| 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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