Former Panthers star Greg Olsen: ‘I have confidence (Carolina) will get the job done.’

Greg Olsen has gone from local fan favorite to national TV star really quickly.

A longtime Carolina Panthers star, Olsen, 38, retired from the NFL in 2020. Pretty soon after, he was calling games on Fox Sports as its lead NFL analyst. Just a few months ago, he earned critical acclaim, calling the Chiefs 38-35 win against the Eagles in the Super Bowl.

“On the surface,” Olsen said recently, “it happened fast. But I had been doing TV stuff for years, but people didn’t know it was on the air. You weren’t calling America’s game of the week for 30 million people. You were calling an ACC wrap-up show on a regional network for 100 people to watch. But it was great reps. It was how I learned the craft, how I learned the industry. I look back on those early gigs and they weren’t glamorous, and they weren’t on network television, but they were really good for my growth, really good for my education into this world.

“And without it, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now.”

Last week, Olsen did a virtual appearance for Deer Park Water, talking to a group of Winton-Salem elementary school students about the importance of hydration and exercise, things he said he learned as a child and still values greatly today.

After the appearance, he spoke with The Observer about the Panthers, and particularly about quarterback Bryce Young. Olsen feels that Young’s introduction to — and his potential ascension — in the NFL could be as quick and as successful as his rise in network television.

But Olsen thinks the Panthers, and the Panthers’ fan base, have to be patient.

The conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Langton Wertz Jr.: Your thoughts on Bryce Young. It’s been a rough start for him.

Greg Olsen: I like Bryce. I like everything about him. I think we have to be careful trying to give a full evaluation of a young player. For him, the jury’s still out obviously. I think the reality of the situation is that most young quarterbacks, you know, the talent and experience around them and the situation that they’re operating in, really goes a long way in determining their early success.

They let (star running back) Christian (McCaffrey) leave last year, which everyone understood kind of why, and (wide receiver) DJ (Moore, traded to Chicago) was part of the package to even be in position to get Bryce. It takes awhile to replace guys like that.

So you bring in a young quarterback first overall and you throw him there, and it’s going to take some time to build some weapons around him, and that offensive line has kind of been depleted early with some injuries, especially on the interior, which they thought was going to be the strength of the team. I don’t the roster was so deep and talented that could weather what they’ve kind of weathered (on offense and defense) the first four weeks, and I think all those things make it hard to operate as a quarterback to begin with, and I think it’s part of the process of making sure we’re patient before we pass final judgment on Bryce.”

LW: A lot of Panthers fans are looking at CJ Stroud, who is third in the NFL in passing yardage, and wondering ‘what if?’ Is that fair to Young?

GO: It’s inevitable that you’re always going to be compared to other people in your draft class, especially when you’re picked so close to one another. I’ll be honest, it’s pretty impressive the job that DeMeco (Ryans) has done there in Houston (the Texans are 2-3 while the Panthers are 0-5). He’s made that team very competitive after being, in essence, non-competitive for the last 2-3 years. I just think we have to be careful as a fan base that we don’t jump to really quick conclusions. ‘

We have to see how this process plays out. They hired Frank (Reich) and he put together a great staff. Let’s see how it all comes together. I think we’ve got to give him a year or two to build the talent around him and support Bryce. But yeah, it’s fair. It’s fair to look at a guy that was in the running to be that 1A, 1B kind of conversation. CJ has gotten off to a really fast start. That’s the way it goes. You’re going to be compared to your peers. That’s the nature of the game.

LW: What are your thoughts on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce dating pop star Taylor Swift and that becoming one of the biggest stories in sports?

GO: (Laughs). That’s the story. We were there (the NFL on Fox crew) for the big debut, so to speak, in Kansas City for the Bears game when she came. I think it was fun. We were thankful as a broadcast team that she was there because the game was (a 41-10 Chiefs win). It kind of became the story of the day. I like Travis. He’s a friend of mine. I’ve gotten to know him really well over the years. I wish him the best. I hope they’re both happy. I hope it’s what they both want, and if that’s the case, what else can you ask for.

LW: What’s more nerve-wracking: Playing in a Super Bowl or broadcasting one? (Olsen was part of the 15-1 Panthers team that played in the 2016 Super Bowl.)

GO: I think playing. Playing is still a different animal, although broadcasting was uniquely nerve-wracking to begin with. But on the field, you spent your life, you’ve given everything in your being to get to that moment and there’s just that feeling that this might be your only shot. There’s times when I’m down on the field before a game, walking around on the field, and get that feeling, like, ‘Man, how did I do this for so long? I’m nervous for these guys?’ But that’s why you do it. I loved that energy. I loved that quest to achieve, that grind and that fight. I always thrived in that.

It’s a different level of pressure in the booth. My big thing now is I say something stupid or I mispronounce somebody’s name, or I call them the wrong number, and people make fun of me on Twitter. At end of the day, it’s not that big of a deal.

LW: Why are there so many tight ends on TV today, like you, Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzalez? We’re used to seeing quarterbacks. Is tight end the new quarterback?

GO: Because we’re the best (laughs). I think it’s interesting. You look around and tight end is becoming a pretty premier position across the league, on and off the field. For the last 10-15 years, the position has really elevated in its visibility. Shannon is unique example. He’s a Hall of Fame player and probably a top five tight end of all time. He’s on TV because of his personality. He’s charismatic and he’s just really good in that setting. Same thing with Tony. When I came in the league, we were pretty far down the rung, so it’s nice to see the position start getting a lot of respect both on and off the field.

LW: Circling back to the Panthers: You preached patience. Do you think Coach Reich has the team on the right path?

GO: I think that’s the million dollar question. What is the timeline? (Matt) Rhule got hired in (January 2020). Here we are four seasons later. I think fans have the right to be somewhat impatient. I get it. You want a good product and any player or coach or GM or owner or anybody that enters into the world of the NFL, they understand what we signed up for.

When we were bad, when we first got there in 2011 and ‘12, and people were calling for our heads and (former coach) Ron (Rivera). There was sensitivity to that. We didn’t think people should feel bad for us.

LW: So you think the staff will figure this thing out?

GO: Frank has been through this before and (GM) Scott (Fitterer) and these guys are very good at what they do. They’ve been around good, winning organizations for a long time. Frank understands what the expectations are, and I don’t think anyone’s shied away from that. I think he would be the first one to say, “Listen we want to win, we want to put on a better product for our fans.”

There’s no excuses. There’s no, you know, “Well, we have a young quarterback.” The NFL is a win or loss business and I think everyone over there understands that and I think they have the right people for the job. They have great reputations. They have great experience. I personally am confident they are going to get the job done. What that timeline is? Hopefully sooner than later, but it would be hard for anybody to really speculate on that.