Media Session Wednesday -Carolina Panthers Greg Olsen

Super Bowl 50 Media Session – Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers

There was a lot of concern in Carolina heading into the 2015 season after the Panthers lost their 2014 first round draft pick Kelvin Benjamin. The team had already moved on from Steve Smith (Sr) and were relying on Benjamin to have another stellar year.

Many of the NFL pundits wondered if the Panthers would have the offensive weaponry to make a serious run. Lets face it, Devon Funchess and Kevin Norwood do not scream Super Bowl caliber players as you read their stat sheets.

Ted Ginn Jr, sure, there’s a name everybody has heard of and the man does have some blazing speed, but this is also the same Ted Ginn Jr that was released by Arizona. While Ginn has played very well this year, Cam’s biggest weapon (both figuratively and literally) has to be Greg Olsen, aka “The Tank.”

The 6′ 5″ former University of Miami tight end had plenty to say at the Super Bowl 50′s Media Session Wednesday, and PPI was there for every word of it.

Greg Olsen when asked about the anticipation heading into the big game on Sunday, “I think once we get back into our routine here today with practice guys will settle in a little bit. We got here Sunday. We’ve really only had one day of practice. It’s now Wednesday. We haven’t done a whole lot of football as far as on the field. I think today will be kind of nice to get back out there and get into our routine now and have these next three heavy practice days and get going.”

Olsen’s take on head coach Ron Rivera, “Ron’s been everything you could ask for as a (coach). From day one, from our first meeting that we had as a team down at training camp in 2011, when a lot of us got here, his vision, his path that he saw our team taking has not changed. I think it’s a credit to him. I think it’s a credit to his leadership skills and his ability to keep this team moving in the right direction, through some ups and downs. This wasn’t just a happy honeymoon this whole time. We had some struggles there early, but it’s the belief the organization had in him as our leader and the players had in him as our leader and I think it’s paid dividends now sitting in this position.”

The Pro Bowl tight end also has a lot of respect admiration for his Offensive Coordinator -Mike Shula, “I think what Shula has been able to do with the complexity of our offense is pretty special. There’s not a lot of offenses like us, especially with our run game. With what we’re able to do, obviously with Cam being a huge element to that. We’ve got guys going in motion. We’ve got guys going in the backfield that are receivers and running options. That’s a complicated thing. And now throw on top of that, the next layer is, we’re doing it most of the time without getting in a huddle. I think you have to give a tremendous amount of credit. I don’t think he gets enough credit around the league. Every time you hear hot offensive minds and hot coordinators, I’m not sure why his name is not at the top of the list. But he’s been able to do – not only this year, but these last couple of years building to this moment. I don’t think enough can be said for what Mike has done.”

And just like every other Carolina Panther player, Olsen also fielded a couple questions regarding the great Cam Newton, and why not? Cam Newton and Greg Olsen combined for 1,104 yards this year to go along with 7 TDs.

The Carolina Panthers offense was responsible for the most points scored in the NFL in 2015, and Greg Olsen deserves a lot of the credit considering defenses around the League had to game plan and account for him at all times, which in return opened things up for the other Carolina receivers.

Greg Olsen commented on the relationship and trust that he now has with Cam Newton, “I think something like that grows organically. It’s just part of the evolution of that relationship. We’ve been through this, it’s now our fifth year. We’ve played a lot of games together. We’ve had a lot of game reps. We’ve had a ton of practice reps. I think the biggest thing is seeing things through the same set of eyes. Me understanding where he needs me to be, where he wants me to be and knowing that when he’s under pressure or he needs a big throw that it’s my responsibility to get open and be that guy that he can count on. He can get rid of that ball trusting that I’ll be open. Trusting that I’ll win. I take a lot of pride in that. But again, that relationship I think just the way things are in this league just comes with repetitions. It comes with being on the same page, talking things through countless times, going over things, looking at different looks. There’s a lot of work that goes into it before what everybody sees on Sunday.”

And a little more of Greg Olsen on Cam Newton, “On the field, he’s everything that you could hope for. There’s not a whole lot of guys playing now, if any, that has ever played that position the way he can, with that dual dynamic aspect of not only what he’s able to do throwing the ball, but the designed runs. And what he’s able to do when the ball is snapped – it’s not improvised. He’s not just scrambling. He’s running by design like a running back. There’s not a whole lot of guys in the history of this league that have been able to run the ball and take those hits and take that kind of on (their) shoulders like he has.”

Olsen continued, “On the field, I’m not sure how much better you could be at that position that he’s been not only this year, but the last handful of years. And then off of the field, since he’s gotten here, he’s been everything that you would hope. He’s a good teammate. He’s a good person. He’s good to be around. He brings a lot of energy. Everyone sees it on Sunday, but we see that in every walk-thru, every meeting. He brings a lot of life. He brings a lot of energy to everything he does and it’s contagious.”

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