Jun/11/09 07:26 PM Filed in:
Greg OlsenI have seen the future, and it’s Greg Olsen down the seam, open behind the safeties, touchdown, Bears!
OK, it was only during an offseason team activity Wednesday afternoon. And OK, there was no hitting. And OK, the safeties in question were Bears safeties, most of whom look like they model their game after electric football. But still.
It was the kind of play that has aggravated the Bears, if not outright killed them. That and the slant, which against the Bears is open like 7-Eleven.
But the seam pattern to Olsen is the kind of play that either goes for six or forces opponents to play honest, which opens up potential gamebreakers such as Devin Hester and whatever else the Bears can scrape up at the wide receiver position.
It is the kind of play that big-boy football teams use when they have a big-boy quarterback such as Jay Cutler.
“He throws the ball great,’’ Olsen said. “At the end of the day, you just adjust. At the beginning, the ball has a little extra zip on it, so you have to get your head around faster and get ready a little quicker. But after a while it becomes natural and you just adjust to it.’’
Bears fans can only hope the likes of safeties Kevin Payne and Craig Steltz learn to adjust as quickly as Olsen has. That, see, is another advantage to having Cutler in Lake Forest, even if it’s only June: The guys practicing against him will get better or get cut.
“I think the defense is excited to go against the offense,’’ Olsen said. “I think we’ve had a pretty good camp so far. I think they’re looking to get better against us.’’
Cutler has become the signal-calling defibrillator that has made the Bears and the team’s potential a hot topic, it seems.
“There’s definitely a pretty good buzz around the league about us right now,’’ Olsen said. “Around the city, too. I think there are a lot of high expectations for the team, especially the offense. I think guys are excited to go out there and play.’’
Opponents have been excited for two years now to go out and play against the Bears’ defense. Hope Cutler can make the defense better in practice and keep it off the field in games.
(blogs.chicagosports.com)