CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen knows how it feels to be the hotshot rookie drafted to replace the veteran. He was that guy in 2007 when the Chicago Bears made him the 31st pick out of Miami with veteran Desmond Clark entering his ninth year.
He remembers how tough Clark made it on him early in the transition and how it wasn’t until his third year that he became the starter.
“He wasn’t the guy that rolled over and played dead,’’ Olsen said of Clark. “I’ve always made that vow to myself that if I’m ever in that position, regardless of how much success I’ve had.