Pittsburgh’s Gunner Olszewski is listed as a wide receiver, but he is in the NFL primarily for his work on special teams. Olszewski returns punts and kickoffs and plays on coverage units, and he has played more special teams snaps than offensive snaps in his career.
So when Olszewski sees rules that de-emphasize special teams, like the new rule designed to encourage fair catches on kickoffs, he takes that personally.
“A bunch of people are trying to get rid of our part of the game,” Olszewski said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s how we feel about it. They feel like special teams are dangerous. Football is a dangerous game. You can’t ever take that out of it. I hate it for the game, but it’s the rule now. I’m just rolling with it.”
The new rule, which puts the ball on the 25-yard line after a fair catch on a kickoff, is one that Olszewski believes the NFL Players Association should have spoken up on behalf of the many players whose jobs depend on playing special teams.
“The [players’ union] doesn’t give us a chance to vote on anything like that. I’m not looking to complain about it. I hate it. I think it stinks for guys who are teamers and guys who try to go out and get jobs. They’re taking chances away from us,” Olszewski said.
Despite the opposition from special teams players and coaches, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was strongly in favor of the rule change, and he convinced enough owners to vote for it that it passed, at least for the 2023 season.
