Revitalized by New Surroundings, Greg Olsen Excited About Seahawks' Tight End Room
RENTON, WA - "What the hell are we doing?"
Taking the practice field for the first time with the Seahawks on August 12, that's all tight end Greg Olsen could think in regard to his first on-field experience with his new team. The energy and enthusiasm at VMAC was unlike anything he had ever been exposed to in his 14-year NFL career.
"It's just not something I'm used to," Olsen smiled. "But it's fun and it's contagious, you find yourself really enjoying practice, really looking forward to practice, the coaches are into it, the staff is into it. I mean, if you're on the field, everyone at any moment could bust into a celebration, so it's a great climate to be in."
For the 35-year old Olsen, this was one of the primary reasons why the three-time Pro Bowler chose to sign with Seattle back in February. Sure, the allure of catching passes from Russell Wilson and playing for a franchise that has only missed the playoffs twice in a decade checked off significant boxes for him.
But after nine productive seasons in Carolina, Olsen felt it was time to get outside of his comfort zone. After mutually agreeing to part ways with the Panthers, he wanted to experience something different and challenge himself.
"I just thought at this stage of my career, it would be a fun change." Olsen commented. "It'd be something very different from what I'm used to and it's kinda reinvigorating and re-energizing to come out to a new environment and see how they've done it out here for a long time."
Though he's only two weeks into his first training camp with the Seahawks, Olsen seems to be right at home in the Pacific Northwest. As expected, there's been a bit of a learning curve acclimating to a new offense with new terminology and as he noted, he's also "deprogramming" some of the things he did for years with the Panthers. Having only limited reps together on the field, chemistry with Wilson also remains a work in progress.
But as evidenced on the practice field, the two veterans already look to have a strong rapport developing. For example, Seattle's mock scrimmage last Saturday, Olsen came open on a rub route and Wilson hit him in stride going across the middle. Olsen turned upfield, showing he can still turn on the jets in open field and nearly racing into the end zone for six points.
"It's been amazing." Olsen said of teaming up with Wilson. "It's been everything you would imagine it would be like working with a guy of his caliber."
As the two stars continue to learn more about each other, Olsen expects they will start to "see the game through the same lens." All they need are more time on the field together, which will allow him to see how Wilson runs the two-minute drill, how he uses the snap count, how he prefers him coming in and out of his breaks as a route runner, and other critical details.
Aside from getting up to speed with Wilson, Olsen has also been working diligently getting to know his fellow tight ends, which features a unique blend of veterans such as Luke Willson and Will Dissly as well as rookies such as Stephen Sullivan and Tyler Mabry. Eventually, the group will be further bolstered by the return of fourth-round pick Colby Parkinson, who remains out recovering from foot surgery.
Comparing the group favorably to others he has played with over the years, including a stellar one in Carolina that previously featured Ed Dickson and Gary Barnidge, Olsen has been impressed by the overall talent and depth in Seattle. To this point, six players have been getting consistent reps in practice, which he said is probably more than any previous camp he has been a part of.
"It's a good group," Olsen stated. "It's got a mix of guys that can do a lot of different things, a lot of versatility. It's got some young guys, it's got some older guys... It's probably as talented of a group as I've been in from top to bottom."
As he has aged, Olsen typically has been selective about which reps he takes on the practice field. Having mastered and internalized Carolina's offense, there wasn't a need for him to take additional snaps at the expense of younger players.
Now trying to learn the intricacies of Seattle's scheme, Olsen has had to do a balancing act when it comes to his desire for more reps. On one hand, he needs extra time on the field to bring the playbook to life and further enhance his chemistry with Wilson. But on the flip side, he knows he's "not 21 anymore" and with so much depth around him, other players need those invaluable snaps to develop, particularly the younger ones.
Like everything else in his transition to a new team during an unprecedented season amid a pandemic, it's presented a unique challenge for Olsen and the rest of the tight end group. But he's taking everything in stride, eager to contribute and see what the Seahawks can accomplish in 2020.
