A look into Chris Olave's warrior mentality as he continues to elevate

Chris Olave felt something tighten up in his leg during Friday's practice, but not playing this week was never part of his thought process.

The wide receiver has been dealing with a lower-back injury that runs down to his hamstring, and it popped up on Friday, putting his status for Sunday's loss to the Falcons in doubt. For everyone but him, that is. Olave put it bluntly when asked if not playing was ever something that crossed his mind.

"No," he said. Never.

Once he completed an MRI and found out the injury wasn’t as bad as initially thought he and the training staff worked towards him being ready for Sunday’s game. By Saturday, there was already optimism that he'd be back on the field.

“It was tough, on Friday it kind of felt like I pulled it really, but it was a really bad cramp,” Olave said. “Luckily, when I got my MRI it came back clean so just worked towards doing treatment all day and night trying to play in the game.”

This isn't the first time that Olave has played through an injury. He dealt with an ankle sprain last season down the stretch that would cause his joint to swell up and require him to wear a walking boot home from the stadium and early on the next week. Then, too, he never considered missing a game.

“I’m just a competitor, if I can go, if I can play, I know what I can bring to the team,” Olave said. “My talent is really good for the team, so whatever I can do, whether that’s being a decoy, blocking or having 150 yards, I feel like if I can go, I’m going to be out there.”

And Olave showed up on Sunday, there we no visible limitations that prevented him from making plays on the field to help his team be in a position to succeed. He finished the game totaling eight receptions for 86 yards, including two key receptions, one for 13 yards just before the two-minute warning, and another for 16 yards that moved the Saints to the doorstep of the end zone on what would’ve been the Saints’ game-winning drive.

Allen, along with Olave, thought that the injury wasn’t going to hold him out and that he performed well. Olave has challenged himself this season to catch every pass that comes his way. He feels that that is the standard to live by.

“This year I try to set the standard for myself trying to catch every ball," Olave said. "I know I didn’t come down with one today. I’m just trying to catch every ball that’s thrown my way, no matter how it is, that’s my standard for myself.”