Greg Olsen is usually the one explaining things to viewers, so it was a rare sight Sunday when fans were asking the FOX analyst to explain himself. The former Pro Bowl tight end was working the Chicago Bears’ trip to Green Bay alongside play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert when he delivered a late-game line that left plenty of them scratching their heads.
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Olsen commented as Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave went down and was carted off late in the Packers’ 31-7 win at Lambeau Field. This was during the Bears’ final drive in the game. However, Olsen seemed to have mixed which team Hargrave was playing for.
“Yeah, that’s usually the kind of games where you’re the team winning, and you just say, ‘Get this thing over with,’ Olsen is heard saying in a broadcast clip posted by Awful Announcing. “You’re Ben Johnson; you’re extending the game; you’re always try to speak to your team through your decisions of saying, ‘We’re gonna fight til the end.’ But at what cost?”
Hargrave plays for Green Bay. Ben Johnson is the head coach of the Chicago Bears. At that point in time, Johnson was in no position to “get this thing over with,” and he definitely wasn’t winning.
The Packers had little trouble getting past Chicago, especially with the Bears giving the ball away five times. Jordan Love threw for 367 yards, and Christian Watson posted 143 receiving yards. Safety Xavier McKinney came away with two interceptions as Green Bay turned Chicago’s mistakes into a 31-7 win. The result put the Packers at 3-2.
Chicago, also 3-2, was without quarterback Caleb Williams for a third straight game because of a hamstring injury. Tyson Bagent started, and Case Keenum took over early in the fourth quarter, going 11-of-19 for 108 yards with an interception and a fumble.
There was yet another moment of confusion from Olsen during this game, and it was a pretty big error on his part.
“Greg Olsen said Ditka would love the Packers tight end getting a first down,” a fan pointed out. “… Does he know which team Ditka & Johnson coach??”
Why would the late Mike Ditka like it if a rival player gets an advantage against the team he coached and built his legacy with?
It isn’t the first time viewers have turned on Olsen over allegiances. During FOX’s January playoff broadcast of Rams-Panthers, fans accused him of favoring Los Angeles, according to Operation Sports, despite his nine seasons in Carolina.
Fans also accused him of being biased towards Green Bay, suggesting that he might not have been happy at being traded by the Bears to the Panthers during his playing career. Olsen played four years for Chicago, and admitted in 2011 that the Bears did not let him “play up to your potential,” per the Chicago Sun-Times.
Fans weren’t convinced. One wrote:
“It was a Packers injury? Not Ben Johnson’s problem…”
Some pointed out what was apparent in the clip.
“What does Ben Johnson have to do with Matt Lafleurs decision to keep playing starters??”
“First off that really sucks he got hurt. Don’t see how that’s Ben’s fault. It’s not anyone’s fault it’s just unfortunate what happened to him.”
“Not Ben’s problem or fault. He isn’t that player’s coach and have him out on the field.”
Others turned on the broadcast itself:
“Greg Olsen has been terrible on the call today”
“Greg Olsen is terrible. It’s wild that he was their top commentator prior to TB.”
One fan went after Olsen’s allegiances:
“He HATES the bears, so completely expected reaction”
Olsen may be used to breaking down the action, but this time, it was his own commentary that needed explaining. With fans questioning his take on a Packers player’s injury, the FOX analyst found himself facing a different kind of postgame review, and this one came from the viewers.