Olsen's potential appears limitless

Maybe it wasn't exactly a breakout game for first-round pick Greg Olsen last week, but the rookie tight end's 4 catches for 57 yards -- including a 19-yard touchdown -- gave an accurate indication of what to expect in the future.

And, considering Olsen's freaky combination of size, speed, hands and run-after-the-catch ability, the future could be now.

Vikings strong safety Darren Sharper dissed Olsen and fellow Bears tight end Desmond Clark earlier in the week, saying he doesn't concern himself with tight ends.

But Minnesota's defense has allowed more passing yards than all but two teams in the NFL this season, and Sharper might have more regard for Olsen by the end of the day.

Olsen's performance last week didn't surprise him. He seems to consider it overdue, maybe as the result of a sprained knee that kept him out of the first two games.

"I've felt pretty comfortable every time I've gotten out there," Olsen said of his brief NFL career. "So I don't think there was ever one moment where I said, 'All right, I can do this.' I never really felt out of place. I always felt like I could contribute. Obviously, when your leg doesn't work as good as it should, you're a little behind the eight ball."

Because Olsen has the speed to line up as a wide receiver, the size to work underneath and the receiving skills to be a factor anywhere in the passing game, the Bears have the option of using him in a variety of ways, looking to take advantage of a mismatch.

"We're definitely going to continue to move him around and see how they react to it and how they adjust," said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. "If they're doing things to take away him on the outside, it's going to open up some other stuff. If he continues to make plays, they'll definitely have to make some adjustments to him."

Bears defenders saw early in training camp the kind of matchup problems that Olsen could cause, and they've been eager to see him give opponents the kind of fits he gave them back in Bourbonnais.

"I've been sort of waiting for him to get some chances like he did (against the Packers)," linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. "All training camp, in practice it didn't seem to matter if there was a linebacker or a safety or whoever on him. If you get him in a 1-on-1 situation, it's probably a good bet. I think we figured that out about him (last) week.

"There are probably six or seven tight ends in the league that you consider guys that you just throw the ball to them and there's a great chance they're going to come up with it. If Greg evolves into that type of player, that'll be huge for us."