Greg Olsen stays in the plans

One could almost feel Bears general manager Jerry Angelo beaming in the press box Thursday night after tight end Greg Olsen shook a defender and hauled in a 15-yard touchdown toss from Todd Collins.

As offensive coordinator Mike Martz has insisted all preseason, Olsen appears to be a big part of the offensive plans — even if rumors persist about the former first-round pick being trade bait.

"Nothing to it,'' Angelo said, referring to a recent report that Olsen remained on the market. "(The rumor) doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother him.
"Have we talked to people? There have been people that have called us, not just about him but about other players. And we always listen. But that's the one guy that everybody wants to make the story about.''

In fact, Angelo sees no reason to get rid of Olsen or any of the other tight ends on the roster: veterans Desmond Clark and Brandon Manumaleuna and third-year player Kellen Davis.

"We could easily carry four tight ends and not have a fullback and use our tight ends like a fullback,'' Angelo said. "So, that's going to be a position that is going to evolve as the season goes on. But I see us keeping four tight ends.''

Angelo was asked if the offensive line's struggles might dictate how the tight ends are used throughout the season. He shut down that theory and said the distinct abilities of the four should result in all of them dressing on Sundays.

That was consistent with how the tight ends were used early Thursday. Clark was in the backfield as a blocker and Olsen lined up outside on the first play, a 5-yard run by Chester Taylor. On the second play, Olsen and Manumaleuna lined up next to each other on the right side and cleared a path for Taylor's 10-yard run. Clark returned on third down and was used as a blocker along with Olsen as Taylor picked up 6 more yards.

Olsen did pick up an early false start but made up for it with the touchdown. Some tend to forget he led the team with 60 catches last season. And Angelo previously mentioned plans to split Olsen out wide more as a receiver.

Manumaleuna signed a five-year, $15 million deal ($6.1 guaranteed) for his blocking skills and finally has recovered from offseason knee surgery. Clark was unsure about his role after the Bears signed Manumaleuna, but he continues to be used in an H-Back role. And Davis' contributions on special teams make him valuable.

Olsen was asked if he is going to have fun growing in an offense not supposed to be friendly to tight ends.

"I think I am,'' he said. "I've had a great time this offseason with the different things that we've implemented, the things that we've played in and during practice moving around and such. I've had a great time learning the offense and I think everyone else has too."

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(chicagotribune.com)