Even with all of the talent he helped amass, Gettleman admitted he never thought the Panthers would go 15-1.
He's also done a nice job filling in the pieces around them.
In fact, eight of the team's 10 Pro Bowl selections joined the team when Hurney was still making the decisions, including core star players Newton, Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Ryan Kalil,Adidas Hockey Jerseys Cheap, Greg Olsen and Stewart. Gettleman has recognized their worth, re-signing Newton, Kuechly, Olsen and Davis to long-term deals this past offseason.
But Gettleman said he has a philosophy of trusting the evaluation process and allowing players to develop.
"Sometimes, when you're evaluating players and you're looking at them, sometimes you can only increase incrementally. Michael has been a huge plus for us and settled us down. ... You see the confidence Cam has when he sets up behind those five hog mollies . It's a sight to behold. And Michael has been (a big part of it).'"
And while to some they're considered little-known receivers, they're part of a group that helped Newton throw a career-high 35 touchdown passes.
Gettleman found cheaper alternatives at wide receiver, signing Ted Ginn Jr. and Jerricho Cotchery and drafting Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess.
"I know everybody killed me on that one,NFL Jerseys China," Gettleman said of the Oher signing.
The Panthers have scored the most points in the NFL on offense and allowed the fewest on defense— a pretty good recipe for success.
"When Kelvin went down, people wanted me to sign every 95-year-old wide receiver that ever put a pad on," Gettleman said.
But Gettleman's patient approach is paying off as Funchess is developing nicely alongside Ginn, Cotchery and Philly Brown.
Still, there is always criticism.
He bolstered the defensive line by selecting two mammoth tackles with his first two picks in 2013 — Kawann Short (11 sacks) and Star Lotulelei. He's regularly found quality free agents such as safety Kurt Coleman — players who agreed to low-level contracts in return for a chance to prove themselves and rejuvenate their careers.
"I mean 15-1,NFL Cheap Jerseys China, what more can you say," Davis said.
The Panthers have won the NFC South in each of their first three years under Gettleman, including this season where they finished 15-1 and captured home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — While some of Dave Gettleman's personnel moves haven't necessarily set well with Carolina Panthers fans, it's hard to debate the success of the team's third-year general manager.
He found an answer at left tackle with Michael Oher after many had given up on "The Blind Side" star.
"Did I envision this? No," Gettleman said. "Did I envision us playing well? I know that when I spoke to you guys before the season I said it was our strongest roster ever. But 15-1? Who expects that because it's so stinking hard to win games in this league. What Ron (Rivera) and his staff and the players have accomplished is special."
"I just love our balance and our mental attitude and our approach to the game," Gettleman said. "I love having as good a coaching staff as there is in the league."
Gettleman took criticism for all of those moves, but others have stepped up and filled the void at those positions.
He's added Fozzy Whittaker and Cameron Artis-Payne to go work alongside Jonathan Stewart at running back.
Gettleman heard complaints from fans when he opted not to sign a big-name receiver when Benjamin, the team's leading receiver as a rookie, suffered a season-ending knee injury in August.
Gettleman is the first to acknowledge that former general manger Marty Hurney left plenty of solid pieces in place for him to build around.
"One of the things you have to do, you have to understand, is you can't always go from A to Z," Gettleman said.
He parted ways with the franchise's career leading receiver Steve Smith and leading rusher DeAngelo Williams,Wholesale China Jerseys.
Offensive tackle Jordan Gross retired when it was clear the Panthers weren't going to make him a very big offer to return.
In a rare in-season interview, Gettleman said Thursday he believes the Panthers are built for success — Carolina had 10 players selected to the Pro Bowl and quarterback Cam Newton is an MVP candidate — and likes the direction the team is headed entering the postseason.
Gettleman inherited a team in 2013 that was $16 million over the salary cap and had a lot of dead cap money, which meant making tough decisions.