Hurney is in an unenviable position in some ways

[top dawg]

A week ago, no one in the world would have thought that we'd ever see a day where Marty Hurney would be the GM of the Carolina Panthers. It was inconceivable---a joke. Many people would humorously but dismissively split their sides at such a preposterous thought.

Well, no one's laughing anymore. Hurndawg will be the acting GM on an interim basis through the 2017 season whether you like it or not. "It is what it is," as his hire John Fox used to say. 

But what is "it?" What in the Panther-blue blazes is going on? You'd think that Hurney has been hired long-term from the way Hurney haters have reacted to the news of his rehiring. But that's just it. His title is Interim GM, and why that has apparently escaped so many, I don't know.

Hurney's job is anything but a "gimme." Although some may beg to differ, he wasn't given a perfect roster or endless amounts of salary cap space. He has a decent setup thanks to his predecessor Dave Gettleman, but it's far from perfect and decisions will have to be made. Hurney is the acting GM, so he is going to get credit whether you like it or not, but he's also going to be forced to take responsibility if things fail.  That's just the nature of the beast. You can't genuinely give Gettleman all the credit of his success when it was due in large part to players that Hurney signed, while at the same time give Hurney no credit for any success that happens as a result of a roster that has Gettleman's fingerprints all over it. But that's what many of you you are setting yourself up to do (if you haven't already done it on some level). 

Honestly, I think the key to this season will be less about the GM---Hurney or Gettleman---and more about coaching. We have some great, highly productive players from Hurney's legacy still on this roster, as well as younger potential studs from the Gettleman era who still need to play up to their potential. But it's Ron, the coordinators, and the positional coaches that are going to have to take the pieces from both these eras, balance them all out, and fulfill the goal of a championship. Gettleman and Hurney have provided some necessary pieces, but whether we have enough remains to be seen. I tend to think that Hurney will need to make two or three more moves, which will further cloud which GM actually deserves the credit of success in the minds of many.

What has obviously escaped most is that unless and until we have a superbly successful season, Hurney is living on borrowed time. If we do succeed, then let the second wave of griping begin (like it will ever stop). Let all the arguments as to why the success is ALL Gettleman and none of Hurney, like is the illogical argument by so many seemingly levelheaded Huddlers now.  It will be ironic that success will bring the most divisiveness, but if the past week is any indication, that's exactly what will transpire, because Hurney haters will refuse to give the man credit for anything.

But, if somehow we fail, Hurney will get most if not ALL the blame, while Gettleman continues to be a god in the eyes of many. So from the perspective of being appreciated by many many fans, Hurney will be damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

As for me, if he succeeds, there will be very valid and compelling reasons to remove the interim title if that's what he actually wants. If he fails, which he is likely to do considering that probability and possibly artificially inflated expectations from the now inflated importance and good sentiment of a 15-1 season, he will be axed. So considering all the right that Hurney enters into, the wrong is that which really hangs like the sword of Damocles over his future. People may have gotten it twisted, but it's going to take a Herculean effort to put out a winning product---with so many valid questions regarding weaknesses on our roster, particularly relative to the strength of our league and divisional counterparts---much less win it all. If it happens, then Hurney deserves all he will get. If not, then we have lost a season...just like last season, and Hurney becomes a footnote, just like Gettleman, on the way to eventually bigger and better things. 

[Sean Payton's Vicodin]

fug him, he sucked ass at his job, wasted all of our time, made millions of dollars - and he gets to do it all over again. How is that unenviable? Is the Charlotte sports press actually worth a poo now?

[top dawg]

7 minutes ago, Sean Payton's Vicodin said:

fug him, he sucked ass at his job, wasted all of our time, made millions of dollars - and he gets to do it all over again. How is that unenviable? Is the Charlotte sports press actually worth a poo now?

Well, he suck(ed) at his job in several respects for sure, but that doesn't mean he suck(s) at his job now. If he does suck, then he'll be gone rather quickly, so ultimately I don't see all the fuss. Put your big boy pants on (like @ladypanther said), and grin and bear it. This season will not last forever unless we end up as champions.

[PhillyB]

GM is an unenviable position for a bad GM

[The Huddler]

Hey guess what

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hurney stinks

[The Huddler]

Hes given me a hurnia 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Krovvy]

You would think this is politics on how many on this board react.

[Khaki Lackey]

A week ago, no one in the world would have thought that we'd ever see a day where Marty Hurney would be the GM of the Carolina Panthers. It was inconceivable---a joke. Many people would humorously but dismissively split their sided at such a preposterous thought.

Oh it's still a joke. I assure you.


Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

[TheRed]

It cracks me up how the same posters that used to litter this place with "Hurney magic" posts now act like none of it ever happened. One of the now most disliked Panthers of all time, Haruki Nakamura, was presented with a near unanimous circle jerk praise thread by fans here when Hurney signed him.

Gotta love the huddle.

[top dawg]

If the Huddle can exercise and revel in negative revisionist history as it pertains to future HoFers, then I should have known that Hurney has no chance.

[PandaPancake]

[Castavar]

1 hour ago, top dawg said:

Well, he suck(ed) at his job in several respects for sure, but that doesn't mean he suck(s) at his job now. If he does suck, then he'll be gone rather quickly, so ultimately I don't see all the fuss. Put your big boy pants on (like @ladypanther said), and grin and bear it. This season will not last forever unless we end up as champions.

I don't believe that for one second. I mean, Shula still has a job as our OC for christ sake's. Hurney is here to stay. No way in hell JR would fire his buddy twice. Best we can hope for is Hurney DOESN'T become our permanent GM and we hire somebody worth a damn at the end of the season. 

[TheSpecialJuan]

[top dawg]

31 minutes ago, Castavar said:

I don't believe that for one second. I mean, Shula still has a job as our OC for christ sake's. Hurney is here to stay. No way in hell JR would fire his buddy twice. Best we can hope for is Hurney DOESN'T become our permanent GM and we hire somebody worth a damn at the end of the season. 

So you actually believe that if Hurney sucks that the surly J-Rich---the same one that fired him before---who was arguably the catalyst behind such bad decisions---is going to gleefully make a bad situation permanent? Is that what you actually, really really believe? Come on, man.

Whether you or I like it or not (and I don't), there was a compelling reason to keep Shula around, but Shula is on Ron, not JR.