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| Sports ExtraFriday, August 31, 2007 10:40 PM CDT |
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Olsen hurt in Bears' loss
CHICAGO — Those stuck in traffic Thursday night on their way to Soldier Field for the final exhibition game against the Browns probably missed seeing the Bears’ No. 1 offense in action. They didn’t miss a thing at the start of the 19-9 Bears loss. By time the cars were parked, so were the offensive starters. Rex Grossman took three snaps — all cleanly, by the way — and then took a seat with the rest of the first-teamers. That would have been a good spot for tight end Greg Olsen to stay. The rookie first-round pick, whose rare ability with size and speed offers to change the complexion of the Bears’ passing game, left the game with 2 minutes 10 seconds left in the second quarter with what coach Lovie Smith called a left knee bruise. For some reason Olsen was still in the game with many backup offensive players and limped off the field after catching a 3-yard pass from No. 3 quarterback Kyle Orton. On the play, Browns linebacker Clifton Smith tackled Olsen and drove his knee into the ground. After being examined by trainers on the sideline, Olsen smacked his hand on one of the tables in disgust. It was a reaction to which any Bears fan watching could relate. He retreated into the locker room for X-rays. “We don’t know any more than that,’’ Smith told WBBM-AM at halftime. “Right now he has a knee bruise. Hopefully, he’ll be OK.’’ If Olsen misses any amount of time, or is unavailable for the season opener in nine days, it will put a damper on a preseason in which the biggest priority this month was having its key players enter the regular season healthy. The rookie has developed so rapidly and already has become such a perceived threat on the offense that it begs the question why Smith still would have had him on the field with absolutely nothing to gain. Olsen going into the locker room early also overshadowed the positive health development of the night: defensive tackle Tommie Harris’ debut. In what was another slight risk, Harris played seven plays and took a small but significant step in his recovery from hamstring reattachment surgery. Two series is hardly enough to gauge whether Harris can regain his Pro Bowl form but his trademark burst looked familiar. Harris didn’t make a tackle and on one running play gave more ground than one normally would expect from him. But his technique was sound and he showed good quickness shedding blocks. Even if Harris lacked the force that distinguishes him, just getting back in the trenches to explode out of his stance carried more mental significance than physical. Because Harris had not taken on a block in live action since last Dec. 4 against the Vikings, questions had started to linger whether he was healing as well as everyone expected “I felt good and I’m just thankful for being here,’’ Harris told WBBM-AM during the game. “I just waited till the last preseason game. It was the smartest thing to do so that’s what we did.’’ That can be debated but Smith wisely realized Grossman had as little to gain as he had to prove from playing in the fourth exhibition game. The Bears might have given Grossman a cap and a clipboard but didn’t to ensure he would go through the proper preparation to build those habits. “I thought I was going to play two or three series so I was kind of surprised,’’ Grossman told WBBM-AM during a sideline interview. Asked if he got anything out of taking just three snaps, Grossman was honest. “You practice preparing for a team but not really,’’ he said. “Who cares?’’ Indeed, the Browns might get excited over beating a Super Bowl contender on its home field but the only losers were the 52,198 Bears fans who showed up and paid full price to watch Chris Leak throw to David Ball for most of the second half. Ball’s leaping one-handed catch ruled out of bounds should be spectacular enough to warrant him a spot on the practice squad—hands that exceptional are worth keeping under contract. Wide receiver Mike Hass, as if motivated to outdo Ball, a few plays later locked up his spot on the roster with a 9-yard touchdown grab that displayed concentration and surprising athleticism. Few other backups distinguished themselves. Neither Brian Griese nor Orton did anything in extended duty that will light up talk-radio phone lines. Running back Garrett Wolfe showed better wiggle in the open field against a bunch of Browns’ backups but the pace will quicken when he is trying to fake out the Chargers’ Shawne Merriman. Exciting as Wolfe was, the performance likely won’t have an effect on how he fits into the Bears offense. In reality, they could have slotted the 53-man roster before Thursday’s game and it wouldn’t have looked much different than after final cuts are made this weekend. There was more suspense in wondering how Lance Briggs was getting home. But the game wasn’t a totally meaningless effort. Consider it the first practice for the Chargers game for the Bears defense, which was facing the same offensive scheme it will see in San Diego. Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski spent the past two years on the Chargers staff and brought the high-scoring offense with him. So at least the defense saw something it needed to against the Browns. Unlike the offense that, thanks to Olsen’s injury, watched something it dreaded to see. (c) 2007, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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DA-BEARS wrote on Aug 31, 2007 9:16 AM:
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