Filed under: Chicago Bears, Seahawks, NFC North, NFC West
It all seems so silly now, all that speculation all spring that the Chicago Bears simply had to trade tight end Greg Olsen, because they had hired Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator, and we all know there's simply no room for a pass-catching tight end in the Martz offense.No room for Olsen in the Bears' offense? It sure didn't look that way for the first 16 minutes of play on Sunday, when Olsen got things started for the Bears by catching a 58-yard touchdown pass on Chicago's third offensive play, and quickly racked up 113 receiving yards to lead all players on Sunday afternoon. Olsen was outstanding, and Martz clearly saw something in watching tape of the Seahawks that indicated passes to Olsen down the deep middle of the field would be open.
In fact, Olsen could have finished with a lot more than 113 receiving yards. That's what he had after a 22-yard catch on the Bears' first play of the second quarter, and for the final 44 minutes of the game, he never caught another pass. The Bears threw to him a few more times, but by that point they had already built up such a big lead that there was no sense of urgency in their offense.
Basically, what we found out on Sunday is what we already should have known about the Mike Martz offense: It's all about getting everyone involved. Tight end, running back, wide receiver, it doesn't matter: Martz wants big plays in the passing game, whoever can deliver them. This week, he saw that the 37-year-old, slow-footed Seahawks safety, Lawyer Milloy, was going to be matched up with Olsen. And so he drew up a game plan that was heavy on passes to Olsen.
Martz can use a tight end who can catch the ball. He can use anyone who can catch the ball.
Olsen sounded confident in the week before the game, as if he knew he was going to make a difference on Sunday. He pointed out that even though his numbers were down this year, he felt like he was making major contributions in Martz's offense.
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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/16/greg-olsen-shows-what-a-tight-end-can-do-in-a-mike-martz-offense/
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