Who has ever been in a bad breakup before?
I know I have, and needless to say, the thoughts and emotions that come with ending something that you considered special for so long can leave a mark. However, it’s all about perspective. Those bad relationships or relationships that were good for a period of time but ended in a nasty breakup can help you appreciate the lessons learned and personal growth you went through as a person. They also can motivate you to seek out something better in the future, looking to outdo what you ex represented in your life.
I know, this all sounds like a soap opera or chick flick, but I promise that it is very pertinent to Pittsburgh’s matchup against the New England Patriots.
How you may ask? WR Gunner Olszewski said as much when posed the question of what it would be like to square off against his ex-team this Sunday in Acrisure Stadium.
“Anytime you play the ex, you want to show out,” Olszewski said in the locker room to the media Friday on video from Chris Adamski’s Twitter page.
Olszewski started his NFL career with the Patriots after going undrafted out of Bemidji State back in 2019. He ended up making the 53-man roster and made his professional debut against the Steelers as New England’s primary kick and punt returner. He then went on to have a strong 2020 season, being named a first team All-Pro as a punt returner, averaging 17.3 YPR with a return TD while also averaging 23.2 YPR on kick returns for a total of 418 yards.
However, Olszewski’s averages dipped in 2021 and New England opted to not bring him back, letting him walk in free agency. Pittsburgh jumped at the opportunity to sign him after losing Ray-Ray McCloud to the 49ers, inking him to a two-year deal to become their new kick and punt returner.
As a former UDFA that had to scratch and claw his way into the league from a D-II school, Olszewski isn’t one needing extra motivation to play his best on Sundays. However, the opportunity to play his former team that decided he wasn’t worth bringing back now awaits him in Week 2, and it sounds like he is looking to prove that’s he on to bigger and better things now as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers with his former team looking on from the opposite sideline.
