Why Did the Bears Give Away Greg Olsen?

"The Bears drafted a thoroughbred and tried to turn him into a plow horse."

It’s a pretty savvy move by the Panthers, whose offensive coordinator, Rob Chudzinski, was the tight end coach at the U when Olsen was there. And the Panthers’ new head coach, Ron Rivera, was previously in San Diego, where Antonio Gates was basically the focal point of the passing offense. So the Panthers clearly think highly of utilizing the tight end. Between retaining DeAngelo Williams and Steve Smith, drafting Cam Newton and trading for Olson, the Panthers will certainly be improved on last year’s 2-14 record. The goal should be 5-6 wins.

Initially, I thought the Panthers would look to bolster their defensive line in the 2012 draft, but now I’m wondering if they don’t land a Top 10 pick and end up grabbing one of the many WR studs who will be available. If Cam Newton shows flashes that he could be a star, throw that guy a bone!

The Bears? I’ve said it before – it’s going to be a long season. (Note: I was one of the few that predicted they’d make the playoffs last year.) I think they start 0-3 and it snowballs into an awful season, with Cutler being the biggest scapegoat. And with Peppers and Urlacher not getting any younger, while the Packers and Lions look more and more impressive … I can see the Bears winning six games and finishing behind the Vikings. I can’t wait to see the NFL over/unders and take the under on the Bears.