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Dan Pompei's Bears mailbag

March 20, 2010|By Dan Pompei | On the NFL

I really think your assesment of Greg Olsen is very off. You were quoted as saying "There is a reason almost every team in the NFL wants a fast tight end who can catch like Olsen," yet the best pick they have been offered in a trade is a sixth-rounder. So no, I wouldn't say that he's highly coveted. Most teams want the traditional tight end like Todd Heap, Dallas Clark, Jeremy Shockey, Vernon Davis, guys who can play physical and block. Olsen does neither. He basically has good hands and is kinda fast, not as fast as your're making him out to be. He has proven NOTHING in this league, and to assume hes going to garner a second- or third-round pick is absurd considering what kind of players you can get with picks that high (Moss, Boldin, Seymour, etc.)-- Brad, Chicago

You think my assessment of Olsen is off? I think your assessment of Olsen is off. Those other tight ends you mentioned--Todd Heap, Dallas Clark, Jeremy Shockey and Vernon Davis--also don't block much differently than he does. I agree with you that Olsen hasn't proven much. He can play a lot better than he has.

I've been a hardcore Bears fan ever since they hired Lovie. I have a lot of respect for him and believe that the media doesn't give him the credit he deserves. But for some reason in a press conference, I remember hearing him say that as long as he was coach of the Bears, Adrian Petterson would have a position on the team. I'm a huge fan of Petterson because he gives the Bears great special teams production and a change of pace at running back. Why wouldn't they keep him around and has Lovie ever made that statement or am I not remembering correctly? -- Marc Kranz, Ingleside

I do not recall Lovie making that statement, and would be surprised if he did. The Adrian Peterson of 2010 isn't the same Adrian Peterson of 2006, so he has to be evaluated differently than he was evaluated four years ago. The Bears coaching staff obviously lost confidence in Peterson as a runner, based on the number of opportunities he was given in recent years. And the team would probably like to get a younger player in Peterson's special teams role.

What are we to expect of Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton? -- RichCatt, Crossville, Tenn.

If I gave you a definitive answer, I'd be lying, because no one knows about Gilbert and Melton. Neither player has done enough, or had enough opportunities for anyone to know if he can play at the NFL level. We won't start to get a clearer picture about either player's future until training camp.

People enjoy bashing the Bears receivers, but I think we have a lot of potential. There's a part of me that would like to see a veteran receiver in there to kind of show these kids the ropes (Hester doesn't count for this role.) That said, how do you think Iglesias fits in this year? -- Craig S, Bloomington, Ill.

If Juaquin Iglesias does not see the field this year, we probably can write him off. But indications are that he made progress during his rookie season, and the team remains encouraged by him. With the way Mike Martz likes to use multiple receiver sets, there should be opportunities for Iglesias. But the biggest hurdle for him might be finding his way onto the active roster. As we head into offseason workouts, Devin Aromashodu, Earl Bennett, Devin Hester and Johnny Knox all appear to be ahead of Iglesias on the depth chart. And the Rashied Davis is ahead of him too because of his special teams ability. The Bears won't keep six receivers on the active roster for most games--so Iglesias is going to have to leapfrog someone, either through performance or injury.

I believe in old-school football. It all starts up front. What are the Bears doing or thinking about for the O-line this year because what I saw last year was the worst blocking I've seen in years. -- John Walshot, Jesup, Ga.

The Bears are hoping for improvement from within on their offensive line. It's worth noting that the offensive line improved over the course of last season, and was playing its best football towards the end of the year. Chris Williams is a more natural left tackle than left, and it showed after he was moved to the left side. This year, it's probable the team will move Frank Omiyale to right tackle, where he will compete with Kevin Shaffer. And Josh Beekman probably will slide back into the left guard spot unless the Bears acquire someone else, either through free agency or the draft. The team also believes new assistant coach Mike Tice will have a positive impact on this group. He had better, because you are right--the line clearly was not good enough one year ago.