Former Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert has made clear his willingness to remain involved with the team in some reduced capacity, but that he will defer to the wishes of his successor. It sounds as if his successor is interested in keeping Colbert involved.
“He’s always a phone call away,” new Steelers G.M. Omar Khan told reporters on Friday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. “There’s not going to be a lot of change here. I don’t foresee a lot of change.”
That said, no specific arrangement has been made. Via Jenna Harner of WPXI-TV, Khan said it’s not yet official that Colbert will have an official role. “We’re still working through that process, but I hope so,” Khan said.
It’s always difficult to discern who’s truly calling the shots in Pittsburgh because no one feels compelled to let the world know that he’s the one in charge. That stubborn commitment to suppressed ego has served the team well, and surely led the organization to Khan, who has spent 20 years serving the Steelers without trying to promote himself for his next job.
While there can be a danger to having too many cooks in the kitchen, it’s a problem only when the cooks start becoming more focused on the other cooks than on making the best possible meal. Khan, along with new executives Andy Weidl and Sheldon White, will be working with the existing staff, the coaches, and team president Art Rooney II to make the best decisions for the team.
And no one will or should feel threatened or undermined by the ongoing contributions of Colbert, who played a key role in winning a pair of Super Bowls and in maintaining a roster that hasn’t had a losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin.
