Marty Hurney will be calling the shots once again with the Carolina Panthers.Carolina re-hired Hurney as its general manager on Wednesday Taylor Moton Jersey , 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.Article continues below ...”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 – quarterback Cam Newton and linebacker Luke Kuechly – 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, 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 Wes Horton Color Rush Jersey , but lost in the wild card round of the playoffs to the New Orleans Saints.— Plays to Love, Plays to Hate (aka “P2L, P2H”) looks at the most significant plays in swinging momentum and impacting the eventual outcome of the game. There is always plenty to hate about NFL officiating, so we will only focus on the plays on the field, not the refs.Three plays to love2nd Quarter 2:56 – Panthers 14, Bengals 14. Carolina ball 2nd-and-4 at CIN 24The Situation: Both teams had put up 14 points late in the second quarter. The Panthers were nearing the red zone as the half wound down.The Play: This “Play to Love” goes to offensive coordinator Norv Turner for designing one of the best misdirections I’ve ever seen. Just watch the play here. Long story short, Christian McCaffrey was split wide left then came in motion behind Cam Newton who was in shotgun. Cam faked a handoff to C.J. Anderson (going left) then sold a fake swing pass to CMC (still going right with his pre-snap motion). The defense bit hard on the McCaffrey decoy allowing Cam to pivot and throw back to Anderson who now had a convoy of pulling blockers - Tyler Larsen, Ryan Kalil, and Chris Clark. All three linemen were blocking 20-plus yards downfield and rumbled into the end zone alongside C.J. What a beautiful play design!3rd Quarter 9:35 – Panthers 21, Bengals 14. Cincinnati ball 1st-and-10 at CIN 24The Situation: The Bengals had just ripped off an 18-yard reception to get out of the shadows of their own end zone. It looked like the Panthers D might have to now defend against a long drive in a seven-point game. .The Play: James Bradberry jumped a route on a pass intended for Josh Malone and the deflected pass bounced upward and toward the line of scrimmage. Efe Obada - making his NFL debut - came from nowhere to make an incredibly athletic diving interception, giving the Panthers possession at the Cincinnati 26. Carolina scored on the subsequent possession to go up 28-14. Yes, Obada should get tons of love for the incredible interception, but the play never happens without James Bradberry’s deflection. 4th Quarter 4:21 – Panthers 28, Bengals 21. Cincinnati ball 1st-and-10 at CIN 17The Situation: The Bengals took possession with just over four minutes remaining and trailing by seven points. These back-to-back “Plays to Love” killed any chance of a game-tying drive.The Play: On the first play of the series Stephen Curry Jersey , Efe Obada went right through a pulling tight end blocker to immediately sack Andy Dalton for a seven-yard loss at the Cincy 7 yard line. On the next play, a desperate Dalton heaved an ill-advised bomb from his end zone which Donte Jackson easily picked off, effectively killing the Bengals last chance at a scoring drive. Great consecutive plays by two young defenders. Three plays to hate2nd Quarter 9:57 – Panthers 14, Bengals 7. Cincinnati ball 3rd-and-10 at CAR 49The Situation: On the previous play, Efe Obada appeared to strip-sack Andy Dalton and the Panthers recovered, but the call on the field was overturned as an incomplete pass. With Cincy facing 3rd-and-10 near midfield, the Panthers D was in prime position to force a punt. The Play: The Panthers secondary dropped into zone and Captain Munnerlyn had Tyler Boyd in coverage. But Captain released Boyd with no other Panthers defender nearby and instead covered empty space. A now wide-open Boyd picked up an easy 23-yards. The drive was extended and ended with a Bengals touchdown to tie the score at 21-21. It was a gut punch to go from thinking the Panthers had pulled off a strip-sack to giving up 23 yards on 3rd-and-10.3rd Quarter 4:08 – Panthers 28, Bengals 14. Bengals ball 2nd-and-6 at CAR 49The Situation: Call this the “Colin Jones Implosion Sequence.” The Play: On 2nd-and-6 Tyler Eifert went up and over Colin Jones for a 20-yard gain. While Eifert is six inches taller than Jones, it looked more like three feet on this reception. Two plays later Andy Dalton scrambled to buy time as Tyler Boyd simply ran away from Colin in the end zone for an easy 27-yard touchdown catch. Jones needs to be much better than this. 4th Quarter 4:42 – Panthers 28, Bengals 21. Panthers ball 3rd-and-11 at CIN 39The Situation: Carolina had the ball on the fringe of field goal range, hoping to increase their lead to two scores late in the game. The Play: Cam felt pressure then deftly scrambled for a seven-yard gain down to the Cincinnati 32, appearing to set up Graham Gano for a makeable 49-yard field goal and a 10-point lead. But as Cam emerged from the pack of tacklers, he either flipped the football at a Bengals player or said something (or both) and was flagged for an absolutely stupid, inexcusable 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Instead of attempting a field goal for a two-score lead Shaq Thompson Color Rush Jersey , the Panthers were forced to punt. Look, Cam, we love you. You’re our guy. We appreciate you and defend you from your haters, but this boneheaded penalty nearly cost your team a win. Plus, it gives additional ammunition to your critics who wrongfully label you as immature and arrogant. Please don’t ever do that again, okay?Closing it out and summing it upWhat a great win against a solid 2-0 Bengals team. All the credit in the world goes to the makeshift offensive line of Chris Clark, Greg Van Roten, Ryan Kalil, Tyler Larsen, and Taylor Moton. They opened holes for Christian McCaffrey’s career-high 184 rushing yards and kept Cam pretty clean (one sack on 24 attempts). It’s stunning what these guys are doing. On defense, Donte Jackson and James Bradberry continue their solid play in coverage. But best of all, this entire game was an Efe Obada Disney movie. As far as improvements go, Torrey Smith continues to be a huge disappointment with ill-timed drops and limited productivity. On defense, losing Da’Norris Searcy at safety is a huge problem. Colin Jones is okay in spots Kawann Short Jersey , but he’s out of his depth as an every down player. At 2-1 the Panthers enter the bye week on a high note. The team’s play has been inspiring considering they are missing Greg Olsen, Daryl Williams, Matt Kalil, Trai Turner, and Curtis Samuel on offense and Searcy, Ross Cockrell, and Thomas Davis on defense. That’s eight of 22 projected starters (or contributors) missing, and yet the Panthers continue to keep pounding.Plays to love season leaders2 - Efe Obada1 - Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Donte Jackson, James Bradberry, Kawann Short, Mario Addison Vernon Butler Color Rush Jersey , Norv Turner, Wes HortonPlays to hate season leaders1 - Amini Silatolu, C.J. Anderson, Cam Newton, Captain Munnerlyn, Christian McCaffrey, Colin Jones, Devin Funchess, Donte Jackson, Mike Adams