Clark, Olsen do it all for Bears at tight end position

Aug/17/08 10:16 PM Filed in: Greg Olsen
GregOlsen
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen aren’t only one of the NFL’s best tight end tandems, they’re also two of the most complete players at their position in the league.

While catching a combined 83 passes for 936 yards and six touchdowns last season, the veteran and second-year pro also excel in other facets of the game in coordinator Ron Turner’s offense.

“We’re the type of people who just take it as it comes,” Clark said. “Whatever Ron wants us to do, we’ve go to do it. Playing tight end, that’s a unique position because you’ve got to do it all.

“Sometimes you come out of the backfield, sometimes [you’re responsible for] run-blocking, sometimes pass-blocking and sometimes catching passes. Our job is multifaceted and we just do whatever they ask us to do.”

Clark and Olsen were on the field together for several plays in last Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Chiefs, something that likely will continue.

Clark had 45 receptions in 2006 and 44 in 2007 and leads all NFL tight ends over that span with an average of 13.2 yards per catch. Olsen, meanwhile, showed promise as a rookie last season, catching 39 passes for 391 yards and 2 TDs after missing the first two games with a knee injury.

While tight end is the deepest position on the Bears offense, quarterback is among the key spots that remains unsettled. But Clark doesn’t feel that working with both Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton will hurt his rapport with whichever player wins the starting job.

“What I’ve been saying the whole time is that it’s a good thing that we get to work with both quarterbacks,” said Clark, who caught passes from Grossman, Orton and Brian Griese in 2007.

“Most of the time during the year you have to use more than one quarterback. Whoever wins the quarterback competition will be the starting quarterback. But sometime down the road, we might have to use that second quarterback and all this work that we’re getting in training camp will be good when he comes in.”

(chicagobears.com)