CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen sat on a couch next to his wife, Kara, at Levine Children's Hospital, where on Tuesday night they unveiled their support of a cardiac neurodevelopmental program to help families of children with a congenital heart defect like the one their son T.J. was born with five years ago.
As Kara checked her makeup and hair for the interview, Greg chimed in: "You look great ... let's do it."
Greg has spent more time on the couch than he dreamed possible the past eight weeks, recovering from a broken foot suffered during a Week 2 win against Buffalo.
He spent some of that time planning Tuesday's announcement that will give the children's hospital, through the support of his foundation and the HEARTest Yard fund, the ability to fully help families in the situation he and Kara initially faced with T.J.
It's the culmination of a five-year dream.
But now Olsen is ready to get back to football.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection is scheduled to come off injured reserve after the upcoming bye weekend and be ready for the Nov. 26 game against the New York Jets.
The return can't come early enough for Kara, who jokingly began suggesting in the second week of rehab that her husband go help coach their sons' soccer team.
The Greg Olsen Foundation, in partnership with Levine Children's Hospital, on Tuesday announced Olsen's HEARTest Yard fund has pledged to support a cardiac neurodevelopment program. It will be the most compressive program of its kind in the Southeast. The foundation begun by the Panthers Pro Bowl tight end already has gifted $750,000 for the program. As Olsen has said about past programs his foundation has helped, "It's really about wrapping our arms around the families and children."
"I just hope I don't get in the way," Olsen joked, reminding that Carolina (7-3) is coming off an impressive 45-21 victory over Miami on Monday night. "I hope I don't mess it up. When you come off Monday Night Football and score 45 points, now you get thrown into the mix all you can do is make it worse."
Quarterback Cam Newton can't wait to have Olsen back. As the two returned to the locker room after a win against Atlanta two weeks ago, the 2015 NFL MVP put his arm around his favorite tight end and stared into the camera filming the moment.
"Just wait 'til I get my dawg back!" Newton shouted. "Just wait 'til I get my dawg back!"
The Panthers are just starting to find their rhythm offensively, posting a franchise-record 548 yards against the Dolphins. Newton is just starting to get back the swagger he had in 2015 when he threw a career-best 35 touchdowns and ran for 10 more.
Now he gets back his security blanket, the first tight end in NFL history to have three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons (2014-2016).
"We're going to be even more dangerous," said tight end Ed Dickson, who has filled in for Olsen.
The Panthers are going to be more dangerous in large part because Dickson has emerged as a receiving threat in the absence of Olsen.
Dickson didn't have a catch in the first game, but had two catches for 26 yards against the Bills after Olsen was hurt.
Three weeks later, he had five catches for 175 yards in a win at Detroit. On Monday against Miami he had three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown.
In the eight games Olsen missed Dickson had 23 catches for 356 yards and a touchdown. He had only 10 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown all of last season.
"It'll be interesting to see how that all unfolds," coach Ron Rivera said. "I'm like you guys. I'm interested to see it."
The Panthers have changed drastically on offense since Olsen went down. They traded No. 1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo two weeks ago to get more speed on the field.
Despite losing second-round pick Curtis Samuel (ankle) for the season on Monday, Newton has utilized that speed by spreading the ball around more to Dickson and wide receivers Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard and Kaelin Clay.
And oh, running back/receiver Christian McCaffrey, who leads the team in receptions with 57.
The added speed has helped open up the ground game. In the two games since the trade the Panthers have topped 200 yards rushing, the first time in franchise history they've done it in consecutive weeks.
They rushed for 294 yards, five short of the franchise record, against Miami.
Now you throw Olsen into the mix and offensive coordinator Mike Shula can expand his playbook even more, particularly as it pertains to Dickson.
"Probably one of the best things that's happened with Greg being out is we've kind of maybe limited Ed a little bit prior to that," Shula said. "We put a ceiling on it. Now that ceiling is much higher, for a lot of reasons."
Dickson was primarily the blocking tight end after arriving from Baltimore in 2014. He did that well, but when asked to transition into the receiving tight end who also has to block, he did it smoothly. He went from lining up mostly in a three-point or two-point stance tight to the line of scrimmage to at times playing in the slot and wideout as Olsen does.
"He's done a very good job," Rivera said of Dickson. "I don't think people understand that. It's good to point out that Ed has done a good job for us."
But few, if any, in the NFL have done it as well as Olsen the past three years, leading the Panthers in receptions and receiving yards. There's little wonder Newton is excited to have him back.
Same for Shula.
"We all are," Shula said when asked who was most excited.
The reason is simple.
"Cause he's Greg Olsen," Shula said. "He's a guy that's going to help us win football games, and can do it in a lot of different ways, whether or not it's big-time catches or clutch catches or explosive plays or being able to move him around in different spots to help us gain an advantage ... not necessarily getting him the ball but somebody else the ball."
Dickson can't wait for Olsen to get back, either.
"The main thing he brings back is a veteran leader, a veteran leader that has been doing it well for more than five years," he said. "Just having him back makes us that much better."
Olsen and his wife are helping make lives better for families dealing with the hardships they went through with T.J., who had heart surgery three times by the age of 3.
But now it's time to get off the couch and back on the field.
"I hope I don't get in the way, kind of feel my way back into things we've done in the past but also not disrupt what they're doing now," Olsen said. "I'm sure that'll be an interesting transition, but one I'm looking forward to."