Greg Olsen has been asked approximately 4,3569,04,218 times about being replaced by Tom Brady as the lead analyst for the NFL on Fox since the network made the decision to kick him back to the number two broadcast team. And every single time, Olsen has delivered a diplomatic response that would make the State Department proud.
That was again the case after the first week when we got to see Olsen and Brady in their new roles – Brady alongside Kevin Burkhardt in Fox’s lead booth for America’s Game of the Week and Olsen on regional coverage with Joe Davis. There were always going to be keen eyes on the performances of both and while Brady’s reviews were mixed , Olsen continued to show why he’s one of the best in the business .
Given those reviews, it may have been a chance for Olsen to stake his claim and put out there that he’s the one with the Emmys for best game analyst and deserves another turn at Fox or elsewhere as the top dog. But in an interview with The Athletic, the former tight end was once again supportive of his new teammate Tom Brady in every way possible and reiterated that he was wishing for his success.
Via The Athletic :
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Tom personally and professionally, just kind of giving him different thoughts and perspectives,” Olsen said. “Tom and I always had a somewhat professional relationship. We saw each other before and after games. It was very surface-level, mostly good luck and a respect kind of thing. But over the last six or seven months, we’ve had a lot more just personal conversations and time together. I told him, ‘Dude, I’m here to help in whatever way I can. I haven’t been doing this for 20 years, but more so than any of the other guys in the industry to a degree, I understand the transition that you’re making because it’s the same transition that I did.’ You go straight from playing to all of a sudden you’re calling the Super Bowl and the top games of the week. I think I have a perspective that he can rely on.
“I want him to do well. I want him to succeed. I want him to feel I’m a good teammate. It’s no different than if he came into the locker room when I was a player and we happened to play the same position. My success is not contingent upon Tom. Tom being really good doesn’t make me less good, and Tom being bad doesn’t make me better. Fox has two top teams, and that’s how I view it. But I’ve talked to Joe about this: I want people to think that Joe and I are the best crew on television. It doesn’t matter that we’re the ‘B’ crew.”
Of course, along with saying all the right things, there is that spark of competitiveness that shows Olsen still wants to be considered as the best analyst in the industry. And given the reception to the new team with Joe Davis, they may be the early frontrunners to end the season in the top spot in AA’s NFL Announcer Rankings. Where Brady and Burkhardt fall will depend on how the $375 million analyst grows in the role throughout the season.
Olsen also said he would love to be a part of Fox’s Super Bowl coverage in February. Obviously, that’s a long way off. But it would be hard to envision Fox letting Olsen be a major part of the game coverage and giving him a chance to overshadow or outshine Brady in any substantial way. Fox using Olsen in the studio or even on the sidelines could work as he’s too good to leave out of the loop completely. Of course, he’s talented enough to deserve a prominent role in the Super Bowl broadcast, but if that was what this was all about, Greg Olsen wouldn’t have been demoted in the first place.
[ The Athletic ]
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