the breaks. But I feel good overall about how my game's been through the first quarter of the season.

"I know a lot of the other stuff gets looked past – the run blocking, pass blocking, stuff like that – but I'm not really too concerned about all the stuff that gets said. I feel good about where I'm at and just have to continue to not press and, when the chances come, just make the best of them."

Apparently, opposing teams also figured Cutler would be looking to Olsen frequently, what with the lack of respect that the Bears' wide receivers received early in the season. Olsen has been attracting more attention than ever from opposing defenses.

"I'd say it's a significant upgrade, especially from my rookie year," Olsen said. "But that happens. A lot of guys around the league get different attention and different looks each week, and you just have to adjust and take what's there. [Against the Lions], we were able to score a lot of points. At the end of the game, it's not about how many catches and the stats. When the plays come your way, make them, and the rest of the stuff takes care of itself. I'm not too worried about stats around here."

But Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner is concerned about getting the ball into Olsen's hands, whether he's lining up as a traditional tight end, split outside like a wide receiver or in the fullback position – all of which he's done this year.

"He can do a lot of things," Turner said. "He and I talked last week. We've got to get him more balls in the passing game. Having him be able to do so many things is a luxury. We can line him up out there, and they don't know if he's going to line up as a wide receiver or line up as a tight end or at the fullback and be a lead blocker. So that definitely gives us the ability to do a lot of things."



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Greg Olsen
Ht: 6-6 Wt: 254
Position: TE
Date of Birth: 03/11/1985
Birthplace: Wayne,  NJ
Experience: 3
High School: Wayne Hills HS
(Wayne, NJ)
College: Miami (FL)


Biography:

PRO CAREER: Named to the Pro Football Weekly/Professional Football Writers of America all-Rookie team after hauling in 39 receptions for 391 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2007… Finished fifth among all rookies in receptions and ninth in receiving yards in 14 games played after missing the first 2 contests with a knee injury… Became just the second Bears rookie TE to surpass 300 receiving yards, trailing only Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (1,076 yards in 1961)… Had 6 receptions of 20 yards or more during rookie season while leading or tying for the team lead in receptions three times… Caught 1st career TD pass at GB (10/7/07), which was the first TD reception by a Bears rookie since WR Bernard Berrian caught a 35-yard TD pass at NYG (11/17/04)… Combined with Desmond Clark (545) for 936 receiving yards in 2007, the most by a Bears TE duo in franchise history when each player has over 100 yards receiving… Was a part of a Bears TE trio (Clark, 44, and John Gilmore, 3) in 2007 that hauled in 86 receptions, the most catches in a single-season for Bears tight ends in franchise history… 2008 Piccolo Award winner.

HOW ACQUIRED: Entered NFL as a first-round selection (31st overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft.

PERSONAL NOTES: Attended Wayne High School (N.J.) where he was named USA Today first-team All-American as a senior in 2002 and was one of three finalists for Gatorade National Player of the Year… Also named first-team All-America selection by Parade magazine, SuperPrep and PrepStar… Rated third overall on ESPN's list of 100 players nationally… Helped team to a 12-0 mark in 2002 and New Jersey Group 3 state title… Older brother, Christian, was a quarterback at the University of Virginia and attended Chicago's rookie mini-camp in 2007 with Greg.