Chicago Bears: What the Greg Olsen Trade Means to Mike Martz and Bears Offense

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When the Chicago Bears moved tight end Greg Olsen to Carolina for a 2012 third-round draft pick, there were a lot of upset fans. But I'm here to tell you that it was a wise move for a Mike Martz-led offense.

Now, I'm not going to say that this is the start of a return to the "Greatest Show on Turf" or anything. For one, Soldier Field is grass. Very bad grass, of course, and it lacks the quickness of turf. And, the Bears receivers don't stack up to the Rams, nor do they have Marshall Faulk in his prime.

Still, Martz values tight ends catching the ball about as much as Lovie Smith embraces reporters. They are blockers, first and foremost, not receivers.

With that said, the move made sense for the Bears. Last year, Martz was forced to flex to the offensive capabilities of the club, which meant less passing plays and a reduced playbook.

But in the second year of the Mike Martz Experience, we will start to see more of what the man loves to do and that is more three- and four-wide receiver sets.

Olsen just didn't fit into that picture.

So let's see how the trade of Olsen and the recent acquisitions do fit into the Martz offense for 2011.

How Does Marion Barber Fit into the Picture?

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Recognizing that the trade of Olsen likely means that Martz will be opening up the passing game even more, why did the Bears feel the need to sign Barber?

Well, for one thing, perhaps it signals the end of the road for Chester Taylor with the Bears.

Until the move was made to sign Barber, I figured the Bears may as well keep Taylor, since they paid the majority of his contract last year when he earned $7 million.

However, "earned" is not the right word to use, as Taylor had a historically bad season in 2010, averaging 2.4 yards per carry. Folks, that was the worst average in the history of the NFL for running backs with 100 or more touches in a season.

Barber is a big back who can help in short-yardage situations. His 47 touchdowns rank sixth among all backs over the past six seasons.

But Matt Forte, who came into camp looking extremely ripped, will get the majority of the carries, so it's hard to envision three backs fitting into this offense.

Three's not company, three's a crowd. Especially as Taylor came into camp in something less than the best shape of his life.  

Mike Martz Gets Opportunity to Run the Offense He Prefers

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To me, what the Olsen trade acknowledged, perhaps more than anything, is that Martz will have more say in the offense this season.

We didn't really see the typical Martz offense last year because the blocking was bad and the receivers didn't always run the right route.

This offense, dubbed The Greatest Show on Turf in St. Louis, relies on precise route running by the wideouts and using a lot of four-receiver sets.

So just what is the Martz offense?

In St, Louis, Martz would have at least two of his receivers running either a skinny post, a deep route or a crossing pattern, while his backs (hello, Marshall Faulk) would often run what is called a "rail route" out of the backfield.

A rail route is similar to a wheel route, where the receiver can stack the coverage and turn the route into a vertical stream. The Bears want Forte to press the numbers and stem his route up the field.

This will allow Forte to release without getting chipped by the rushing DE.  

Martz also uses draws, screens and play-action passes to slow the opponents' pass rush.

This scheme depends on solid blocking, by the line, the backs, the receivers and, yes, the tight ends.

Why Were the Roy Williams and Sam Hurd Signings Important?

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So if the Bears are not going to throw to the tight ends as much and want to open up the passing game, why didn't they go out and get a true No. 1 wideout?

Good question, I'm glad you asked.

While one could easily say that the Bears are too cheap, it seems that even Martz seems fine with this. In fact, a receiver like Roy Williams is just want he wanted.

Not only has Williams worked before with Martz in Detroit, but he is a very good blocker. And that was an area that the Bears other receivers were not always good at last season.

Again, remember how critical blocking is in the Martz offense. Not only does the tight end need to be a strong blocker (goodbye, Olsen), but it helps if the receivers can do this as well.

For all the talk about the Bears needing a tall wideout, it is really the ability to run good routes, catch the ball and block that matters more to Martz.

But oh, by the way, it doesn't hurt that the 29-year-old Williams is 6'3". And while he caught only 37 balls last year, can you guess when the only time he went over 1,000 yards was? 2006 in Detroit.

Meanwhile, Sam Hurd has not contributed much on offense since coming into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois, but he is a special teams standout and could be effective as a slot receiver.

Hurd could ease the loss of special teams standouts Rashied Davis and Danieal Manning.

What About the Offensive Line?

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UPDATE: The Bears signed former Seattle free agent center Chris Spencer. Olin Kreutz will not return.

Ah, now this is the area in which the Bears had better do something or everything else I've been writing about is for naught.

Sure, it was great that Gabe Carimi, a big left tackle who will likely play on the right side in the pros, fell to them in the first round of the draft, but what have those high picks done for us lately?

The next order of business is to re-sign Olin Kreutz. It sounds to me like there is a lot of posturing going on between his agent and the Bears over a measly $500,000, so hopefully they will eventually come to terms.

If not, then the team faces a big decision. The early indications are that they will use Roberto Garza or Edwin Williams in the middle, though Williams can't practice until August 4th due to the new rules.  

The scary thing is that assistant head coach Mike Tice has indicated that the Bears may look to Chris Williams as the long-term replacement at center for Kreutz, even if Olin comes back for one more year.

Kreutz is the leader of that unit, and if he doesn't return, it will create a ripple effect on the line. Tice may be a good coach, but he isn't a magician.

There are free agents still out there for the Bears to consider, but so far it appears they have no plans to make such a move. But they need to.

What Does This Mean for Jay Cutler?

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I recently wrote a piece suggesting that Cutler was going to have a Pro Bowl year in 2011. And he could, but a lot of things have to go right for the Bears and for Cutler.

He has to remain healthy and upright. A lot of that has to do with how well the line performs, of course.

Meanwhile, what was his reaction to his best friend Olsen's trade?

According to reports, he took it as a normal business move and, at least publicly, doesn't seem bothered by it.

But he has to be excited about the possibility of Martz running the brand of offense that utilizes the pass play a lot more. Again, as long as he gets the blocking he needs.

I feel that as long as Cutler continues to use his feet to dart away from the oncoming rush, and the team uses the rollout effectively (Martz doesn't like to do this, however. He prefers his QB to stand in the pocket), Cutler will be in better position than last year even if the line isn't stellar.

Cutler has a lot to prove this year, both to himself, his teammates and fans, and even the idiots who questioned his toughness. Even he has to know that his talent has outshone his performance to date, and he is capable of having a breakout year any time.

Why not this year?  

So Who Replaces Olsen?

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Last year, Bears tight end Desmond Clark seemed to be in the doghouse, as he inexplicably did not dress for many of the games.

This year, there have been more changes. Olsen was traded, and Brandon Manumaleuna was released after failing his physical.

So who will replace these guys? Well, the top candidate is Matt Spaeth. The Bears agreed to a deal with the former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end, giving the team two TEs who stand 6'7".

The other one, of course, is the interesting Kellen Davis. I am intrigued by Davis, though he seems less capable of a blocker than Spaeth, and remember, Martz requires blocking from his TEs.  

Spaeth was used primarily as the Steelers' blocking tight end in double tight-end sets. In the passing game, Spaeth contributed nine catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, so he won't replace Olsen on that front.

The truth is that perhaps no TE will actually replace Olsen. Rather, it will open up the offense for more wide receiver sets and use the TEs to block, except in rare situations.

And actually, Spaeth is the kind of player the team hoped that Manumaleuna would be, except he was out of shape and had nagging knee injuries last season.