Gunner Olszewski embodies what the 2020 Patriots have been.
Even when the team was losing, Bill Belichick seemed pleased with the effort, it was just a matter of one of two plays not going their way on game day.
And it was the same thing with Olszewski.
The second-year player was struggling with kick returns and some wondered why he even had a spot on the team. Effort and commitment were never an issue, but Belichick removed him from his kick return role last week against Arizona.
Things trended up with a punt return for a touchdown that got called back last week, but then everything came together against the Chargers in the 45-0 blowout win.
Olszewski had a punt return for a touchdown, which made up for one that called back last week, and he also hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter.
And everything came together for the team, as all three phases contributed in the win.
“Gunner’s worked extremely hard and overcome a lot,” Belichick said after the game. “He’s not a big guy, but he’s got a big heart, and he plays hard.”
Olszewski noted how some hard work with Stidham paid off on the touchdown catch.
“The coolest part about that (catch) was me and Stidham put so much work in this offseason,” he said. “Every day we were out there, he was throwing, I was running what felt like 100 routes a day. For me and him to do that, I think was pretty cool.
“… I caught a million footballs from Jarrett over the summer, so we got the look that we wanted. He pump-faked the bubble and we locked eyes and I knew he was going to put it right on my chest. We ran that route probably 20 times this summer. I think that all paid off.”
Olszewski joined Julian Edelman, Irving Fryar and Stanley Morgan as the only Patriots in history to return a punt for a touchdown and catch a touchdown in the same game.
The punt return was his first NFL touchdown, so what was his reaction?
“I have to go cover a kick,” he said.
That hard-working, always grinding attitude defines exactly what the 2020 Patriots are.
