The Pro Football Hall of Fame recently announced that, once again, former Pittsburgh Steelers OLB James Harrison and WR Hines Ward are semifinalists for the 2024 class. They have reached this stage multiple times, but questions linger over whether either will ever make it over the hump.
Former Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert recently took to the airwaves to make the case for them, telling 93.7 The Fan that they were overachievers throughout their career. Yet he said when asked that he doesn’t give his own chances much thought.
“I really don’t”, he told Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson on The Fan Morning Show. “We do our job, and we hope to win, and we just keep grinding and working. Even now, I’m focused on trying to help the alum transition. That’s our job at this point”.
Colbert is referring to his current work with the organization in aiding former players to make the adjustment to life after football. He talked about how they hold meetings once a month over Zoom to work with them.
Yet Colbert’s decades in Pittsburgh were quite impressive. His draft classes helped lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles and three appearances in the NFL championship game. There aren’t too many general managers who can say that.
While Colbert may not spend his time thinking about potentially making the Hall of Fame himself, the voters should. Few could compete with his track record of both success and consistency, both in the draft and on the field, while navigating the salary cap.
He had his missteps, and I’m sure the commenters will eagerly list them below. Jarvis Jones may be mentioned in the first reply. Or the fact that the Steelers didn’t win a playoff game in his last several years on the job. He looks back on the failures as much as the successes.
“There may be times when you reflect and think, but honestly, you carry some of your shortcomings, too”, he said. “The last Super Bowl we played in, we didn’t quite get where we wanted to be, and all credit to Green Bay, they played better than us that day”.
A key part of his legacy, frankly, is what will happen with QB Kenny Pickett. If Pickett ends up being a franchise piece, that could cement Colbert’s case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure any other general manager ever drafted two of them, at least for the same team, though I could be forgetting somebody. Even if doesn’t get the wins, it will be his foundation at the most important position.
Though he is still doing his work with the alumni, and participating in charity events, he seems content in his semi-retirement. He’ll no doubt be carefully monitoring things, however, particularly as it pertains to his long-time second in command, Omar Khan, who succeeded him as general manager.
