It’s been clear for many, many years now how the Steelers do business. After all, there’s a reason why after many players leave the team, they’re quick to point out the “Steelers Way” and the fact that they’re held to a higher standard than other organizations. Thus, it should’ve came as no surprise at how owner Art Rooney II left literally no stone unturned in his search for the next general manager replacing the highly-successful departing Kevin Colbert.
The search ranged far and wide across the league, from ESPN analyst and former Director of Pro Personnel for the Eagles, Louis Riddick, to in-house candidates like Pro Scouting Coordinator Brandon Hunt or VP of Football & Business Admin, Omar Khan.
Much like the team’s due diligence spent on the crop of incoming quarterbacks, the team opted for local product Kenny Pickett, the one who they had a comfort level with that was unrivaled by any scout across the league. And in the end, the GM selection process unfolded in exactly the same manner, with Khan being anointed as the heir to Colbert.
“I think we had a very thorough process and Kevin Colbert, my brother, Dan, and coach Tomlin, all were very helpful with interviews and making sure, as I say, we had a very thorough process,” Team Owner Art Rooney II said earlier today at Khan’s introductory presser, via the Steelers’ official YouTube channel. “And obviously, we picked the guy we know very well and excited that we know Omar, Omar knows us. And so I think it’ll be a very smooth transition.”
With the recent passing of Goodfellas’ actor, Ray Liotta, a quote from that movie came to mind regarding the character of Paulie, a mob boss. “Paulie might’ve moved slow, but it was only because Paulie didn’t have to move for anybody” is the one, and I feel it personifies the way the Steelers conduct business.
It might not be the prettiest or sexiest, especially when it comes to some of their free agency signings or draft picks. But they don’t care what you, I or anybody thinks; they’re going to operate in the same methodical, calculating way that they aways have. Their track record in recent memory should speak to those methods as well, as head coach Mike Tomlin has never suffered a losing season since he took over as HC back in 2007.
As a fan however, we all sit back and kind of laugh to ourselves at how this entire process played out. I mean, the team was conducting GM interviews way back in February, and the three-month search led them to Khan, who has been working with them for years now. Years.
We can obviously correlate this to their QB search too, which also began back in February with the Senior Bowl, followed up by the NFL Combine and then the pro day circuit. They had insider information on the work ethic of Kenny Pickett, which as obviously due to the two teams sharing the same practice facility. They had an under-the-microscope look at the top QB prospect in the entire draft, and perhaps thinking their homework on him was completed tenfold, they scoured the many other draft-eligible prospects in this year’s crop.
Pickett was obviously their top guy all along, but it speaks more as a testament to the “Steelers Way” of conducting their business. Everything is done in a sound, thorough manner, as to check off every single box before making any type of decision.
The same operating procedure was used in the team’s internal promotion of Khan, as just like Pickett, they knew exactly what type of attitude, commitment, and work ethic he brings to the table. However, this didn’t preclude them from interviewing many other qualified candidates for the job.
Even newly-minted assistant GM Andy Weidl was a finalist for the job, and interviewed twice.
Call it overkill or overthinking the situation, whatever you want to label it, but it’s the way the team has operated for decades now under the Rooneys. And based on Khan’s comments earlier, he made it loud and clear that not a whole lot is going to change under his helm.
