Kaye on what Morgan needs to do now

[MHS831]

16 hours ago, TN05 said:

Hurney's drafts were, quite literally, the core of two separate Super Bowl rosters. We've not had anything like it since.

 

Well written, and I agree with most everything.  However, I would say that the core of the 2003 Super Bowl Team was not formed by Hurney.  To me, the three best players were Morgan, Jenkins, and Smith Sr. All from the same draft (2001). Moose was next, and he was drafted around 1999.  MH was part of that, however, as a front office employee. 

Marty Hurney's first round picks were not the problem--it was when he started trading them that became a problem.  The Otah trade started it all.  It was as if MH only focused on round 1 and seemed to relax afterwards--as if he could reach, etc.  I would say that the year Fox was a widely-known lame duck (2010) was the draft where he was not aided by the head coach.  That is the draft where Marty tried to trade up into round 1 for Clausen, was tricked by the Colts to think that they were going to draft Armanti Edwards so he traded up for him (he had been to Boone personally to scout Edwards), and he drafted Eric Norwood (he had personally been to South Carolina to scout Norwood).  Norwood did not fit the defensive scheme, unless he thought the Panthers were going to a 3-4 after Fox was fired-but why would he think that?

In free agency, he re-signed Jake Delhomme about the same time after surgery and then cut him.  He did not retain Julius Peppers, who left for Chicago.    It was about the same time Marty started (at the time it was pretty much understood) overpaying to retain Panther free agents from a team that went 2-14.  He overpaid for Charles Johnson and gave DeAngelo Williams a HUGE contract for a RB (over $40m with over $21m guaranteed) only to do it again the following year with Stewart.   Historically, few RBs have the productivity to justify their second contracts.  Marty was desperate because big name free agents were avoiding the Panthers (remember Jerry RIchardson's pie chart press conference?  Not a player-friendly gesture). With a massive need at DT, he counted on third rounders Terell McClain and Sione Fua to man the middle.  Joke. 

Marty imploded.  He was then rehired.  He imploded again.

Edited January 24 by MHS831