Mark Craig: Bears discover their tight ends

Just in time to face the Vikings, Chicago learned how to get the ball to Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, players in the Ditka tradition.

By Mark Craig, Star Tribune

Last update: October 9, 2007 - 12:08 AM

GREEN BAY, WIS. - Somewhere, Mike Ditka had to be smiling.

Before he was Da Coach, Ditka was the man who revolutionized the NFL's tight end position. He turned it from a big, fat, third-tackle spot into a receiving position, holding the league record of 427 receptions by a tight end from 1966 until the first Kellen Winslow broke it in 1980.

Sunday night, the Bears turned to their tight ends during an improbable second-half comeback that denied the Packers their first 5-0 start since 1965, saved the Bears' season at least temporarily and stunned the second-largest crowd (70,904) in the history of Lambeau Field.

The 27-20 victory also served as the NFL breakout game for rookie Greg Olsen, the first tight end selected by the Bears in the first round of the NFL draft since Ditka in 1961. Playing in only his third NFL game, Olsen had four catches for 57 yards, including an acrobatic touchdown grab over the top of strong safety Atari Bigby to close the gap to 20-17 in the third quarter, and a 27-yard catch after beating free safety Nick Collins early in the game-winning, fourth-quarter drive.

Six plays later, with only 2 minutes, 5 seconds left in the game, quarterback Brian Griese turned to his other big-play tight end, Desmond Clark, for the game-winning 34-yard touchdown pass on third-and-2.

The original play call was for Griese to throw to fullback Jason McKie in the left flat, and if that didn't work, have Robbie Gould kick a 52-yard field goal.

Packers weak-side linebacker A.J. Hawk covered McKie, taking away that option. But rather than throw the ball away, Griese noticed Collins sneaking close to the line of scrimmage and strong-side linebacker Brady Poppinga biting on the play-fake to running back Cedric Benson.

That was when the 6-3, 249-pound Clark popped free and clear behind Collins. Not even the ghost of Ray Nitschke was between Clark and the goal line.

"As soon as [Griese] let it go, I was thinking, 'That's a touchdown,'" Clark said. "I could have high-stepped it into the end zone if I wanted to."

While Ditka might be smiling, Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier probably isn't. The Bears offense is anything but explosive, but Frazier still has to account for the Bears finally figuring out a way to exploit the mismatches presented by Clark and Olsen, a 22-year-old with Jeremy Shockey-like speed, strength and size (6-5, 254).

Using a combination of coverages by the safeties and linebackers, the Vikings have given up 24 catches for 277 yards (11.5) and no touchdowns to seven different tight ends this season. That's an average of six catches for 69.3 yards per game. Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez, the most athletic tight end the Vikings have faced this year, had seven catches for 96 yards to spark the Chiefs' 13-10 comeback victory over the Vikings on Sept. 23.

Entering the Packers game, the Bears' tight ends had a combined 19 catches for 204 yards and one touchdown. Sunday night, Clark and Olsen had seven catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns, including five for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the game's final 20 minutes.

It was one of the better performances by Chicago tight ends since Ditka was grabbing 56 passes -- still a Bears rookie record, by the way -- and 12 touchdowns during his NFL Rookie of the Year season 46 years ago. And it couldn't have come at a better time, what with the Bears facing a 1-4 start and a four-game deficit in the NFC North. Now they're 2-3, two games behind the Packers and one behind the Lions.

"This was as much of a must-win as you can get for us," Griese said. "We needed the momentum, and we needed the confidence. I thought our guys came out and played with heart and character. That's what I'm most excited about."

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com