Olson To Steer Ship In NFLE

After spending the entire 2006 season on the Ravens sideline, quarterback Drew Olson will finally get his chance to steer the ship - only he'll be sailing in foreign waters.

Olson begins his tenure at the helm of NFL Europa's Amsterdam Admirals on Thursday, when he and the four other Ravens heading overseas begin reporting to the Tampa, Fla. training camp.

He admits that he got some of the best training from veteran quarterbacks

Steve M^cNair and Kyle Boller, making the upcoming campaign highly anticipated.

"That's the biggest thing. Sitting here and learning behind Steve and Kyle has been a great opportunity, and now I'm looking forward to putting that to good use," said the 23-year-old. "I get to go out and play 10 games, hopefully 11, and prepare to come back to Baltimore."

Olson originally came to the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA, where he was one of the most prolific passers in Bruins history. He ended his career with the second-most passing yards (8,532), completions (664) and touchdowns (67) in school history.

A year on Baltimore's practice squad left Olson yearning to air it out again in live action. That should be no problem with the Admirals' offense.

Headed by longtime NFL Europa coach Bart Andrus, Amsterdam is annually near the top of the league's offensive rankings. The Admirals finished the 2006 season averaging and NFLE-high 245.2 passing yards per game.

"It's definitely one of the better teams, and I really want to carry on that offensive tradition in Amsterdam," Olson explained.

He even got an early scouting report of his coach from McNair, the former Tennessee Titan, where Andrus was an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach from 1997-99.

"That relationship is definitely a positive thing," Olson said. "Steve had some great things to say about coach Andrus when he was in Tennessee, and I can't wait to work with him."

While the Netherlands is a far cry from his hometown of Piedmont, Calif., the prospect of traveling to other European cities is an undeniable perk of playing in the league.

"I've traveled to Italy before but never to Germany and the Netherlands," he stated. "I think it's going to be an all-around great experience, on and off the field.

"I'm at the one point in my life where I can still spend some time in a foreign country, but I'll also be getting paid for it."

Olson will be joined by fellow Ravens practice-squadder Rob Abiamiri, who was also allocated to Amsterdam. Linebacker Jimmy Cottrell and defensive tackle Kenny King will head to the Frankfurt Galaxy, while offensive guard Dan Oliphant takes his services to the Cologne Centurions.

The Baltimore representatives carry on a tradition of Ravens that have made contributions in the NFLE. Defensive tackle Kelly Gregg played for the Rhein Fire in 2001, the same year linebacker Gary Stills was All-NFLE for Frankfurt. Additionally, former Ravens tackle Tony Pashos spent the 2003 season with the Centurions.

Olson hopes to follow in the footsteps of his Admirals predecessor, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Gibran Hamdan, who finished an impressive season with 1,629 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air, good for a 113.4 passer rating. Eventually, though, Olson is looking for his on-field experiences to affect his future back in the States, where he wants to eventually make the leap from practice squad to the active roster.

He'll have a 10-game regular season to prove it.

"To get the chance to get myself on film in game situations is great," he said. "I'm happy for the opportunity. That's why you play this game: to play."