Did anyone listen to Hurney tonight on the Pulse?

[pantherfan81]

Podcast is up here: http://www.wbt.com/listen/index.aspx

Just scroll down.

[pantherfan81]

You guys broke it!

Edit: Nevermind it works now lol

[teeray]

huh?

[CarolinaNut]

it works for me...listening to it now

[CarolinaNut]

he says you wanna take the player that will have the biggest impact on your organization with the number 1 pick...i'm no genius but wouldn't that be a QB?!?

says he has the list of players in an order but it could change daily

says he hasn't been approached by any teams interested in a trade but i wouldn't expect that to start happening until a couple days before the draft

[mav1234]

J.H.:"I heard from Marty at 5:55 today, I figured you were locked up in meetings or so exhausted from hitting the town for a couple days with Cam Newton. Probably taking a nap."

Hurney: "Have had a number of players in this week (hmm), the closer you get you get preoccupied not only on the first pick but the rounds after that... as we were tlaking about before we got on, college scouts get in to town tonight... will meet with them tomorrrow and over the weekend and over the next couple weekends after that... position coaches will come in and do the readings of the players they have evaluated... will go from there.

J.H: Scouts do what?

Hurney: Go to schools... 5 area scouts. 2 national scouts. director of college scouting. national combine scout. make school visits during year. area scouts visit schools twice or three times. national scouts go over top of the area scouts and look at top 150 players, as does director of college scouting. I'll get out, get to games as much as possible. At march, going to workouts, talking to coaches and staff and everybody that we can to get as much information as we can on the kids. Set board first time in Dec. Go over it before combine and reset it. With pro days etc behind us, we change it. We set it based on highest grade at the end of the season.

JH: What changes it? Scouting report, attitude, areas of concern, combine speeds,

Hurney: All of the above. 3 people may grade a player so you'll adjust according to the conversation from that. All-star games. Combine. Pro Day Workouts. All the info you gather comes into play over the next 2-3 weeks. But really, you still fall back on the tape and what you saw during the season.

JH: Is #1 pick blessing or curse?

Hurney: Blessing if you pick the right guy. What's different about it? really only difference is that you know who is going to be there. Deal with more opinions about who you should take but you still have to make the right decision, same process. It's a critically important pick.

JH: Interesting thing is national pressure is on the #1 pick on the draft but a yard and a half, two years from now, will be analyzed for ALL of the picks as much as #1 pick unless that pick is Ryan Leaf or something. Real scrutiny is from later rounds.

Hurney: Have to hit on first pick. Have to get as much impact for your team, for your organization as possible. The picks that don’t' get the most attention, the ones after that, 4-7, that is where your depth comes from, future starters, where I think we've done a pretty good job and we just need to keep following that process.

JH: Have you been approached about trading down?

Hurney: No. I'll be asked that question over the next few weeks and at some point I'll stop answering it, but it just doesn't happen this early.

JH: How does it begin? Is it casual?

Hurney: A number of ways. Someone will have someone they know outside, through the media or whatever, try to gauge interest. I think more times than not the pro scouts call and gauge if there is any interest in a trade. When it is the most serious, GM calls GM, sometimes HC calls HC.

JH: Best player available at #1? Would it come down to position as opposed to player?

Hurney: When you're picking high, impact is important, to the entire team.

JH: Dareus looks like all but a lock to be a good player. Peterson looks to be a good player. If you wanted to go as safe as you could. Two guys. If you want to take a chance at being great, that’s where you take a Cam newton or something along those lines. But that is a chance... Picking the one that is going to be on the cover of magazines for the next 6 years.

Hurney: it's a combination, you try to pick the player you feel fairly certain he will be successful and that out of those players the one that will have the biggest impact on the organization. Two guys you mentioned (dareus/peterson)... you know, Dareus changes the way your defense plays, plays across the line... Peterson comes in, top punt returner, top corner... More guys than that but at the end of the day with the first pick you want to take that player that has the most impact on the team.

JH: How many players realistically are in your crosshairs? Will you answer?

Hurney: Yeah, I will. I've said 5 to 7 all along, but you know, I think you have an order in your head, but it's not in ink... You have a pretty good idea if the draft got moved to tomorrow but you keep digging in and keep evaluating them and being as thorough as you can.

JH: Is there a favorite in the clubhouse? A consensus among you and the staff?

Hurney: No because we haven't met with the staff until tomorrow. Do we have an idea? is there a list in my head? Yeah, but we'll sit down with the scouts, meet with the coaches for the evaluations, those things can change day to day, and certainly WILL change after we sit down with scouts and coaches.

JH: introduces Murphy, special teams coach

Murphy: Murphy jokes about being radio gold.

JH: Peterson's return abilities in addition to CBs... Brian Murphy coming on to talk about new kickoff rules... does it diminish Peterson's value as punt returner?

Murphy: Does not influence punt returner but DOES influence kick returners. Kickoff coverage team has to align within 5 yards of that line. Deeper kickoffs into the endzone. Coverage team won't be as fast on the field, so all that outcry of that hurt from the kickoff return team... the real guys at the disadvantage are the coverage guys since they can't build up speed... If you have a guy who can kick touchbacks you have a huge advantage. if you have a guy who can kick it deep with a b ig hang time I think you'll still have some returns.

JH: Different thing than you heard, Hurney?

Hurney: No. It can diminish some of the returning, and it creates some discussions about where you go personnel wise... If you have a guy who can kick the ball out of the endzone every time, I think a lot of teams will go that route... but if you have a guy that if you kick the ball 4-5 yards... What he's saying is more teams will elect to run the ball out, especially the better kick returners, because coverage team doesn't build up speed and momentum, will probably limit what the coverage team can do.

JH: Does this make PP any less valuable?

Hurney: No. I don't think so.. He's a guy that is a top player at his position and can punt AND kick return... It almost makes the elite returners MORE valuable.

Murphy: It does... I know this, when we went to the NFC championship game the year before last... we ended up playing Dallas and NO... both those team had kickers that could kick touchbacks and it really neutralized Percy Harvin... so we had to develop a way to get Percy Harvin to get the ball out... Guys like that aren't going to stay in the endzone... They have playmaking skills... Those balls are GOING to be brought out...

JH: As your first year as special teams coach in Minnesota, went from 20 something to 9th? Are you telling Hurney to get people on the night of the draft?

Murphy: If I waited till the draft to tell him that I'd have waited too long... Kick and punt returners make your team special... If those guys are good, the other 10 guys will produce better than they are capable of.

Hurney: Speed is even more important.

Murphy: Big tough guys, try hard guys, may not necessarily be the fastest... May be phased out because of rule change because you can't have a lot of guys on the field, will create gaps in coverage (:(). Have to take a look at team speed in backup positions. May not be a lot of room for those guys anymore.

JH: End up with special team monsters... can't get on field as DB/LB... Some guys are just made for special teams, are they not?

Murphy: They are... Those guys all have a certain trait... Very football smart... Get the dynamics of playing in space... Smart guys, effort guys, understand their liabilities and limits and they do things, position wise, to eliminate those deficiencies. It all starts with being football smart.

[teeray]

Summary just about done.

Thanx for the update

[mav1234]

Thanx for the update

was actually just holding a place for it. :)

[teeray]

okay. now seriously thanx for transcribing. :thumbsup:

[teeray]

Two guys you mentioned (dareus/peterson)... you know, Dareus changes the way your defense plays, plays across the line... Peterson comes in, top punt returner, top corner... More guys than that but at the end of the day with the first pick you want to take that player that has the most impact on the team.

LOL. This whole part of this answer can be dissected by Hugger and Haters alike. Especially the word "but". That could have been a slip that he wasn't going with Peterson or Dareus, that could have been an attempt to just end the answer there and move one, or it could have been deliberate as a smokescreen of sorts. :lol:

I love parsing words!!! It's the best!!! WHAT DOES HE MEAN THOUGH?!?!?! :lol:

[mav1234]

It really sounded more like "these guys can be that kind of impact player that we want" on the air. I didn't catch the exact wording, and I am bias, so you never know =)

[teeray]

It really sounded more like "these guys can be that kind of impact player" than a "but we dont want them because" on the air. I didn't catch the exact wording, and I am bias, so you never know =)

So for the dimwitted (me) you took it as he may not want Peterson or Dareus. Because despite my 3rd degree huggerism, those are my other two guys :(

[mav1234]

So for the dimwitted (me) you took it as he may not want Peterson or Dareus. Because despite my 3rd degree huggerism, those are my other two guys :(

no maybe I misspoke. He seemed to be implying they were the kind of player you'd want.

they also talked a ton about returners at the end. made me want peterson for that a bit, despite my earlier reluctance to have our top corner if we draft him returning kicks and punts.

[Marguide]

LOL. This whole part of this answer can be dissected by Hugger and Haters alike. Especially the word "but". That could have been a slip that he wasn't going with Peterson or Dareus, that could have been an attempt to just end the answer there and move one, or it could have been deliberate as a smokescreen of sorts. :lol:

I love parsing words!!! It's the best!!! WHAT DOES HE MEAN THOUGH?!?!?! :lol:

Listened to the whole thing, and as you know, I'm a Cam supporter.

The last time he was on, Cam was just about all they talked about. This time, it seemed he was going out of his way not to talk about Cam. Other than the part about the importance of getting a good player at the position that will most impact your team, there was nothing said to lead you to believe they were locked into the QB position. And his comments about Dareus and PP were in support of the idea that they could have a big impact on a team.

Most of the segment dealt with special teams and the draft process, rather than individuals.

In summary, I don't think there were any nuggets in there for either the pro or anti QB camps.