When rookie receiver Gunner Olszewski lined up deep for a punt return in Week 1, he had tears in his eyes. He wasn’t overcome with emotion. It’s just that he’d broken his nose earlier in the game on a kick return. Somehow, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Ryan Switzer managed to get a forearm through Olszewski’s face mask, which left the 22-year-old with a broken nose.
“It was fine,” Olszewski told Patriots Wire on Monday. “I wasn’t crying. It was just watering up.” Even with his nose swollen — black and blue — he was all smiles in the locker room.
The former standout at Bemidji State had a long road to the NFL. He didn’t stand much of a chance in New England after moving from cornerback in college to receiver in the NFL. (The position swap typically goes the other way.) And though he was a long shot to get an invitation to rookie minicamp, Olszewski proceeded to earn an invite to training camp, then nabbed a spot on the 53-man roster and even found his way onto the active roster for the Patriots’ season opener.
Maybe he wasn’t emotional during the punt return. But he did seem to take a moment to reflect upon the enormity of his achievement.
“I’ll say probably before the game, we ran on the field and just seeing how different it was compared to preseason. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is Sunday Night Football,'” he said. The other notable welcome-to-the-NFL moment came after the game while Olszewski celebrated the win with his teammates inside the locker room. “Before and after the game, I felt emotion. During the game, didn’t have time for it.”
He fielded his two punts cleanly — even without clear eyes — and finished the game with 35 yards return yards. He played 13 snaps on special teams between kick return and punt return, though running back Brandon Bolden served as the kick returner. Olszewski also got one snap on offense.
“As a punt return team, we did a phenomenal job,” Olszewski said.
“If you go back and look at the film, we were leaving piles at the punter’s feet, making him get the ball off quick. Those guys back there were more worried about blocking than covering.”
He appreciated his cornerbacks’ ability to clear out the Steelers’ gunners so he could find “green grass.” That seemed to be a recipe for success on Sunday, as Olszewski’s returns were explosive and impressive.
“Getting vertical is priority No. 1 and getting those 10 yards at least. Definitely some things to improve on: Settting up those blocks and seeing the big picture,” Olszewski said. “When I saw it on film, I was like, ‘Oh, I could have gotten outside there, and maybe been off to the races or something.'”
His positivity seems to be why Patriots players love Olszewski. His desire to improve is probably what has won over the coaches.
