Chris Olave exemplified Saints’ fight vs. Cardinals

By Ross Jackson

One of the big positive takeaways from the New Orleans Saints’ opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals was the effort and fight shown by the team late. For the Saints to be just one catch away from a chance to at least tie the game at the end was well above many of the expectations placed on the Saints going into the season.

While every player on the field should share in that success, there was one player that truly exemplified that fight and grit throughout the game: wide receiver Chris Olave. 

Olave suffered multiple injuries throughout the day. At one point he limped off the field after getting twisted up on a tackle with about 8:40 left in the second quarter. Olave was taken to the sideline as the injury tent was put up, but the wideout did not enter the tent. Instead, by 6:28 in the same quarter, he was back out on the field. 

Later in the game, with 9:04 remaining in the fourth quarter, Olave was again hurt after a big collision with rookie cornerback Will Johnson on a quick pass to the left sideline. Rattler spoke about the play after the game.

“We’re coached if that nickel comes and that end squeezes, we’re throwing that out there,” he said. “They had the perfect call for that play. Kind of caught us off guard with it, and I’m just happy first it wasn’t a backward pass and second, (that) he’s healthy after it. I went up to him I said, ‘Hey man, I’m not trying to get you blown up there.’”

Olave then did something that caught a lot of the attention of those watching along. He went to the sideline, paced around with a training staff member in tow, but didn’t go into the injury tent right away. It was clear that Olave did not want to be off the field and was perhaps frustrated to be checked up. He eventually went into the injury tent for a brief moment before again watching from the sidelines and then re-entering the game with 4:34 remaining. He finished the game on the field. 

After his second return to action, Olave caught another pair of passes, though one was overturned by review and ruled incomplete. His determination to remain in the game was a show of resilience acknowledged by head coach Kellen Moore.

“He battled each and every play,” he said. “He had a couple things come up and he just kept getting ready. Then, once he was available, he hopped out there. I thought our guys, at the end of the day, they gave us a chance.”

Olave finished the contest with seven receptions on 11 targets for 54 receiving yards, the team’s second-leading receiving. The fourth-year wideout has picked up some concern because of a few unfortunate hits last year leading to a pair of concussions and additional medical checks throughout the season until it came to an abrupt and scary end in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers.

Since then, many have speculated about Olave’s health and future, some even going so far as to effectively advise him to retire. However, the only person that will make that decision will be Olave himself. Sunday’s game was a great representation of the drive and fight that he possesses and how much it means to his teammates.

“I didn’t question,” running back Alvin Kamara said when asked about Olave’s desire to remain on the field. “I just look at him like, ‘You straight? We about to go on the field.’ He’s like, ‘I’m good.’ You know, he’s cool. I don’t worry when I look in Chris’s direction.”