CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers legend Greg Olsen is feeling very good about his former teammate Luke Kuechly’s chances to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday.

Olsen is scheduled to fly out to California Thursday, with the idea of celebrating alongside Kuechly if the former linebacker makes the Hall of Fame on his second try.

Olsen and I sat down Wednesday for a wide-ranging interview that was scheduled in part to promote the yearly charity event he hosts each February at Steak 48 restaurant. We also talked about Cam Newton returning to the Panthers fold in January; the Panthers’ prevent defense in the final drive of their playoff loss to the L.A. Rams; coach Bill Belichick getting rejected this year by Hall of Fame voters and much more.

The HEARTest Yard’s Ungala has raised more than $1 million over the past four years, directly benefiting the HEARTest Yard program at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital and supporting children with congenital heart conditions and the families who care for them (Olsen’s son TJ was treated for congenital heart disease at Levine and is now thriving).

This year’s event is Feb. 23. Visit receptionsforresearch.org for more details. Here’s a transcript of my Olsen interview, edited for clarity and brevity.

— Scott Fowler: You called the Panthers’ 34-31 playoff loss for Fox Sports. That game turned almost into a reunion for the 2015 Carolina Super Bowl team, didn’t it?

— Greg Olsen: I thought it was great. That was a fun day…. I was up in the (Fox Sports) booth, Cam’s down on the field (banging the “Keep Pounding drum), Luke’s in the booth next to me doing the (Panthers team) radio. TD (Thomas Davis).... We share a lot of really good memories, and share some really tough memories.

To all kind of come back 10 years later the team everyone remembers — it was a really good day for the city. I’m sure it meant a ton to Cam and his family, and it certainly goes a long way towards that relationship continuing to be strong, going into the future.”

— SF: The Panthers played very soft coverage on that final drive where the Rams scored to win. What do you think happened there?

— GO: It’s human nature to second guess, to say ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda.’ We all do that. … But I also covered the Panthers game at home against Dallas. (Panthers coach Dave) Canales was faced with a really hard decision there at the end of the game. Does he go for it? Does he kick? Does he go for fourth down? He goes for the fourth down. (Bryce Young) throws it to Hunter Renfrow. A little inside slant. They milk more time off, kick the winning field goal, and they beat Dallas at home. Little did everyone know.

So I think with Dave’s decision-making, it’s very easy to judge outcomes. Certainly they would go back and redo the end of the game because it clearly didn’t work. But all day, I thought they played well. I thought they answered the moment. … (Cornerback) Jaycee Horn was out at that point and that certainly changed everything. … They had the game won with two minutes to go. I think it’s easy to go, “You know, they should have blitzed more. They should have played different coverages.”

Well, certainly if they knew they were going to give up the game-winning touchdown, they would have probably done a lot of different things. But I think Dave really showed this year what he’s capable of as a head coach, and Dan Morgan has shown what he’s capable of as a general manager. … The conversation around the Panthers has felt a lot different (recently), and I think those guys deserve a lot of credit.

— SF: What do you think about the possibility of Kuechly making the Hall of Fame?

— GO: Obviously, I think we’re all disappointed that Luke didn’t make it last year as a first-ballot (Hall of Famer). I can’t think of someone more deserving. You know, I’m going to be out there. I’m going to fly out there (Thursday). ... All of us — his friends, his teammates, his family — hope that this is the year that he gets in.

I’d love nothing more than to be able to celebrate that with him this week at the Super Bowl out in California. It’ll be kind of ironic if he does get in — that’s the site of where we had one of our biggest heartbreaks of our careers (the Super Bowl 50 loss to Denver).... (Kuechly) is a guy that’s as close of a friend as I have in the world. To be able to experience that with him and his family would be just such a blessing. ... We’re on the heels of all finding out.

— SF: What did you think of the snub of Bill Belichick, who ESPN has reported wasn’t voted into the Hall of Fame this year by its 50 voters?

— GO: Just a clear-cut miss. ... He’s widely recognized as one of, if not the greatest, coaches in any sport. ... It shines a bigger light on just the process, and maybe who gets a vote, and how they vote, and the manner in which they vote. ... I think everyone just takes for granted that every person there is making a selfless decision and not a biased decision.

But these are humans, right? These are people that have long histories against franchises and long histories against individuals. And, you know, hold grudges. And that’s human nature. But it’d be nice if we could somehow re-evaluate the process that strips all that down and say, ‘OK, this is just such a no-brainer. How do we bypass anything that could potentially snag it?”

And for those people who don’t believe he’s a Hall of Famer, maybe we need to re-evaluate your objectivity. And are you really a worthy voter, a worthy voice for the greatest honor in sports, which is to make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame? It’s not something that I think can be clouded by pettiness. And maybe it’s not. ... I’m sure there’s some people that had some personal grudges. Maybe. I don’t know what else it would be.

— SF: Where do the Panthers go from here? What do they need most this offseason?

— GO: It’s interesting. I think there are two kind of traditional approaches, right? There’s some teams that say, “OK, (I’ve got) an offensive-minded head coach (in Canales). I’ve got a young quarterback (Bryce Young) that’s continuing to improve. I’ve invested in offensive lineman. ... Let’s continue to surround Bryce with as many offensive weapons and as much talent as we can, because as he goes, we’re going to go. That’s certainly a viable option.

Or the other option is saying, “OK, do we have the offense in a place now where it’s stable and we know we’ve got some young players on the offense — how do we continue now to fill some of the holes on defense?” I think the Panthers are good in the secondary. ... Derrick Brown is a premier player. ... But you talk about finishing games.

Pass rush finishes games, right? So instead of having to blitz a fifth or sixth guy, can you get there with your edge? Can you win with that one sack in a two-minute drive that all but ends the games, traditionally speaking? Can they find pass rushers that can just win one on one, take some of the attention off Derrick? … I think they can continue to improve defensively and especially, personnel-wise, along the edges.

— SF: You are on the No. 2 Fox Sports NFL broadcasting team. You used to be on the No. 1 team, until Tom Brady joined Fox as the No. 1 analyst. Are you satisfied with your career right now?

— GO: I would say right now I’m very content with what I’m doing. I feel really proud about the team that I work with. I feel really proud being at the network that I’m on — a network that allowed me to call games when I was a player, and not everybody was happy about that… I’ve gotten to call some great games and called Super Bowls and NFC championships, and got to call another playoff game this year, which was incredible.

I’m very happy with my crew right now. I think it’s a great group. I think we do a great job as a team, right? Not just me. I’m saying I think (play-by-play announcer) Joe Davis is awesome. I think (sideline reporter) Pam Oliver is Pam Oliver. Just the entire group is a really good group that, to me, feels like a top team. It feels like an A crew. And I think that’s the reception that we get….

I think when you take a step back and you say, yes, would I love to call Super Bowls? Of course. Do I want to get that back to that? Yes. That will never change, and I will continue to pursue that until people tell me I’m no longer wanted.

But man, what a cool job to go call games every Sunday in NFL stadiums around the country: engage with coaches, meet different players, get a look behind the curtain. ... It’s something that I anticipate doing for a really long time.

— SF: Tell me about your Ungala charity event, which has become a real staple in Charlotte.

— GO: Little did we know when we made the joking name of “The Ungala” just how fitting it would be…. In today’s world, where there’s so many things pulling people in so many different directions, to not only to have the purpose that people can connect to but then also give them an experience that’s worth coming back to — we strive for that. A lot of that is anchored in Steak 48 and a lot of that is anchored in just this restaurant and the staff and the food and the experience.

It just feels like an event you don’t want to miss. People in the community not only want to support Levine Children’s Hospital, they want to support our family and our foundation. It’s just amazing that year in and year out this many years later, people continue to come, and people are just as passionate about the HEARTest Yard and just as passionate about our work with Levine Children’s as they were 13 years ago when people found out about TJ’s journey and we just had started.

So it’s, it’s been pretty cool to just see how far we’ve come. … This event alone has raised over a million dollars, but we’ve raised over $12-13 million with the HEARTest Yard. It’s a meaningful impact.

— SF: Will you be the head coach at Charlotte Christian middle school again this year, but hopefully this time with a defensive coordinator (Kuechly) who just made the Hall of Fame?

— GO: Yes. My youngest son will be an eighth-grader next year. It’s been a blast, doing it with (former Panther Jonathan Stewart) and Luke and my dad (a longtime high school coach). My dad and Luke and myself — this will be our fifth year doing this. We love it.

The kids are awesome. They grow in front of your eyes… The team’s had a lot of success. The kids have had a lot of success. More importantly, there’s been a lot of growth, maturation and development at a critical time in their lives. So it checks a lot of boxes. It provides a lot of purpose and meaning to all of us, too. It’s kind of our outlet from a competitive (standpoint). Some people think we take it a little too (seriously). But you are who you are.

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