Cutler: Greg Olsen will have key role in Martz's offense

BOURBONNAIS -- Jay Cutler isn't worried about Greg Olsen finding a role in the new Bears' offense.

Fans will get their first glimpse of Mike Martz's new show Friday afternoon when the Bears practice in shells at Olivet Nazarene University, and one of the interesting things will be how Olsen and the tight ends are deployed in the system.

What may have been some initial hesitation on the part of Olsen -- he knows Ernie Conwell's 38 receptions in 2001 is the most for a tight end in a Martz offense -- has changed, according to Cutler.

"I think Greg was a little bit frustrated early on because we were doing a lot of receiver sets and stuff," Cutler told "The Mully & Hanley Show" on WSCR-AM 670. "You've got to buy into the offense and I think that once he did buy into it and once he started doing everything he was asked to do, a lot more balls started going his way.

"Just talking with Mike, tight ends are going to be huge targets for us. We're going to use them down in the red zone, third down. Greg is so versatile we can put two receivers in and put him in and he can block for us, he can go out for us, he can do a lot of different things. So, I think if you talk to Greg recently, I think he is really happy with the offense and the direction it is going."

Cutler also has talked to Martz about the moving pocket and roll-outs. Cutler throws well on the run and is known for being a mobile quarterback. Previous offensive coordinator Ron Turner got to some of the bootleg and roll-out material in the playbook too late last season after Cutler publicly campaigned for it. Martz's quarterbacks typically have been dropback passers, but the Bears are looking to utilize Cutler's athleticism.

"Mike is definitely open to ideas and different things," Cutler said. "He's a football coach and he is going to do anything it takes to win games and if it means rolling out of the pocket that is what he is going to do. He's bent a little bit, we've put in some roll-outs. He's asked me some questions about things I have done in the past.

"It is definitely going to be a part of our offense. How big? We don't know that yet. It's going to depend on game plans and who we're playing against. We definitely have some stuff like that in there."

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(chicagobreakingsports.com)