Tag: Greg Olsen

Panthers great Cam Newton reveals his favorite receiver (other than Greg Olsen)

Who was Cam Newton’s favorite non-Greg Olsen target from his NFL career? The former MVP had an emphatic answer for that.

Asking Cam Newton for his favorite pass catcher from his NFL career is an exercise in futility. (We all know it’s his dawg.) So, the field has to be narrowed down a bit.

While filming this week’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers legend took the following question from a fan:

Newton and former tight end Greg Olsen spent nine seasons together in Carolina—a run that saw three NFC South titles, four total playoff appearances and a trip to Super Bowl 50. Their partnership also helped produce a Most Valuable Player Award for Newton and a three-year string of 1,000-yard receiving campaigns for Olsen—a then-NFL record for the position.

But with Greg off the table, who would Cam take . . . ?

“Ted Ginn,” he replied emphatically. “Ted had a very high IQ. And I don’t think he was ever featured like he was featured during the Carolina Panthers days, ’cause he scared so many people with his speed. And you couldn’t out, overthrow the [expletive].”

Ginn was in on two of those three division titles, including the one that resulted in their NFC championship win in 2015. Over three total seasons with Newton and the Panthers, the speed merchant recorded 134 catches for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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Cam Newton, Greg Olsen recall amazing Thanksgiving story from 2015 season

Panthers greats Cam Newton and Greg Olsen took a fun trip down memory lane.

Super Bowl LVIII’s radio row brought back some of the good old times for Carolina Panthers great Cam Newton.

The day after his heartwarming reunion and mini-chat with fellow franchise legend Luke Kuechly, Newton welcomed yet another old pal in Greg Olsen onto his live stream from Vegas. What ensued, with comedians Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura also on set, was an incredible trip down memory lane . . .

https://www.youtube.com/live/02p2HjPqi24?si=A3RJ06E6qE65HWRT&t=5360

Before feasting on that delicious meal, the 2015 Panthers moved to 11-0 after feasting on the Dallas Cowboys. The 33-14 win saw Newton notch the seventh of his 10 rushing touchdowns from his MVP campaign and Olsen reel in five catches for 70 yards.

Olsen then put a bow on that trip to the past by recalling one of their last great on-field moments together—when Newton helped him make history.

“And I have a picture of me and Cam, like, hugging,” he said of reaching the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season—a first for an NFL tight end. “And it was like, to share it with a guy who you wouldn’t have been able to do without is cool. We had some tough games, we had some amazing moments, we had personal success, we had personal failure within reason of bad games, bad moments. When you share that over nine years, long periods of time with guys, that’s the stuff you remember. Those are the memories that is what makes it so special.”

We need another couple of tissues over here.

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6 Panthers greats who could follow Julius Peppers into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Now that Julius Peppers has officially been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which fellow franchise greats could be next?

On Thursday night, Carolina Panthers legend Julius Peppers was granted his rightful and well-deserved access into Canton, Ohio—as he was named as one of the seven members for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

So, who’s next?

With a little help from Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame Monitor, here are six fellow franchise greats who could join Pep in football immortality:

WATCH: Luke Kuechly surprises Cam Newton during live stream at Super Bowl

Check out this must-see moment between Panthers greats Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly from Thursday:

Go grab your tissue box, Carolina Panthers.

Now that he’s a full-fledged YouTuber, franchise great Cam Newton has been setting up shop at radio row this week from the site of Super Bowl LVIII. And during his second outing on the job, he got a heartwarming surprise from an old friend . . .

Former linebacker Luke Kuechly—one of Newton’s “favorite teammates of all-time,” per Newton—joined his pal on the set for a few minutes. Cam wasn’t stingy with more superlatives either—also presenting to some and introducing Luke to others as the “epitome of an ultimate teammate,” “a professional,” and, of course, “Captain America.”

Newton would then ask Kuechly how, during his illustrious eight-year NFL career, he could turn the switch from Clark Kent to Superman.

“You wanna compete, man. You wanna win,” Kuechly replied. “You work so hard and you wanna win. And I think that’s really what it comes down to is the competitive side of guys is ultimately what makes ’em a good football player.

“And you know how it was in Carolina—we had the best dudes. Whether it was Thomas [Davis] or G.O. [Greg Olsen] or [Ryan] Kalil or you or Chuck [Charles Johnson] or K.K. [Kawann Short] and Star [Lotulelei], and I’m missin’ guys, Roman [Harper] and Peanut [Charles Tillman] and Josh [Norman]—everybody on our team was so doggone competitive. Stew [Jonathan Stewart], [Mike] Tolbert, Fozzy [Whittaker]. And it was just kinda an understanding of like, this is how we do things in Carolina and if you don’t wanna be a part of it, then go on and get out.”

The way they did things resulted in the most sustained success in franchise history. With Newton and Kuechly leading the way, the Panthers captured three consecutive NFC South titles and an NFC championship between 2013 and 2015.

So, hopefully this new era in Carolina starts stacking up some competitors, or dawgs, of their own.

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Panthers’ Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominees since 2014

Here are the last 10 Panthers who have bene nominated for the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

Only one Carolina Panther is up for some hardware at tonight’s NFL Honors—and that’s center Bradley Bozeman, who is the team’s nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The “White Rhino” has not only exhibited excellence on the field, but he’s been a presence in the community off of it—through the charitable work of the Bradley and Nikki Bozeman Foundation.

So, to bring him a little luck, let’s get some good vibes going and look back at the organization’s last 10 nominees for the prestigious honor.

Every Pro Bowl selection in Panthers franchise history

Let’s take a look back at every Pro Bowl selection in Panthers franchise history

It took a bit longer than it should’ve, but defensive tackle Derrick Brown rightfully became the latest Pro Bowler in Carolina Panthers history.

So, as we gear up for the rest of the festivities this weekend, let’s look back at Brown and every other Panther who has been selected as an all-star.

Tom Brady praises Panthers great Greg Olsen for broadcasting career

Greg Olsen’s replacement had some pretty high praise of Greg Olsen on Tuesday.

Tom Brady has just about every piece of hardware you can get out of playing in the NFL. But there’s one honor that the predecessor in his new job has that he doesn’t.

Carolina Panthers great and Emmy Award-winning color commentator Greg Olsen is expected to be replaced in FOX’s No. 1 broadcast booth by Brady starting next season. And the seven-time Super Bowl winner and three-time Most Valuable Player had a ton of praise for the former tight end on Tuesday.

“I think Greg’s done an incredible job,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I have so much respect for him, how he approaches his job. He’s super-prepared in what he does. I think he does an incredible job every time he’s on. I love listening to him.”

Olsen began his full-time gig behind the mic in 2021, a year after retiring from the game. Since then, the franchise legend has gained critical acclaim for his work alongside play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt, who will be partnering up with Brady moving forward.

“And I’m just gonna go in there and do the best I can do with my own perspective,” Brady later added. “And I certainly have had a unique vision and perspective of the game of 23 years.”

Well, it doesn’t happen often—but the “GOAT” will have some pretty big shoes to fill.

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Tom Brady opened up on preparing to replace Greg Olsen as Fox’s lead NFL analyst next season

Tom Brady is replacing Greg Olsen in the lead role.

When Tom Brady announced his retirement back in February, it wasn’t long before we learned about his post-football future. The seven-time Super Bowl winner inked a 10-year, $375 million contract to take over as the lead NFL analyst for Fox in 2024 alongside Kevin Burkhardt.

There was just one awkward issue to that arrangement: Greg Olsen — Fox’s current No. 1 analyst — is arguably the best at his job out of all the analysts across NFL broadcasts. And despite going into the season knowing that a demotion was imminent, Olsen continued his excellent performance from the booth.

Brady knows that dynamic is less than ideal, but he still had great things to say about the longtime Panthers tight end.

In an appearance on Tuesday’s Pat McAfee Show, Brady — who appears to have four ovens in his kitchen — opened up about the preparation process for next season and complimented Olsen on his success in the role. He said:

“I think Greg’s done an incredible job. I have so much respect for him. How he approaches his job. He’s super prepared in what he does. I think he does an incredible job every time he’s on. I love listening to him. And I’m just gonna go in there and do the best I can do with my own perspective.”

Obviously, if Brady takes the job as seriously as Olsen has when it comes to preparation, he could be a successful analyst for Fox. But Olsen’s success in the booth has set the bar high for Brady — that’s for sure.

Greg Olsen’s brilliant NFC title game proves he’s the color commentator we need, but won’t get at Super Bowl 58

Greg Olsen NEEDS to be a top NFL announcer for someone next season.

Greg Olsen’s rise to announcing stardom is complete, even if his future with Fox might be uncertain.

During Sunday’s epic NFC title game between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, Olsen put on a clinic as the color commentator. He was eloquent, patient, and consistently added thoughtful insight to the matchup. Perhaps most importantly, Olsen ensured that his analysis was accessible because he understands that teaching the game to his audience by reaching it where it is is just as important as delivering any essential information. All in all, Olsen’s game might have been the color commentating performance from anyone this entire NFL season.

That’s what makes it so unfortunate he could leave Fox’s top announcing booth when Tom Brady finally steps in. Fox could, of course, elect to have a three-person booth, but plans for that have not yet been announced … if they even will be.

What is assured is that Olsen won’t be calling Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas in two weeks. That task will fall to CBS’s grating Tony Romo, who answers the question, “What if a golden retriever with no concept of object permanence wore a hands-free microphone while announcing a football game?”

We are missing out by not getting someone as bright as Olsen in the booth for the biggest American sporting event of the year. That’s for sure.

Panthers great Greg Olsen receives high praise for NFC championship broadcast

Greg Olsen shined in what may have been his final game in FOX’s No. 1 broadcast booth.

In addition to the ones on the field at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, another familiar face shined during this year’s NFC championship game.

With Tom Brady presumably waiting in the wings, Carolina Panthers great Greg Olsen called what may have been his final game in FOX’s No. 1 broadcast booth. And, as he often does, the former tight end absolutely killed it.

So before Brady swoops in to ruin everyone’s good time just like he did during his playing days, let’s revel in the praise for Olsen’s championship performance.