I t’s easy to criticize players, coaches, general managers, owners, and essentially everyone in sports. But the truth is most on the outside know a small fraction about what happens inside an organization. That’s why Marty Hurney’s new sports talk radio show is a welcome addition to Charlotte’s media scene.”Hurney and Gardner” debuts Monday on ESPN 730. Airing weekdays from 1 to 3 p.m., the show will be co-hosted by former WBT personality Al Gardner. But Hurney is the main draw, because no matter how ugly his finish was in Carolina’s front office, at least he’s been there.”Hopefully I can shed a different perspective on things, Panthers included,” Hurney told BBR.He said the radio gig “came up fairly quickly,” and he understands the possible pitfalls. The show will take phone calls, which could be somewhat risky.Hurney admits he made mistakes during his 10-plus years as Panthers’ GM, but that doesn’t appease frustrated fans whose team is still paying for some of those missteps — literally.So what happens if and when the current regime hits a road bump or two? Hurney claims he’ll scrutinize, when warranted.”When you’ve been on the other side, you realize that what you say, people are going to read into it,” said Hurney, who will continue his role as a guest analyst on ESPN’s ‘NFL Insiders.’ “I know some of the things I say may not sit well with people on the other side.”Considering how things ended in Carolina, some may feel Hurney shouldn’t question others. But the truth is, messy divorces between GMs and their clubs are much more common than happy endings.Just like everyone else on the outside, Hurney won’t have all the information about every decision the Panthers make. But he’s sat in the big chair. He understands the process. He knows a whole lot more than the memories of his mistakes have afforded him in the eyes of others.

BBR NUGGETS

• The U.S. opens World Cup play Monday. Eric Adelson talked to Ghanaian Edmund Kugbila. — Yahoo
• Father’s Day through Panthers’ players social media accounts. — BBR
• It’s worth carving out six minutes to watch and listen to this Cam Newton speech. — BBR
• Great showing in Greensboro for the Panthers Road Show Friday night. — WFMY

COMING UP 

WFNZ is announcing its new afternoon drive host Monday. We recorded a BBR Podcast with him this weekend, and we’ll upload that Monday night.[gap size=”2.513em”]