Marty Hurney likes Panthers' direction (article)

[RevJ]

I like our direction too. Feels like something between chronic IBS and next in line at the crematorium . . .

[Montsta]

I'm sorry, but I call bullshit on this. we have had far LESS success doing it this way, especially in recent years...

This is the point I was making. You can't have a team that has an opportunity to draft 1st overall two years in a row and say we like our formula for success. You gotta change up something. I don't pretend to know what, but at least some portion of your GM philosophy has got to change with the times. Don't be so stubborn that it bites you in the ass.

[Marguide]

I love this Hurney quote:

"It's our philosophy to draft well, re-sign your own players and complement through the other areas," Hurney said. "We have had more success doing it that way."

Just off memory, who were key players during our super bowl run?

Jake Delhomme -FA acquisition

S. Davis -FA acquisition

Steussie -FA acquisition

Mitchell -FA acquisition

Buckner -FA acquisition

Proehl -FA acquisition

Cousins -FA acquisition

And I am quite sure there are more. I am just not buying it Marty.

The reality is the team enjoyed their greatest success when they did it differently than they are now.

[AceMan]

Let's review Hurney's drafts since our last winning season...

2008

Jonathan Stewart - Superstar material but a back-up/underutilized

Jeff Otah - Injury-prone/lazy starter (3 years on IR)

Charles Godfrey - Reliable starter (Average starter)

Dan Connor - Should be special teams/back-up (Started due to injury 2 years in a row)

Gary Barnidge - Potential, but done nothing

Nick Hayden - Off the team

Hilee Taylor - Off the team

Geoff Schwartz - Could be a decent starter at RG, coming off an injury

Mackenzy Bernadeau - Back-up

2009

Everette Brown - Bust, Off the team

Sherrod Martin - Reliable Starter (Average)

Corvey Irvin - Off the team

Mike Goodson - IR/Grudge with Rivera

Tony Fiammetta - Off the team

Duke Robinson - Off the team

Captain Munnerlyn - Should be nickel/dime corner

2010

Jimmy Clausen - Back-up

Brandon LaFell - 3rd WR with potential

Armanti Edwards - Bust (Let's go ahead and admit this)

Eric Norwood - Special teams

Greg Hardy - Starter (Average)

David Gettis - Could be a good starter/deep-threat, coming off an injury

Jordan Pugh - Back-up, special teams

Tony Pike - Off the team

R.J. Stanford - Special teams

Robert McClain - Who?

2011

Cam Newton - :cam:

Terrell McClain - Starter (Bad)

Sione Fua - Starter (Horrible)

Brandon Hogan - ???

Kealoha Pilares - Returner (Horrible)

Lawrence Wilson - Off the team

Zachary Williams - IR

Lee Ziemba - Back-up

To sum it all up...from the past 4 drafts, we have 6 players who have the talent to start (Stewart, Otah, Godfrey, Martin, Newton, Gettis/Lafell{counting both as 1 player}). Stewart will be buried behind D-Will, who has a monster contract and has been underperforming a bit, but should be starting due to play. Otah who has been on IR for the past 3 seasons and is extremely unreliable. Godfrey and Martin are both decent, and Godfrey has stepped up as a leader which is nice. Newton is playing great for a rookie and is our future at QB, and Gettis and Lafell are both ??? as starters, but I feel like they could grow into decent WRs.

The problem is that Hurney has been bombing the other picks (making a below-average past drafts) or just plain ignoring key positions for far too long. We have no depth. We are in a "hope" situation where a lot rides the 2011 and future 2012 draft. The DT situation was going to be below-average, even with Ron Edwards this year. We have to hope that Fua/McClain turn into starting-caliber players. We have to hope that we can find a #2 CB in Hogan. We have to hope either Gettis or Lafell can become a #2 WR. We have to hope our LBs stay healthy next year. Just too much hope and not enough results/patience.

tl;dr

[Lumps]

Yea well hurry the fug up with your plan Hurney. The 49ers just did it with less to work with on paper. After 3 straight horrific seasons, poo is passing us by. Sorry Hurney but your plan takes too damn long according to many other teams in the NFL. I've become conditioned to being nervous every time we throw it, kick it or really do anything besides run it. We've been conditioned to see a great player play and be happy with that. Conditioning your fan base for failure seems perfect buisness recipe for failure.

[DaCityKats]

Hurney is trying to make up for not having a 1st rounder for 2 years by having 2 top 3 picks in a row.

[PiratePanther189]

Hopefully his direction is out the fuging door.

[Catweisers]

Sounds like we think he needs a Bigggggger Crystal Ball and I sure wish he had it but truth is he doesn't and will never. We got a lot going for us and if folks will stop getting hurt we might even win a game.

[Snake]

If Hurney goes out and gets Shockey or a Olson type player for the defense next year I will be happy.

[Frizzy350]

I'm not as big of a Hurney-hater as some on here are, but I also don't understand how you can have potential back-to-back top 2 pick in the draft-type seasons and think your formula has been successful. I know about injuries and all, and I'm not asking for sparkly shiny FA's, but you gotta change the game up a little bit there Marty, cuz 2008 was a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG time ago.

dude have u not seen how utterly inept teams like the lions, rams, raiders and browns were and for how long? 2 absolute crap years, whatever, ill take it as long as we are seeing improvement. the only teams that have sustained success as of late in the nfl (because it is REALLY hard to do) are teams with elite franchise quarterbacks or unbelievable defense/STs (jets, ravens). well now we have one, and hes completely unique.

this year still feels good for me.

[CPF4LIFE]

You should have excluded the last draft at least, you cannot grade a draft 9 games into the season. You dont know if these guys are gonna develop into good players or not, especially the ones that are actually playing. Who knows if Hurney might have finally turned it around from here. Cam is a good start.

[Argus Plexus]

Honestly, Hurney would have to have been a mongoloid to choose anyone but Cam with the first this year. So I don't even give him credit for that. He's a terrible drafter.

[Keith Moons Liver]

what's he going to say? he is directly responsible for our "direction".

[Chaos]

Trying to be objective here...not to jab Hurney, but it's easy to sit back and say "we have a plan, and were going through that plan now." That's easy.

Ask when the plan will produce winning football, there will be no answer. Don't tell me you have a plan. I want to believe there has always been a plan in place to improve the football team with draft picks and young talent - that should go without saying, but it hasn't produced many winning seasons.

When back to back winning seasons take place, he can say "there, I told you." Until then, it's all just BS lip service to a frustrated fan base facing another losing season and more talk of rebuilding.