Fox’s Greg Olsen is two weeks away from calling his first, and possibly only, Super Bowl for the network. However, if the reaction from NFL viewers on Sunday during the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC Championship Game victory over the San Francisco 49ers was any indication, they’d like to hear a lot more from him in the future in games that matter.
Last weekend, CBS analyst Tony Romo fell out of favor with audiences who have grown tired of the way he calls games. This weekend, however, it seemed like much of the announcer discussion revolved around all of the ways Olsen enriched the broadcast rather than detracted from it.
Viewers and NFL folks shared their thoughts on Olsen’s commentary during and after the game, citing his ability to break down plays, explain situational football, and provide player insight in a way that feels refreshing.
Greg Olsen is outstanding at this pic.twitter.com/zdYlX5JOfD
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 29, 2023
Fox is going to pay Tom Brady $375 million to be nowhere as good as Greg Olsen and then also take on the baggage of people who don't really want to hear from Tom Brady.
— Kyle Koster (@KyleKoster) January 29, 2023
greg olsen explaining why when you know you’re going to go for it on 4th down it opens up your playcalling on 3rd and medium is really highlights why he’s the best analyst in the game right now
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) January 29, 2023
Greg Olsen is just so much better at this than y’all are used to, this is how many players view the game. He’s always known so much about more than his position.
— marshall newhouse (@MNewhouse73) January 29, 2023
Greg Olsen has said more about situational football this postseason than every other announcer who came before him combined
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) January 29, 2023
Greg Olsen’s breakdown of why Philly is running weak was one of the best NGS breakdowns I’ve ever seen. Having another great game in the booth
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) January 29, 2023
Greg Olsen has been easily the best in-game analyst talking about fourth-down decision-making.
He never acts surprised when it’s a good decision to go for it. He clearly knows the numbers as a former player, understands what they mean.
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) January 29, 2023
Fox has created a pretty curious situation for itself. They’re shelling out an insane amount of money for Tom Brady to replace Olsen in the No. 1 booth as soon as he retires, though there’s a pretty strong contingent of NFL viewers and media members who don’t see the appeal beyond his name. And the notion that Brady could possibly be any kind of upgrade to Olsen seems laughable, especially now.
If FOX replaces Greg Olsen they are nuts.
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) January 29, 2023
Olsen, for his part, hasn’t been shy about sharing his frustrations over the situation, though he’s making the best of it. There’s certainly a decent chance that Brady never actually makes it into the booth, but if he does, all signs point to Olsen being a pretty hot commodity when his Fox deal is up. As of right now, he appears to be evolving into the commentator that we thought Tony Romo was going to become.
Things sure do change in a hurry in the NFL broadcasting world these days.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.