The importance of Greg Olsen ... fascinating stats

[KB_fan]

Very good article at ESPN about Greg's importance to the Panthers' offense, and how he might impact the game on Sunday.  Some very fascinating stats, but also excellent analysis

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14657647/six-ways-panthers-tight-end-greg-olsen-make-impact-super-bowl-50

I was really surprised by the stats about Cam's completion % and QBR when under pressure and throwing to Olsen vs his other receivers  We all know that Greg is clutch, but WOW.  Cam already calls Cotch "Clutchery" ...  Greg needs some kind of nickname for the kind of catches he makes to keep drives alive.

 

Quote

1. When Newton is pressured

Newton is elusive enough to escape the pocket and pick up yardage when he needs to -- his 636 yards rushing led all quarterbacks, and his 57 rushing first downs was fourth among all players. But as with many QBs, his passing numbers suffer when he has to make throws under pressure. Luckily for him, he targets the sure-handed Olsen more than anyone else when pressured. Of Newton's 38 completions under pressure, 10 of them (26 percent) were to Olsen, and no other Panther caught more than five. Newton's passing numbers when pressured this season:

 

2. In tough down-and-distance situations

What about when the Panthers need to rely on the passing game in a pressure situation and the down and distance requires more than a short pass? This is where the absence of Kelvin Benjamin (out for the year with an ACL tear) is most glaring, since he is the type of prototypical No. 1 receiver who would normally get the ball on third-and-long. Without him, Newton's most productive option by QBR is clearly Olsen when faced with a third or fourth down and at least 10 yards to go.

3rd/4th down, 10+ yards to go

 

Target	Comp/Att	TDs	QBR
Greg Olsen	5-6 (83%)	0	98.3
Devin Funchess	2-4 (50%)	1	89.8
Jerricho Cotchery	6-9 (67%)	0	88.4
Ted Ginn	3-9 (33%)	2	87.2
Corey Brown	2-6 (33%)	0	0.6
Overall	24-42 (57%)	4	41.3

 

[KB_fan]

We hear a lot about how Cam makes his receivers better.  But perhaps Greg also makes Cam better....

[Ivan The Awesome]

He also has some of the most reliable hands on the team. Cam and Olsen have been doing this since the Olsen trade. Their Chemistry is through the roof. It doesn't surprise me that they trust each other so much. They are in sync. 

[the butch]

Greg Olsen this year in a nutshell? That 4th down catch as he's drifting backwards on the game-winning drive vs NO. 

[KB_fan]

Here's another great stat from the article.  How 'bout them stats OBJ....  LOL!

 

The Panthers use Olsen as a vertical passing option -- his average of 10.5 air yards per attempt was first among starting tight ends, and his total of 20 receptions of 20 yards or more was sixth among all players. That's more than star receivers A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr. or Brandon Marshall. Here's how Olsen and his Carolina teammates stack up in catches of 20 yards or more this season:

[UKPanther94]

The funny thing is, everyone goes on about the whole "Double Olsen keep Cam in the pocket" crap, but how many times do we manage to get Olsen open when we need a completion?  When Olsen gets targeted he's never in double coverage, which means then he does get double covered and that opens up space for others

[PanthersGOATFan336]

@KB_fan

[shaqattaq]

25 minutes ago, KB_fan said:

Here's another great stat from the article.  How 'bout them stats OBJ....  LOL!

OBJ has him beat on punches thrown and douche bag hairstyles though.

[Moorgan]

21 minutes ago, PanthersGOATFan336 said:

@KB_fan

Statwoman :)

[KB_fan]

23 minutes ago, PanthersGOATFan336 said:

@KB_fan

Though I guess in my case it would be Statgal...  LOL

(Didn't see @Moorgan's reply when I posted mine..)

[KB_fan]

35 minutes ago, UKPanther94 said:

The funny thing is, everyone goes on about the whole "Double Olsen keep Cam in the pocket" crap, but how many times do we manage to get Olsen open when we need a completion?  When Olsen gets targeted he's never in double coverage, which means then he does get double covered and that opens up space for others

Yes, this is true for the most part.  Though Greg has made some memorable catches too in double coverage when Cam has threaded the needle, or managed to get the ball where only Greg can catch it....  Even doubling Greg, he can make the catch.

[PanthersGOATFan336]

@KB_fan hows that

[PandaPancake]

1 hour ago, Moorgan said:

Statwoman :)

Lies. There's no women on the internet

[d-dave]

Everyone says they are going to stop Olsen....He will still make plays or at the least open up things for others to make plays.  

I love Olsen.  While his TD numbers have been hurt by the emergence of other targets and Cam running for 10 TDs, he's always been so reliable.  I look forward to seeing how well it works bracketing Olsen again!