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Revisiting Marty Hurney's Offseason Mistakes

Posted Nov 28, 2007 12:05PM By David J. Warner (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Panthers, NFC South, NFL Real Talk, Charlotte, Carolina

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You can't win an NFL title in March and April, but you can certainly lose one, and if you want to know how the Carolina Panthers went from the NFC title in 2003 to the dregs of the NFC South in 2007, look no further than some of the offseason moves made by Panthers general manager Marty Hurney. Here's just a sampling of some of Hurney's blunders since Super Bowl XXXVIII:

1. Letting Muhsin Muhammad go. The Panthers had a solid, proven NFL receiver to complement Steve Smith. Hurney decided Muhammad was too old and let him leave as a free agent to Chicago, thinking that Keary Colbert and Drew Carter could do Muhammad's job. That hasn't worked out so well, has it? (Hurney may have let Keyshawn Johnson go a year too soon as well.)

2. Signing David Carr. This last decade or so has shown NFL teams the importance of having a quality backup quarterback. Carolina decided to cut the ineffective Chris Weinke -- a good idea -- and ended up signing somebody much, much worse. A 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde plays rings around Carr. Joey Harrington, who was available, probably could have done better. Perhaps this wouldn't have been necessary if 4th-round pick Stefan LeFors had been any good.

And speaking of the NFL draft ...

3. A litany of draft busts. The 2004 draft alone -- Chris Gamble, Colbert, Carter, Travelle Wharton, Sean Tufts and Michael Gaines -- ought to be grounds for termination. Throw in LeFors and Eric Shelton in 2005, James Anderson and Rashad Butler in 2006, and Dwayne Jarrett and Ryne Robinson in 2007, and you have a lot of high-profile picks that look like busts. Even DeAngelo Williams was a bad pick -- not because Williams is a bad running back, but because he's absolutely the wrong back for John Fox's offensive philosophy. Fox wants a workhorse like Stephen Davis, not a jackrabbit like Williams. (Joseph Addai was available there, and while he's not Stephen Davis, he might have been a better fit.)

4. Questionable free agent signings. Beyond Carr, Justin Hartwig and Ma'ake Kemoeatu haven't exactly lit the world on fire, have they? Keyshawn Johnson only lasted one year and was dumped as soon as Dwayne Jarrett was picked. Ken Lucas was good for one year and has struggled to return to form ever since.

5. Failing to address the safety position until the last minute. We knew the Panthers needed help at safety. Mike Minter was getting old, Nate Salley was untested, and there wasn't anyone behind those two. Did Hurney sign a free agent? No. Did Hurney get a good safety in the draft? No. He waited until a day before Minter's retirement to pull Chris Harris out of Chicago. Oh, by the way, Hurney also let Marlon McCree go after 2005. Show of hands: who would rather have Deke Cooper over McCree? Anyone?

6. Not resigning Will Witherspoon. You can say what you want about Witherspoon's recent performance in St. Louis, but the fact of the matter is that he just as important an asset to the Panthers' defense as the concussion-prone Dan Morgan, and he could have moved inside last season when Morgan went out with an injury -- had he been here. Yes, we have Jon Beason now, and he's already a good one, but again, Hurney appeared to wait until the last minute to fill an important hole in the defense.

7. Ignoring Wes Welker. You can argue that Welker is shorter than Smith and would not have made a good complement. I disagree. Welker is quick and versatile, he's a dangerous return man -- something the Panthers needed after 2006 -- and he might have been just the kind of slot receiver Carolina hasn't had since Ricky Proehl retired. He could have been had for a 2nd round pick. Instead, Hurney spent two draft picks on Jarrett and Robinson. (Seriously, how bad are Dwayne Jarrett's work habits if he can't get a start ahead of Keary Colbert, whose route-running is as good as Emmitt Smith's commentary on ESPN?)

8. Not taking care of Julius Peppers. If Peppers had the long-term deal he wanted last spring, he might not have anyone asking if he's hoofing it. Given his performance this year, Hurney might just decide to let him go, too. Do the Panthers have anything behind him? Mike Rucker's on his last legs, and Stanley McClover and Charles Johnson haven't really panned out yet.

All told, it's a pretty lousy track record. This team needs someone in the front office to turn it around. I don't think Marty Hurney is the guy. Here's hoping the Carolina Panthers replace him soon.

Tags: DavidCarr, JuliusPeppers, MartyHurney, MuhsinMuhammad, SteveSmith, WillWitherspoon

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