Best NFL Players of All Time: Merlin Olsen

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Best NFL Players of All Time: Merlin Olsen

For millions of TV viewers, Merlin Olsen was the perceptive TV pundit who dropped by your living room on Sundays to share with you his thoughts on the game inside the game. He was one of the leads on Father Murphy or Little House on the Prairie to millions more. It’s unfortunate that fans don’t remember Olsen as much for his work on the football field as they do for his work on the small screen, as the latter was quite excellent.

Along with Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy, Olsen was a key component of the storied “Fearsome Foursome” defense of the Los Angeles Rams. Naturally, Jones was the starting quarterback, a monstrous pass rusher who coined the word “sack,” and a boisterous figure in the media. In all honesty, Olsen was almost as excellent as Jones, even though Jones is one of the greatest players of all time (see No. 8).

One of the most reliable players in the history of the game was Olsen. Between 1962 and 1975, he appeared in 14 straight Pro Bowls (a record he shares with offensive lineman Bruce Matthews), and he played the game with a fierceness that contrasted with his on-screen demeanor. Regarding his teammate’s gentle-giant persona, Jones remarked, “There was nothing gentle about Merlin Olsen when the ball was snapped.” “No, he was a terrific teammate and played hard every time he touched the ball. He was able to fill any opening, stop the run, and rush the passer.

When Olsen was occupying Jones’s area, Deacon would frequently loop to the outside in order to rush the quarterback, filling in many of those spaces. Olsen would assume Jones’s tasks in addition to his own, switching from his defensive tackle position. Olsen performed exactly how Rams coaches Chuck Knox and George Allen wanted him to play.

Olsen possessed exceptional strength and speed, but it was his brains that helped him place first or second on the All-NFL team ten times. “Every year, I aimed to improve,” Olsen remarked. “I was really worried about fixing whatever went wrong and improving upon it. In order to do my duties more effectively, I was extremely worried about the players I was facing and what they would probably do on the field.

Olsen was able to diagnose what was happening in the other huddle thanks to the study, just like if he had put a listening device in his own ear and placed a microphone on the quarterback. Most teams would try to entice the defensive playmakers out of position by using a screen pass or a draw play. Olsen understood practically everything about the play before it began and would give the ball carrier so effortlessly that the play would end before it even began, so that was just not possible.

Although Olsen had an inner fire that drove him to play hard every play and every down, he soon discovered that running backs and receivers were typically far more emotional than he was when they were going for a huge play or score. Olsen saw that as a strength because, despite what some may have thought was a weakness, Olsen was delving into their thoughts and understanding what they were doing when they were pumping their sts and slapping high ves.

“More complex, self-determining factors drive football linemen than just the fear of looking foolish in front of the public, which is what drives backs and receivers,” according to Olsen. You could anticipate witnessing your rivals preparing themselves and adopting a mindset that suggested they would be unbeatable in the field. Yes, it was typically possible to defeat them if one was well-prepared, positioned correctly, and employed the right approach. Those items served as excellent equalizers in the conflict with emotion.

Olsen’s primary area of expertise was the mental game, although he could also pursue the passer. Although he played in an era prior to the official statistics on sacks, during his 14-year career, he amassed 94 unofficial figures. He was glad to have them, but only if they would help the Rams win and strengthen their defense. According to Olsen, “it wasn’t about the glory that comes your way when you get the quarterback.” “The only thing that mattered was helping the team by doing your part and meeting expectations.

You know there’s an opening and you seize it because you’re focused on going to the passer right now. You execute the play. It’s a truly wonderful feeling. Although I didn’t experience it as frequently as [Deacon Jones] did, I did experience it frequently enough to understand what a lovely feeling it was.

Olsen would evaluate his performance using the same analytical method.

own play and acknowledge that there was room for improvement. “Having to own up to the fact that we are unprepared and didn’t complete our homework is one of the most painful moments of life,” Olsen stated.

That might have been Olsen’s key to success all along. Though he received praise and recognition from others quickly, he was always hard on himself and expected more. Actually, he dominated the game for 14 years, and his steadiness laid the groundwork for an incredibly fruitful career.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Merlin Olsen Stats

Regular Season

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Sfty AV
1962* 22 RAM LDT 74 12 12 1 20 1 20 0 2 0 0 3.5 9
1963* 23 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 1 0 0 0 3.5 9
1964* 24 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 7 9
1965* 25 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 0 1 59 0 6 9
1966*+ 26 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 1 2 9 0 4 15
1967*+ 27 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 0 1 0 0 3.5 15
1968*+ 28 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 0 1 0 0 9 15
1969*+ 29 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 11 12
1970*+ 30 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 8.5 14
1971* 31 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 4 9
1972* 32 RAM LDT 74 14 14 0 10 9
1973* 33 RAM RDT 74 14 14 0 7 11
1974* 34 RAM RDT 74 14 14 0 3.5 10
1975* 35 RAM RDT 74 14 14 0 0 1 0 0 7.5 13
1976 36 RAM RDT 74 14 14 0 0 1 0 0 3 8
Career 208 208 1 20 1 20     2 9 68 0 91 167

Playoffs

Year Age Tm Pos G GS Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Sk Sfty
1967*+ 27 RAM LDT 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1969*+ 29 RAM LDT 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5
1973* 33 RAM RDT 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
1974* 34 RAM LDT 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5
1975* 35 RAM LDT 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1976 36 RAM LDT 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Career 9 9 0   0 0 1 0 0 6

 

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