Tag: Greg Olsen

Tom Brady’s Super Bowl LIX commentary had NFL fans missing Greg Olsen

Panthers great Greg Olsen was sorely missed during FOX’s broadcast of Super Bowl LIX.

Tom Brady may be the “G.O.A.T.” of the gridiron, but the same cannot be said—at least for now—about his abilities in the broadcast booth. That title, rather, may currently belong to a Carolina Panthers great.

FOX’s presentation of the Philadelphia Eagles’ dominant Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs had its A-squad on the call, with Kevin Burkhardt on play-by-play duties and Brady on analysis. That two-man team looked a bit different just a few years ago, as former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was the network’s No. 1 color commentator in the last Chiefs-Eagles showdown.

Olsen, however, was bumped away from Burkhardt beginning this season—leaving the top spot to Brady. And since then, fans have missed the two-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster.

Sunday night was no different . . .

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2 more Panthers greats will be eligible for Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026

Two more Panthers greats will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting next season.

There’s going to be quite a few Carolina Panthers legends on next season’s Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot.

With the 2025 class officially announced on Thursday night, we can now look forward to 2026—where a pair of old friends will get their initial crack at taking up residence in Canton, Ohio. Among the notable players with first-year eligibility are tight end Greg Olsen and linebacker Thomas Davis.

Olsen, who was traded to the Panthers in 2011 for a third-round pick, played nine of his 14 NFL seasons in Carolina. Up through the 2019 campaign, he reeled in 524 receptions for 6,463 yards and 39 touchdowns.

When adding in his four years in Chicago and his one in Seattle, Olsen finished with 8,683 receiving yards—the seventh-most all-time by a tight end. The two-time second-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler was also the first tight end in league history to record three straight seasons of 1,000 receiving yards.

Davis was selected by the Panthers with the 14th overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft. He’d become the first player to ever successfully return from three ACL tears, all of which occurred to the same knee.

The setbacks didn’t spell the end for Davis, who played his best ball after the injuries. Davis went on to earn three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro selection, beginning in his age 32 season.

Both Olsen and Davis were key presences for Carolina’s three straight NFC South titles from 2013 and 2015, a journey that ended with the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl appearance.

They will be under consideration alongside former teammates Luke Kuechly and Steve Smith Sr., both of whom fell short as finalists for the 2025 class.

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Greg Olsen opened up about his working relationship with Tom Brady after Fox Sports demotion

Olsen set the record straight.

When Fox Sports signed Tom Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract to lead its NFL booth, it meant that the network was prepared to demote then-lead analyst Greg Olsen to a regional broadcast team.

Now, this wouldn’t have been a huge deal if Olsen had struggled in the booth, but the former tight end was a rising star as a broadcaster and arguably the best color commentator working right now.

Last week, Olsen spoke about that frustration of being demoted, and he acknowledged that his goal is to be back in a national booth somewhere. Those remarks were taken by some as a shot at Brady, but on Thursday, Olsen made the point to set the record straight.

Speaking to NFL Network from New Orleans, Olsen clarified that he has no personal animosity towards Brady and has gone out of his way to help Brady as much as he can in this new role.

Olsen said:

“I’ve talked to Tom regularly throughout the season. We’ve gotten to know each other really well. I have a ton of respect for him, which goes without saying, as a player. But I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him as a guy since he’s joined Fox. So, this whole narrative of I hate watching him call games and all that is not true. So, here I am, on national TV … setting the record: I have no personal (animosity). I like Tom. I want to see him. I’ve tried to help him. I answer questions to the best that I can help. But I want to see him do well.”

As Olsen explained, he can root for his own personal success without it being at the expense of Brady. While there isn’t an open job currently in a lead booth, Olsen will likely be a network’s first call when a vacancy does come about.

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Greg Olsen opened up about the frustration of being demoted at Fox in favor of Tom Brady

Fox sidelined the superior talent.

Fox made a big splash when it decided to offer Tom Brady a 10-year, $375 million contract to be the network’s lead NFL analyst despite no broadcasting experience. The move was even more puzzling given that Fox had to demote an actual broadcasting star in Greg Olsen to make room for Brady.

With the seven-time Super Bowl champion slated to work Super Bowl 59 between the Chiefs and Eagles, Brady has dealt with plenty of growing pains in the booth. And it must have been frustrating for Olsen to be relegated to a regional broadcast as Brady struggled.

Though Olsen has handled the demotion with class throughout the process, he did open up in a recent interview about his broadcasting career. And for the first time, we heard the actual frustration from Olsen.

He said via Sports Illustrated:

“I’ll be honest, it’s hard sitting home on the couch watching the games. You’re sitting there and you’re living and dying with every broadcast, and you’re sitting there and you’re dissecting everything that’s said and done and, ‘What would you have said?,’ and, ‘What would you have done?’

“I’ve been very honest. My goal getting into this was to not just call regional 1 o’clock games and just be happy to be there. I’ve called the highest games, we’ve called some of the biggest games in NFL history, some of the biggest audiences in NFL history. Super Bowls, championship games, playoff games, Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity over the last couple of years to call any and all of that. To not do it anymore is hard. It’s not ideal.

“Listen, wherever it is, whatever network it’s on, whatever opportunity is there, my goal is to continue to show I’m as good, if not better than anybody in this industry and I just need a chair and an opportunity to present the game in a way that I find interesting and in a way that seems like people have connected with over the last couple of years and I’m gonna continue to work until that opportunity is just completely out the door.”

At the very least, Olsen deserved to be calling a playoff game this year. Whether it was with Fox or as a contracted agreement with a different network — particularly in the wild-card round. It’s a shame that didn’t happen.

But with Brady likely sticking with the broadcasting gig for the long haul, there’s not really a No. 1 option elsewhere for Olsen at the moment. That’s just the tough reality for an analyst who absolutely deserves to be in a marquee position.

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Panthers great Greg Olsen will now be calling Week 15 game vs. Cowboys

Panthers fans will be treated to an early Christmas gift on Sunday.

Christmas will be coming early for Carolina Panthers fans.

Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys—which will be carried by FOX—was originally slated to have the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert, color analyst Jonathan Vilma and sideline reporter Megan Olivi. But there’s been a bit of a change in programming, folks.

As noted by Panthers beat writer Sheena Quick on Wednesday night, the game will now feature FOX’s No. 2 crew—headlined by franchise great and multi-time Emmy Award-winning analyst Greg Olsen. Olsen, per usual, will be joined by Joe Davis on the play-by-play and Pam Oliver from the sideline.

Before becoming one of the most beloved voices in the NFL, Olsen had cemented himself as the greatest tight end in Panthers history. The two-time Second-Team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler spent nine of his 14 pro campaigns in Carolina—where he reeled in 524 catches for 6,463 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Olsen also called last year’s Week 11 clash between the Panthers and Cowboys from Bank of America Stadium.

Welcome back, Greg!

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Greg Olsen, Joe Davis on the call for Saints vs. Eagles in Week 3

Greg Olsen and Joe Davis are on the call, with Pam Oliver reporting from the sidelines on the FOX Sports broadcast of Saints vs. Eagles in Week 3:

We already know that FOX Sports is casting a wide net for Week 3’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles — TV broadcast coverage extends all throughout the Southeast and up both coasts, and there will be a lot of eyes on this game. But who will we be listening to on the call?

Depending on who you ask, the FOX Sports A Team. Greg Olsen and Joe Davis will be in the broadcast booth with Pam Oliver reporting from the sidelines at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday. Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt’s crew is the network’s A Team, on paper, but Brady’s lackluster performance on the mic has led to a lot of viewers asking for Olsen. He and Davis have made for a popular B Team at FOX.

The three-time Pro Bowl tight end was a big-time rival of the Saints’ for years with the Carolina Panthers, and he’s transitioned well to a role in the media. Olsen has gained a lot of fans for his ability to play up dramatic moments in games as naturally as he breaks down why something is so impressive from a schematic point of view. So Saints fans could be in for a treat with Olsen sharing his commentary this Sunday.

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TV broadcast maps for Week 2 of NFL action

Here are the NFL’s TV broadcast maps for Week 2 of the 2024 regular season:

Let’s take a look at the television broadcast maps for Week 2 of the NFL’s 2024 regular season . . .

*Maps via 506sports.com

National broadcasts

Thursday night (8:15 p.m. ET): Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins (Amazon Prime – Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung)

Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET): Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans (NBC – Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)

Monday night (8:15 p.m. ET): Atlanta Falcons vs. Philadelphia Eagles (ESPN – Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters)

CBS (Early)

506sports.com

Blue: San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings (Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins)

Red: New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn)

Green: Las Vegas Raiders vs. Baltimore Ravens (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, AJ Ross)

Yellow: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Carolina Panthers (Tom McCarthy, Jay Feely, Amanda Balionis)

Orange: Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Chris Lewis, Jason McCourty, Amanda Guerra)

CBS (Late)

506sports.com

Red: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)

Blue: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala)

FOX

506sports.com

Red: New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)

Blue: Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers (Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver)

Green: Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots (Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Megan Olivi)

Orange: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions (Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin)

Teal: New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders (Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale)

Yellow (Late): Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals (Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez, Kristina Pink)

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Here’s why Cam Newton wasn’t invited to Christian McCaffrey’s wedding

Former Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey explained why Cam Newton didn’t receive an invitation to his wedding.

Greg Olsen? Check.

Luke Kuechly? Check.

Jonathan Stewart? Check.

Ryan Kalil? Check.

Cam Newton? Newton . . . ?

Sadly, there was one very notable Carolina Panthers great who wasn’t in attendance for the star-studded wedding of Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo. And that was Cam Newton, who spoke about his lack of an invite on Wednesday’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton.

“Damn, C-Mac . . . I couldn’t get an invite?” he said. “You know how I found out? I looked online, I said, ‘Boy, that [expletive] look sharp.’ It was Greg. He had on the Meshika hat.

“Bro, I’m so jealous. ‘Cause I would’ve been right there. If anybody sees this . . . I know what, is it because of the Brock Purdy beef? Was Brock there?”

Cam, who semi-famously labeled Purdy as a “game manager” during the 2023 season, may have actually been on to something there. Perhaps Christian was trying to keep things cool with his current quarterback.

But that wasn’t the case.

McCaffrey himself hit the comment section of the segment’s Instagram post to explain . . .

@4thand1/Instagram

Newton later responded . . .

@4thand1/Instagram

Well, this wouldn’t be the first time one of Cam’s friends tried to dial up his old number.

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Panthers great Cam Newton reacts to not being invited to Christian McCaffrey’s wedding

Damn, C-Mac!

The star-studded wedding between San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and model Olivia Culpo played host to a who’s who of NFLers—including a number of Carolina Panthers greats. But one of McCaffrey’s old teammates was notably absent, and he wishes he wasn’t.

On this week’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, Cam Newton (imagine that) touched on the McCaffrey-Culpo union. But before diving into the Greg Olsen portion of the proceedings, Christian’s former battery mate expressed his sorrows.

“Damn, C-Mac . . . I couldn’t get an invite?” Newton said. “You know how I found out? I looked online, I said, ‘Boy, that [expletive] look sharp.’ It was Greg. He had on the Meshika hat.”

Olsen, of course, became one of the major attention-grabbers from the event. The retired tight end and FOX broadcaster went viral after seemingly having quite a time at the reception.

Newton went on.

“It looked like they had so much fun, man,” he added. “It was like so many familiar faces there. It was dope. I’m just mad I didn’t get the invite.”

Among those familiar faces were Luke Kuechly, Jonathan Stewart, Ryan Kalil, JJ Jansen, Sam Darnold and Greg Van Roten.

Dang . . . Greg does look sharp.

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Panthers great Luke Kuechly: Greg Olsen can be a ‘professional wedding guest’

If you can, you might want to try and invite Greg Olsen to your wedding.

Some fans may have been taken aback by the wild photo of former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen from Christian McCaffrey’s wedding. But another old teammate of his certainly wasn’t.

Fellow franchise great Luke Kuechly joined Monday’s episode of Up & Adams, where he was asked about this . . .

@oliviaculpo/Instagram

Kuechly, who was also a guest at the recent union between McCaffrey and model Olivia Culpo, told host Kay Adams that Olsen is made for these situations.

“I don’t think it’s surprising,” he stated. “Greg can be a professional wedding guest. You can tell him to come, he’s gonna bring great energy, he’s gonna have a ton of fun. If you need him to get on the microphone and make a toast, he might not even know you, but he’s gonna dominate that. He’s just a great guy to have at the wedding.”

He went on.

“That wedding was a ton of fun, it was up in Rhode Island,” Kuechly added. “A bunch of the guys from the Panthers, couple of Niners were there, a bunch of his [McCaffrey’s] college and high school buddies. It was a great time, just a great opportunity to see our buddies we haven’t seen in a long time.”

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