The Carolina Panthers are 2-0, an improvement from last season when they started six of their first seven games. The record may be good, but the way they’ve looked hasn’t been all that good. Cam Newton is struggling and I truly believe he’s more hurt than he’s letting everyone know, then again, he’s not obligated to tell us when he’s injured. Yesterday, they needed a defensive struggle to beat the Buffalo Bills. Although they won the game, they lost Greg Olsen for a while with a broken foot. He’ll need surgery and will be out for six to eight weeks to be exact.
Whenever the position of tight end is discussed, of course, you’re going to hear about Gronkowski first because he’s truly the best at the position right now and when he’s completely healthy, it’s not even a competition, Travis Kelce has made a nice name for himself in Kansas City, Jason Witten is still an effective force in Dallas as he’s getting up there in age, you have Jimmy Graham in Seattle and Jordan Reed in the nation’s capital but he struggles to stay healthy. Greg Olsen is just as good as those guys listed. I still believe he’s a top-five tight end in the league right now. When I watch him play, his catch radius stands out to me immediately. You can throw it slightly behind him, a little over and he will find a way to come down with the ball and make the catch. He’s able to line up in the slot where a receiver would normally be and you can cover him but he’ll make a play. The Panthers have found ways to really utilize him and get those mismatches with a linebacker or safety. He isn’t the fastest guy at the position, he’s not the biggest, but the guy is a solid football player and you talk about someone who shows a lot of mental toughness, that’s Greg Olsen. He’s the first and only tight end to record 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.
This is a big loss for the Carolina Panthers. Next, to Kelvin Benjamin, Greg Olsen has been Cam Newton’s other go-to guy. Every quarterback has that “security blanket” Rodgers has Cobb, Brady has Edelman (when he’s healthy), Prescott has Witten and Olsen was definitely Cam’s security blanket. Let’s see what the Panthers now do while he’s out.
