FOXBOROUGH -- Gunner Olszewski has been the feel good story of the preseason for the Patriots and it ended in style Thursday against the Giants.
The undrafted rookie out of D-II Bemidji State played all three phases in the 31-29 loss to the Giants.
He was the primary kick and punt returner, saw some action at wide receiver and then because of injuries played some snaps at cornerback down the stretch. Although he didn't played defense all summer, this is what he did full-time in college, so it wasn't totally new.
"Best time of my life. That's it," Olszewski said of his summer with the Patriots. "That's all I can say about that."
Olszewski hauled in two passes for 35 yards Thursday night.
"(I) told Jarrett (Stidham) I'm glad he finally threw me the ball," he said. "He always looks at Jakobi (Meyers) first, and I don't blame him for that because Jakobi's done a damn good job. Felt great."
Olszewski, who comes from Texas, is extremely outgoing for an undrafted rookie and seems to have become a favorite among his teammates as well, including Devin McCourty calling him "The Gun Show" on Friday's Dale & Keefe.
The question now becomes can he make the 53-man roster?
He certainly has made a case for himself, especially considering his versatility and ability to play special teams. The team doesn't have a primary returner, so he could potentially fill that role as well as other special teams work. An argument could be made he's more valuable with him than say fellow rookie Jakobi Meyers because he has special teams value and Meyers does not.
"He's very competitive and he works hard and he's improved," Bill Belichick said on Friday's conference call. "He has a long way to go but he's made a lot of improvement. He's making a big jump from where he played to where he's playing now, positionally and so forth. He's improved a great deal."
It won't take much longer for Olszewski to find out if he's done enough since rosters need to be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday.
