CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's been just over two weeks since Greg Olsen re-fracture a bone in his right foot in the Panthers season opener against the Cowboys, and right now he's hopeful about returning soon.
At a charity yoga event to benefit his foundation The HEARTest Yard, Olsen spoke to NBC Charlotte for the first time since the injury in week one.
"It's been tough. I told you guys last year that it was my first time ever having to [watch], now it's like deja-vu and I'm saying it all over again, " Olsen said.
"It's frustrating. I went eight months of never missing an OTA, mini-camp, training camp, preseason, never missed a day, never was sore and felt great. I had probably my best offseason I've ever had from a production standpoint, from a physical standpoint in probably years. And you just step funny, catch a guys foot and it's just frustrating, but that's the way this game goes."
Last year, Olsen had to have surgery after fracturing the bone in his foot. This season, the Panthers said they would monitor his rehab and evaluate his progress on a monthly basis, which has allowed him to remain at the facilities and hopefully make a quicker return.
"I'm doing good, we're optimistic that I'll be able to get back, and hopefully on a shorter timeframe than last year. How that works out we're kind of taking it week by week right now... I'm feeling good about where we're at considering we're two weeks into this thing and just going to try to make the most of this season," Olsen said.
Right now, he still has no timetable for his return. The bye week allows him to get a good week of workouts and rehab in without the stress of missing a game, but compared to where his was at this point after the injury last year, Olsen is feeling good.
"I'm way ahead of the curve. Last week at two weeks, I was laying in the bed in a cast and couldn't do anything. So I'm way ahead of the curve from that standpoint from last year, now it's just seeing each week how your foot responds... Right now we're optimistic that it will be sooner than later.
