Marty Hurney will be calling the shots once again with the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina re-hired Hurney as its general manager on Wednesday
Dorian O'Daniel Jersey Elite , marking his second full-time stint as general manager. Hurney previously worked for the Panthers from 1998-2012, beginning as GM in 2002. He rejoined the Panthers last July as on an interim basis.
Panthers COO Tina Becker said Hurney did an "exceptional" job in helping the Panthers to an 11-5 season last year.
"Marty's guidance and vision helped build the foundation for this team, and his work this season was instrumental in returning the team to the playoffs," Becker said in news release. "We believe he will continue to craft a roster that will win games and contend for a championship."
The Panthers reinstated Hurney as interim general manager last week after an NFL investigation found no wrongdoing into charges of harassment by his ex-wife.
Hurney had been on a paid leave of absence during the investigation and had disputed all accusations through his attorney.
Hurney returned to the Panthers in an interim capacity in late July 2017, prior to the start of training camp after owner Jerry Richardson abruptly fired Dave Gettleman. Gettleman had served as the team's general manager since 2013 and had helped the Panthers get to the playoffs three times in four seasons behind a team that Hurney largely constructed.
He said he's excited to be in charge of personnel decisions in Carolina.
"I have always felt a strong connection to this organization and viewed this job as one of the very best in the NFL because of the people here," Hurney said. "Mr. Richardson and Tina have been open and honest with me from the beginning, and I am thankful for the trust they have placed in me."
The Panthers made three playoff appearances, won two NFC South titles, and played in two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl under Hurney during his first tenure.
His last two first-round draft choices as general manager 鈥?quarterback Cam Newton and linebacker Luke Kuechly 鈥?both won NFL Rookie of the Year honors. Newton went on to become the league's MVP in 2015 leading the Panthers to a 17-2 season, while Kuechly was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his second season.
Hurney also traded for tight end Greg Olsen and hit home runs on draft picks like center Ryan Kalil.
He also made a few mistakes along the way, including overpaying to keep some veteran players and trading up to get wide receiver Armanti Edwards from Appalachian State
Panthers Cheap Jerseys , a move that never panned out.
"I gained a lot of perspective being away and then back in an interim role last season," Hurney said. "I feel that I am the best person to help (coach) Ron (Rivera) and this team moving forward. We have a really special core of players in place, and I'm extremely excited about the direction we are headed."
The Panthers went 11-5 last season with Hurney as their interim general manager, but lost in the wild card round of the playoffs to the New Orleans Saints.
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Robert Brazile was so feared as a linebacker during his career with the Houston Oilers that he earned the nickname Dr. Doom.
In his retirement he found contentment in a vastly different line of work that he believes was even more challenging than chasing down quarterbacks for a living.
”It was more difficult being a teacher,” he said. ”I was a middle school special ed teacher and it was a challenge every day to find out something to build the trust, the love and the care for these kids.”
Though he loved football and enjoyed his time in the NFL, the 65-year-old Brazile admits working with children was more fulfilling.
”If I had to choose it all over again, I would love being a teacher more than a football player,” he said.
Though he turned in his Dr. Doom persona decades ago for the role of Mr. Brazile, he’ll revisit the success of his first career on Saturday when he’ll be one of eight men inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Brazile was drafted sixth overall in 1975 out of Jackson State, two picks behind teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Walter Payton
Authentic Mike White Jersey , and was voted Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was the anchor of the 3-4 defensive scheme which coach Bum Phillips used and was a Pro Bowl selection in seven straight seasons from 1976-1982. He also earned a spot on the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 1970s.
The 6-foot-4, 241-pound Brazile was one of the first players to rush quarterbacks from the outside linebacker position. Many, including Phillips, believe his work paved the way for the success of other stars at the position such as Lawrence Taylor, who was drafted six seasons after Brazile.
Phillips, who died in 2013, was fond of saying that Brazile was ”Lawrence Taylor before Lawrence Taylor.”
”Robert was the forerunner of the Lawrence Taylor era,” Phillips said in a radio interview before his death. ”They remember Lawrence Taylor, but Robert was a guy that proved that you could do that in the NFL. Everybody said `You can’t run a college defense in pro ball.’ But you can, and we did.”
With running back Earl Campbell and quarterback Dan Pastorini leading the offense, Brazile headlined a defense that helped the Oilers to some of their most successful seasons. Houston reached the AFC championship game in consecutive seasons in 1978-79 before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers both times.
Brazile fondly remembers the throngs of `Luv Ya Blue’ fans
Youth Ryan Jensen Jersey , with most decked out in the team’s signature powder blue duds, waiting to welcome the team home after those difficult losses. It’s estimated that more than 55,000 fans filled the Astrodome for ”homecoming rallies” after both defeats.
”There are days and times now where I sit in the corner and just think about all the great memories about (those games) and the great turnout of people that supported us,” he said. ”I’ve just always wondered if we would have won … against Pittsburgh, how many people would have been in the Astrodome.”
Brazile’s early years with the Oilers were made special by the presence of Phillips, the cowboy-hat-wearing, folksy-talking Texan, who was fired after the team lost in the wild-card round in 1980.
”Bum was such an organizer of men,” Brazile said. ”He treated us like his boys, but he also treated us like a man. We could go to Bum with any problem, anything that we had on our mind. We trusted in him and he trusted in us
Youth Kevin Hogan Jersey , and that’s what made us so unique, that Luv Ya Blue group.”
Brazile spent his entire career with the Oilers, retiring after the 1984 season when he was 31. He is credited with 11 career sacks, but certainly had many more; sacks didn’t become an official statistic until 1982.
Brazile is a senior selection into the Hall of Fame, which honors those whose careers ended at least 25 years ago. After waiting so long to get the nod, Brazile can hardly wait for Saturday’s induction.
”I’ve got a grand speech for the Hall of Fame that I hope everyone enjoys,” he said, ”and I’m going to embrace it all.”
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