In recent years, Chicago has had one of the more consistent groups of tight ends in the league led by veteran Desmond Clark and emerging superstar Greg Olsen. A couple of months ago, I thought this was going to be one of the easier positions to write an article about. But with the arrival of new offensive coordinator Mike Martz and free agent acquisition Brandon Manumaleuna, things are just not as clear anymore.
Martz has never been one to really utilize the tight end position. Tight ends in Martz's mind are meant to block first and catch second; his philosophy is evident in the previous teams he coordinated. But let’s not forget that Martz has never had a tight end tandem as productive as Olsen and Clark.
In 2008 the Bears tight ends combined for 95 catches, 941 yards, with 4 touchdowns under mediocre quarterback Kyle Orton. When the Bears brought in Jay Cutler and was down on the receivers, everybody expected the tight ends to come out the strongest. Unfortunately, much like the entire 2009 season, the Bears tight ends took a step backwards with Cutler. Although they had a mind boggling 13 touchdowns, catches went down to 88 and 832 yards. Granted, the receiving corps really stepped it up.
So without further a due, let’s get to the breakdown.
GREG OLSEN- After being promoted above teammate Desmond Clark, everybody thought his numbers would sky rocket this season. Then they brought in Jay Cutler, and once they made a strong relationship on and off the field, everybody thought Olsen was a sure fire Pro Bowler. Again, this whole seasons been like this, but Olsen's lack of Pro Bowl numbers was a dissapointment. That's not to say Olsen didn't have a good season because he really did. Olsen had 60 catches with 612 yards. And oh yeah, tack on a whopping 8 touchdowns.
GREG OLSEN'S FUTURE- There's no doubting that Olsen has the potential to be one of the elite tight ends in the game for years to come especially when paired with a young gun in Jay Cutler. He has perfect height at 6'5'', soft hands, speed and the ability to find gaps in the middle of the field. But Olsen is still far from elite. The biggest knock on Olsen is his inability to block, whether it be run or pass. So unfortunately for Olsen, he is not favored by Martz. And there are some rumors that the Bears will trade Olsen? There is no way the Bears let one of the most athletic tight ends in the game go, especially since Jerry Angelo is infamous for his first round draft picks. Expect Olsen to be the number one tight end in 2010 and look for Martz to find ways to utilize his immense talent.
DESMOND CLARK- Desmond Clark has never been flashy in his 11 year career, but he has always been consistently reliable. After several years of being a very respectable starter for the Bears, Dez had to make room for emerging star in Greg Olsen, and he was fine with that role (At the age of 32 I'm sure he was fine with it.) But nobody expected his numbers to drop this low... 19 catches for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns? Granted he was injured for a very good portion of the season but even when healthy never showed the same swagger he had before.
DESMOND CLARK'S FUTURE- Dez is due $1 million plus a $475,000 roster bonus. Money shouldn't be the reason the Bears let him go...IF they let him go. But with Olsen the obvious starter for years to come, the signing of blocking tight end Manumaleuna and Martz scarce use of double tight end sets, they might want to cut him to make room for someone else. Again, this is just IF he is released. Other than that I fully expect him to be in a Bears uniform come the start of the season. 99% sure that Clark will play behind Olsen. Now whether the Bears re-sign him next year is a different story.
KELLEN DAVIS- Davis really went under the radar this season and rightfully so since he had limited playing time. But when given the opportunity, Davis really showed that he had potential to be great pass catching tight end. Davis had a minuscule 9 reception for 75 yards, but 3 of those catches were for touchdowns. And guess how many games he played in this season? Only 2.
KELLEN DAVIS'S FUTURE- Davis is a mammoth of a target at 6'7'' (Some report he's 6'8'') and that's probably why Cutler would favor him in the red zone. Davis has also immensely improved in his blocking skills from his rookie season. Although he gets overlooked by the one-two punch in Olsen and Dez, Davis could be a very solid number two tight end and that's just one more reason Clark is in danger next year. Expect him to be on the roster next year.
BRANDON MANUMALEUNA- Brandon Manumaleuna is among the worst pass catching tight ends in the game and unfortunately that's been the case for him throughout his 8 year career (Although he did have a decent season in 2003 when he had a career high 29 receptions.). This season Brandon only had 5 catches for 13 yards the whole season. But enough with the bashing, if he wasn't good the Bears wouldn't have wasted their money on him. Brandon is known best for his aggressive run and pass blocking as he paved the way for some of the greatest in Marshall Faulk and Ladanian Tomlinson. He also has helped protect some of the elite quarterbacks in the league, Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger and Philip Rivers.
BRANDON MANUMALEUNA'S FUTURE- Brandon is the perfect fit in Mike Martz's system. He should be used mainly as a "third tackle" on the field. He'll get his share of playing time and because of his relationship with Martz, he may just beat out Davis for the third TE.
Martz has never been one to really utilize the tight end position. Tight ends in Martz's mind are meant to block first and catch second; his philosophy is evident in the previous teams he coordinated. But let’s not forget that Martz has never had a tight end tandem as productive as Olsen and Clark.
In 2008 the Bears tight ends combined for 95 catches, 941 yards, with 4 touchdowns under mediocre quarterback Kyle Orton. When the Bears brought in Jay Cutler and was down on the receivers, everybody expected the tight ends to come out the strongest. Unfortunately, much like the entire 2009 season, the Bears tight ends took a step backwards with Cutler. Although they had a mind boggling 13 touchdowns, catches went down to 88 and 832 yards. Granted, the receiving corps really stepped it up.
So without further a due, let’s get to the breakdown.
GREG OLSEN- After being promoted above teammate Desmond Clark, everybody thought his numbers would sky rocket this season. Then they brought in Jay Cutler, and once they made a strong relationship on and off the field, everybody thought Olsen was a sure fire Pro Bowler. Again, this whole seasons been like this, but Olsen's lack of Pro Bowl numbers was a dissapointment. That's not to say Olsen didn't have a good season because he really did. Olsen had 60 catches with 612 yards. And oh yeah, tack on a whopping 8 touchdowns.GREG OLSEN'S FUTURE- There's no doubting that Olsen has the potential to be one of the elite tight ends in the game for years to come especially when paired with a young gun in Jay Cutler. He has perfect height at 6'5'', soft hands, speed and the ability to find gaps in the middle of the field. But Olsen is still far from elite. The biggest knock on Olsen is his inability to block, whether it be run or pass. So unfortunately for Olsen, he is not favored by Martz. And there are some rumors that the Bears will trade Olsen? There is no way the Bears let one of the most athletic tight ends in the game go, especially since Jerry Angelo is infamous for his first round draft picks. Expect Olsen to be the number one tight end in 2010 and look for Martz to find ways to utilize his immense talent.
DESMOND CLARK- Desmond Clark has never been flashy in his 11 year career, but he has always been consistently reliable. After several years of being a very respectable starter for the Bears, Dez had to make room for emerging star in Greg Olsen, and he was fine with that role (At the age of 32 I'm sure he was fine with it.) But nobody expected his numbers to drop this low... 19 catches for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns? Granted he was injured for a very good portion of the season but even when healthy never showed the same swagger he had before.DESMOND CLARK'S FUTURE- Dez is due $1 million plus a $475,000 roster bonus. Money shouldn't be the reason the Bears let him go...IF they let him go. But with Olsen the obvious starter for years to come, the signing of blocking tight end Manumaleuna and Martz scarce use of double tight end sets, they might want to cut him to make room for someone else. Again, this is just IF he is released. Other than that I fully expect him to be in a Bears uniform come the start of the season. 99% sure that Clark will play behind Olsen. Now whether the Bears re-sign him next year is a different story.
KELLEN DAVIS- Davis really went under the radar this season and rightfully so since he had limited playing time. But when given the opportunity, Davis really showed that he had potential to be great pass catching tight end. Davis had a minuscule 9 reception for 75 yards, but 3 of those catches were for touchdowns. And guess how many games he played in this season? Only 2.KELLEN DAVIS'S FUTURE- Davis is a mammoth of a target at 6'7'' (Some report he's 6'8'') and that's probably why Cutler would favor him in the red zone. Davis has also immensely improved in his blocking skills from his rookie season. Although he gets overlooked by the one-two punch in Olsen and Dez, Davis could be a very solid number two tight end and that's just one more reason Clark is in danger next year. Expect him to be on the roster next year.
BRANDON MANUMALEUNA- Brandon Manumaleuna is among the worst pass catching tight ends in the game and unfortunately that's been the case for him throughout his 8 year career (Although he did have a decent season in 2003 when he had a career high 29 receptions.). This season Brandon only had 5 catches for 13 yards the whole season. But enough with the bashing, if he wasn't good the Bears wouldn't have wasted their money on him. Brandon is known best for his aggressive run and pass blocking as he paved the way for some of the greatest in Marshall Faulk and Ladanian Tomlinson. He also has helped protect some of the elite quarterbacks in the league, Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger and Philip Rivers.BRANDON MANUMALEUNA'S FUTURE- Brandon is the perfect fit in Mike Martz's system. He should be used mainly as a "third tackle" on the field. He'll get his share of playing time and because of his relationship with Martz, he may just beat out Davis for the third TE.
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