GM Hurney: Panthers heading in right direction

"It's our philosophy to draft well, re-sign your own players and complement through the other areas," Hurney said. "We have had more success doing it that way. When you draft well, normally you want to keep those players and there's a limited amount of resources you can use. If you're going to use those resources to re-sign your own players, it's hard to go out and pay big money for players outside the organization.

"That's why it is so critical for us to draft well. If you draft well you can maintain your core at your key spots. Then you can complement through other areas."

Hurney said the team expects to have Beason, a defensive captain, back next year. Beason tore his Achilles tendon in the season opener against Arizona, but is said to be ahead of schedule in his rehab.

"Players have come back from that with a fairly high rate of success," Hurney said.

Hurney said the team is also excited about the play of rookie defensive tackles Sione Fua and Terrell McClain. He's also pleased with the play of their young cornerbacks, including Captain Munnerlyn and Darius Butler.

As for the offense, Hurney likes the explosive nature the Panthers have shown for most of the season.

"I think offensively we have shown the ability to change the momentum in games," he said. "Now we have to improve that in the other areas and start making the plays we need to make to win games."