Greg Olsen is known for a lot of things - he's young, he's learning, he's been taking Jay Cutler drinking, and he's the Bears' real-life version of He-Man (just look at that hair). One thing that doesn't get much recognition is just how much Olsen is going to thrive in the offense with Cutler around.
Just having a good quarterback isn't enough to give a team a passing attack. Look at the Raiders - they've gone through QBs like tissue paper (Culpepper, Collins and Brooks to name a few) and have nothing to show for it. Having a guy who can throw the ball is only half the battle.
Having a guy who knows the system and is spending time with the new QB?
Excellent.
If there's one thing Greg Olsen has to his name, it's his amazingly soft hands. Olsen was targeted 82 times last season (second to Hester's 91), but unlike Hester, turned 54 of those passes into completions. That's a 65.9% catch percentage - better than the 57.1% catch percentage Cutler had with Brandon Marshall last season.
Now, I'm not saying that Olsen is going to be thrown to 182 times in a season like Marshall, but with Hester as the established deep threat and Forte hoping to return in a short yardage role, the 5-10 yard passing range is all Olsen's for the taking.
Look for Olsen to continue his steady rise to success this season and completely bust the door open on last year's statistics. 70 receptions and 700 yards? Hardly out of the question.
Having a guy who can catch the ball and stretch your passing attack?
Priceless.
2 comments:
Just having a good quarterback isn't enough to give a team a passing attack. Look at the Raiders - they've gone through QBs like tissue paper (Culpepper, Collins and Brooks to name a few)Wait, wait, I thought you said good quarterback!
Culpepper and Brooks had pretty good careers pre-Al Davis
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