Greg Olsen Is Key to Keeping the Carolina Panthers in Contention

Greg Olsen might not be the first player you think of when you consider the Carolina Panthers' 8-0 start to the season, but he should be.

With the likes of Cam Newton in the discussion for Most Valuable Player and Josh Norman, Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis all having Pro Bowl years defensively, Olsen often gets pushed to the side.

However, Olsen is not a player who gets pushed around on the football field, and he has been Mr. Consistent for the Panthers ever since he was traded from the Chicago Bears back in 2011, not missing a single offensive snap this season.

Olsen may be a tight end, but he has been the team's leading receiver since 2013.

Coming off last season, when he led the Panthers in receptions (84) and yards (1,008), there was even more pressure on Olsen to perform this year with the absence of second-year receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who went down in training camp with a torn ACL.

Leading the team for the third season in a row with 37 receptions and 584 yards through eight games, Olsen is on pace to go over 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season—a rare accomplishment for a tight end.

Pro Football Focus grades Olsen as the ninth-best tight end this season behind the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Tyler Eifert and Jimmy Graham, but the impact he is having on the Panthers offense is incalculable and the numbers he is putting up are staggering.

"I don't get wrapped up in catches and fantasy football," said Olsen in an interview with ESPN's David Newton in September. "It's not the way I view the tight end position. I take a lot of pride in impacting the game with or without the ball. That's something that only a few guys in the league can do that."

Olsen doesn't shy away from run blocking and is always in the middle of the scrum at the line of scrimmage.

"Greg is not [Ben] Hartsock, but Greg is a very competitive blocker," head coach Ron Rivera told David Newton. "He's smart. He understands leverage. He puts himself in position to seal guys off, cut guys off or knock guys down. He does that very well."

Olsen is third in the NFL in receiving yards among tight ends and 24th in the NFL among all players. It's no wonder why he is currently ranked second in Pro Bowl voting at the position, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke.

But it's safe to say that Olsen and the rest of the Panthers couldn't care less about Pro Bowl voting at this point.

They're more interested in the Super Bowl.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.