Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl tight end and New Jersey native Greg Olsen will serve as the booth analyst this week for FOX’s coverage of the Arizona Cardinals-New York Giants game. He will work alongside play-by-play man Kenny Albert with Lindsay Czarniak serving as the field reporter.
It’s obvious that this is not a normal occurrence, having an active player commenting on a game on live television. A game that he has no vested interest in, too. Olsen is on his bye week with the Panthers and FOX likes him so much, he’s been given an assignment to keep his broadcasting skills fresh.
From the website Awful Announcing:
Olsen has worked as a broadcaster already, doing work for FOX as a game analyst while injured in 2017 (which angered some people around the league) and working as a Super Bowl analyst for ESPN this past season. Olsen clearly has a future in broadcasting when he wants it, and considering the toll thirteen years and counting takes on an NFL player, it’s clear that day is coming.
The 34-year-old former Wayne Hills star, who played his college football at Miami, is a three-time Pro Bowler who is known for his off-field charity work as well. Olsen is readying himself for a career in broadcasting now and is seizing every opportunity thrown his way even if it collides with his bye week, which at this stage of his career is a welcome respite.
“It’s very different, and it’s hard,” Olsen told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network Northeast. “I have a lot of respect now for the other side of it because it’s not an easy job, there is a lot of prep, it’s not just show up and start guessing about what you see. These guys put a lot of time in, they really study it, they work at it, or else you can tell during the broadcast. Kind of like if you’re not prepared for a game. It’s definitely a unique challenge, and I’m looking forward to a compelling game with a lot of interesting story lines, starting with the quarterbacks, Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray, so it’ll be fun.”
