Chris Olave played his worst game as a pro against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and to his credit he’s owning up to it. The New Orleans Saints’ leading receiver finished the contest with a career-low total of one reception for a gain of four yards — off of six targets. That’s his lowest total in the NFL and in college since his freshman year, when he was targeted just once during Ohio State’s win over Nebraska on Nov. 3, 2018 (the pass fell incomplete).
Fans on social media noted Olave’s sagging effort in the matchup, where he struggled to compete for some contested catches and sustain blocks to help his teammates. At times, he expressed a bit of attitude leaving the field for the sidelines.
“That’s not the way to go,” Olave told NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill on Thursday, adding that some of his close friends on the team made a point to cool him down and emphasize that he can express his concerns in other ways without hurting the team. He added to the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate’s Rod Walker that “Everybody’s got to look themselves in the mirror” after a 26-9 blowout loss.
It’s easy to understand why he’s frustrated. The Saints’ play calling has fallen off a cliff since Week 1, when Olave lined up all over the formation, including the backfield. He ran three routes out of the backfield in the season opener and caught two passes from that alignment for 30 yards. But he hasn’t moved to the backfield in three games since.
That’s just one example, but it goes to show how limited Olave’s assignments have become in the offense as the season continues on. He isn’t being given many opportunities to catch a ball in space and make a play after the catch. When he’s being thrown to further downfield it’s all along the sideline where the degree of difficulty ratchets up as the field condenses down and the defensive back can use those physical limitations to their advantage. When Olave has been targeted down the middle (as was the case against the Buccaneers on Sunday) the ball was thrown behind him, forcing him to cut his feet and leap backwards, trying to fight off two defenders for a shot at it. No dice.
Olave is a young superstar in the making. But he won’t reach the heights in front of him without more help from his play caller and quarterback. At the same time, he can’t let those dissatisfactions impact his performance. Letting off-target passes from Derek Carr and doomed play calls from Pete Carmichael get into his head just leads to more negative plays. As his veteran teammates know all too well, the best thing he can do is focus his energy on doing his job to the best of his ability.
