FOXBOROUGH -- It takes a special kind of player to be a NFL punt returner with an entire opposing team coming after you while you want for the ball to come down into your hands.
Gunner Olszewski is exactly that type of player as he never shies away from contact, despite being listed at six feet, 190 pounds.
“That’s football though, man," he said. "We all signed the dotted line in the contract to get paid X amount and you know it’s a physical game. And that’s what separates a lot of others."
Olszewski added: “You can’t be thinking. When you think you’re too slow. Your brain will just slow you down. Might as well just get rid of it before you go out there.”
The All-Pro punt returner was asked about a quote from Colts punt returner Nyheim Hines last week where he said, "Before I go back there, I say, 'I don't care about my life.' Every time." ... It takes a special type of person to look up in the air while all the other people are looking to rip your head off."
“I don’t know, I think it’s fun," Olszewski responded. "I don’t think you have to put your life on the line. You’re not going overseas to war or anything. It’s a fun play and you can get hit hard. I can relate to it I guess. It seems like a bit much to me.”
Olszewski is averaging 8.89 yards per return this season, good for ninth in the NFL.
