Greg Olsen ecstatic to be making first playoff appearance

Drafted by the Bears in 2007 a few months after they had reached the Super Bowl, tight end Greg Olsen never thought that he'd have to wait until his fourth season to make his first trip to the playoffs.

“I was excited to come here,” said Olsen, a first-round pick. “You expect to be back right away. But as a lot of teams know, for the most part, that’s not the case. It’s not easy to get this far. There’s a lot that goes into it.

“Myself and other guys who haven’t been in the playoffs are really anxious and are really excited for this opportunity. It’s been four years since we’ve been in the playoffs. We’re happy for our fans. It’s been kind of a tough couple of years. So we’re excited and we hope to do good things and keep this thing rolling."

Olsen caught 41 passes for 404 yards and 5 touchdowns this season. Although his statistics were down—he had 54 and 60 receptions the previous two years—he was among the Bears’ most valuable players.

“Greg’s numbers in the passing game are not what they could and probably should be for his abilities,”  said offensive coordinator Mike Martz. “He lines up at the line of scrimmage at the point of attack, but he’s also lined up at fullback and has been a lead blocker. We line him up at receiver.

“He does so many things for us and just being able to do that flexibility puts a lot of pressure on the defense, though his numbers wouldn’t indicate that.”

"I didn't have as many catches but I had as many impact plays if not more key catches, third downs, touchdowns, whatever the case," Olsen said. "I contribute in the running game, pass protection in the backfield, blitz pickup, so it's not always about stats. This year kind of opened my eyes to that." Olsen wanted a trade over the offseason, but he's happy now, which isn't surprising since winning cures most things.

Click here to order Greg Olsen’s proCane Rookie Card.



(chicagobears.com)