A tribute to Kevin Colbert

[BradfordSteeler]

This is all taken from the very bottom of this article:

 

Colbert’s record speaks for itself. Since returning to his hometown as director of football operations in 2000, to replace Tom Donahoe, Pittsburgh has gone 226-143-3. The Steelers have won the consistently tough AFC North in 10 of Colbert’s 22 years, with six trips to the conference title game, three AFC championships and two Super Bowl titles. And taking over a team coming off consecutive losing seasons, he’s had just one sub-.500 season since (way back in ’03).

Now, here’s where you’d usually get the stock line … As good a football executive as he is, he’s an even better dude. In this case, it’s not lip service. I can tell you from my own dealings with Colbert that it’s true, and that fact can be backed up with what just about anyone in the NFL will tell you about him.

Wanna see? Well, on Saturday, I shot texts out to peers across the NFL to ask for their own tributes, mostly because I thought he’d enjoy reading them. Happy retirement, Kevin.

Colts GM Chris Ballard: “Kevin is one of the real special men in this league. His contributions to the Steelers’ organization and to the game of football have been truly special. I have such great respect for him not only as one of the best general managers in NFL history but also as a man. Anytime I needed advice or guidance, he was there to help, and I feel very fortunate to consider Kevin a friend. If you look at the entirety of his career, I don’t think there is any question that he should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Kevin is so humble he won’t agree with this, but he has done the job as good as anyone who has ever sat in the GM chair.”

Bills GM Brandon Beane: “Kevin is the most humble, hardworking GM that you could ask for. All the success and the steadiness of that organization, Kevin is the foundation of it. Sometimes when guys have success, you see maybe they don’t grind as hard, maybe they didn’t go in the weeds as much—like, I’ve got it figured out. Kevin, all the way through the end, was still grinding his way through the fall. And he doesn’t just go to the big schools; he’s out on Tuesday night at MAC games. First of all, he loves it. Second of all, there are people who enjoy parts of this process, but there are hard parts, and Kevin, whenever I saw him, his work level never slowed down. … I’ve gotten to know Kevin well because we’re one of the teams in BLESTO, as well, so we have meetings together—in May, we go, and we’re hanging out, and you get to know people even better. And he led that group, he’s been a senior statesman, and BLESTO at times looked like it was gonna fold just because some teams were going independent or to NFS, and if Kevin wasn’t leading that, I’m not sure BLESTO wouldn’t have folded.”

Browns GM Andrew Berry: “He’s one of the most adept team builders that our sport has ever seen, and yet you would never know it because of his humility. He has excellent people skills, a kind demeanor and true empathy. Our sport has been better with him at the helm of one of the most iconic franchises.”

Texans GM Nick Caserio: “It’s a view from afar of respect, appreciation and admiration for his consistency and the way he did his job. He was as immersed as any executive in the process. I can’t tell you how many times I ran into him, Thursday-night games, Saturdays; I mean, he was always there. He’s a true-blue football evaluator that puts a premium on scouting players. He had a very soft-spoken, humble approach, but the way they built their teams over the number of years he was there speaks not only to him as a person, it speaks to his relationship and rapport with Mike [Tomlin]. We were fortunate to compete against them on a fairly regular basis, and we always knew the type of people and types of players they built that program on. The one thing that they’ve been able to do over the years is maintain their level of success and performance, regardless of the level of player they lose. It speaks to how well they scout players, how well they evaluate players, what they look for in players. And really that starts at the top with Kevin and Mike, and just the mutual respect they had for each other was apparent, in the spring especially. They were together so often at pro days, so they were working in tandem, in unison. And I think that’s why they’ve had as much success as they’ve had, because they view things through a similar lens. … At pro days, he would record everything, he would time everything. He would time 10s, he would time 20s, he’d be right in the mix gathering information when the scouts get together in the middle. He was always willing to listen and help.”

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta: “Kevin’s one of the all-timers. An elite scout who was able to seamlessly navigate all the different nuances of the GM position with an unmatched consistency. I hate that he’s made our job in Baltimore so difficult over the years, but I have great admiration for his career.”

Jets GM Joe Douglas: “Everyone respects and loves Kevin; it doesn’t matter what team you’re with. The coolest thing about the Ravens-Steelers rivalry is that it’s twice, and sometimes three times a year, where you want to just destroy each other. But after that, there’s just so much respect. I know just sitting in those draft rooms in Baltimore and we’re talking about, Who are the guys that are gonna rise to the challenge in Heinz Field when Renegade is blaring in the fourth quarter and all those fricking yellow towels are waving in the stands? Who’s going to rise to the occasion and who’s going to melt? Those conversations ultimately made Baltimore better. That’s the culture that the Steelers have built and Kevin’s put together. … He’s a special guy, salt of the earth, consistent. He’s just a good person, and he’d give you a shirt off his back. You always respect him because he puts the work in. He’s at the school sitting next to you. He’s got time for you, whether you’re a director of college scouting or you’re a personnel assistant. … He’s just an awesome, awesome person.”

Panthers GM Scott Fitterer: “He’s just a gentleman. He’s humble. He’s hard-working. He’s a scout at heart. He’s what I would think most GMs would aspire to be. He’s got just such a good presence about him. He’s so approachable. He’s a lot like Ted Thompson. Everybody respects him. You can’t find anyone to say a bad word about him. Just an unbelievable person. … The first time I met him, I think it was the Whistle Stop at the combine, like 20 years ago. I think he was with the Lions at the time. And I can say he’s the same guy now as he was 20 years ago, the first time I met with him. … He hasn’t changed a bit. Just an unbelievable person.

Cardinals GM Steve Keim: “As a young scout from Pennsylvania, I always admired Kevin for a number of reasons. He’s obviously a great talent evaluator but he may be an even better person. When I would see him on school visits or at all-star games, he would always take time to talk to the younger guys who looked up to him. That’s what I’ll probably remember most. For all of the success he’s had, there is no ego and he treats everyone the right way!”

Saints GM Mickey Loomis: “I’ve known Kevin for a long time. I’ve served on a number of committees with him, and he’s one of the great general managers that this league’s had. And yet, he’s one of these guys that’s never sought the spotlight, he’s always behind the scenes, obviously he likes it that way. He’s just one of these unsung guys in our league that doesn’t get the accolades he probably deserves. He’s had, what, 15, 16 straight years of winning records, and obviously that’s a tribute to the entire organization, and he leads that football operation and has done a fantastic job. I always appreciate his intelligence, his point of view. He’s one of the guys that people seek out for his opinions, they listen when he speaks, and he’s got a great perspective and an unselfish perspective. … My guess is, I don’t know this, he probably sees himself as a spoke in the wheel and just wants to do the best job he can to help the entire building. … And he’s really been instrumental in a lot of things we do at the combine, the way pro days are run. He’s got a lot of influence on things behind the scenes. He’s never sought credit for any of it. But he deserves credit.”

49ers GM John Lynch: “Kevin Colbert is class personified. Great at his job and is equally great as a guy. He operates with integrity, works his tail off and is excellent in his job. I found it so cool that he worked in league committee meetings at Indy as a co-chair of the GMAC [General Manager Advisory Committee] as if he wasn’t retiring.”

Titans GM Jon Robinson: “Kevin is such a great example for every person in the NFL personnel profession. Hard-working, genuine, competitive, intelligent—all while being accepting of young scouts, helping us along the way. Congrats on an outstanding career and thank you for the lessons in the personnel business. Even when you didn’t know we were watching, we were, just trying to learn how to do it the right way from one of the best!”

Eagles GM Howie Roseman: “When Kevin’s number pops up on your phone or you call Kevin, it’s like, What’s he doing? Always got a story, always got such great perspective, such a great dude, and he’s obviously had tremendous success, winning two world championships. He’s a Hall of Fame GM. No one with more integrity. … The COVID year, during the draft, everyone’s at their house, and we all were on this GM email, because we do this charity thing. I wore a suit and tie the first night of the draft, and nobody else did—like no one else did. And so they were all busting my balls on it. And Kevin calls me, and he’s like, ‘Hey Howie, I was wearing a suit, too, I just didn’t have a first-round pick, so no one saw me!’ He’d traded it for Minkah [Fitzpatrick]. That’s who he was. Great guy. Hall of Fame executive.”

Seahawks GM John Schneider: “I first met Kevin in 1993, as we were both working in pro scouting for rivals—the Packers and the Lions. Kevin was always so, so kind to me, and I considered him, and still do, an older brother. In a highly competitive business, he treated me and everyone so kindly. A man of faith, awesome family man and obviously a great evaluator team builder/evaluator, we all have looked up to Kevin for such a long time. I wish him the best in retirement and can’t wait to continue to pick his brain for information. Kevin, I can’t believe how fast the past 29 years have gone. God bless you and your family. We’ll all miss you dearly.”

Rams GM Les Snead: “When you hear people say, ‘football man,’ Kevin is the gold standard. When you hear people say, ‘good man,’ Kevin is the gold standard. We were watching pro days in our draft meetings this year and Kevin was front and center where he always is on the pro day circuit. I don’t shed a tear often. But seeing Kevin and realizing this is the end of his impactful run, I definitely shed a silent tear.”

Chargers GM Tom Telesco: “Kevin’s track record of success speaks for itself. But just as impressive has been his impact on young scouts, GMs and league initiatives to better our game. His influence in the NFL will be felt long after he retires.” 

[August4th]

one of the most talented people to work for the steelers. HOF career

[MOSteelers56]

I'm not going to read that. I don't like Colbert. Therefore he's the worst GM to ever step foot on this planet. Sorry.

[jebrick]

"If these other GMs like him it is just because he is slow and they can fleece him."  \s

[43M]

I entirely respect Kevins overall contributions to the Steelers franchise,  and I wish him nothing but the best going forward.

That being said, what he IS, isnt nearly as good as what he WAS.     

That doesn't mean what we will get to replace him will be better, but I feel like things have gotten very stale and predictable under both him and Tomlin, and I feel like a change is absolutely necessary if we hope to move forward.

Again, I will always appreciate what Kevin meant to this franchise for many years, but much like with Ben....it was clearly time to move on.

[warfelg]

10 hours ago, 43M said:

I entirely respect Kevins overall contributions to the Steelers franchise,  and I wish him nothing but the best going forward.

That being said, what he IS, isnt nearly as good as what he WAS.     

That doesn't mean what we will get to replace him will be better, but I feel like things have gotten very stale and predictable under both him and Tomlin, and I feel like a change is absolutely necessary if we hope to move forward.

Again, I will always appreciate what Kevin meant to this franchise for many years, but much like with Ben....it was clearly time to move on.

I feel like that stale statement can be expanded even further:

What Colbert was, was great. But what he is, is average. And it’s not necessarily on him. Well partially but not fully. 
 

Let me expand:

When Colbert came aboard we were one of the few teams running a 3-4. On top of that we were one of the only teams running a zone blitz out of a 3-4. This gave a very distinct advantage in signing FAs and drafting, especially on defense. Undersized DEs regularly made it to the 3-4-5th round. 0/1-Tech NTs regularly we’re overlooked. 3Ts were a novelty. Zone corners that could play the run were afterthoughts as nickel corners. 
 

Colbert was GREAT at finding that. But then the NFL caught up. By 2010-ish everyone had these “NASCAR” subpackages popularized by the Giants. More teams ran a base 3-4. These undersized DEs who could drop into coverage from time to time became much more popular. They started going in the 2nd, then the 1st. Colbert’s edge on the competition eroded. 
 

Then rules came more slanted to passing rather than running. The type of corner that we liked wasn’t needed as much. Man coverage started to take over. But we didn’t know how to scout those. We didn’t update the ability to find what was needed. 
 

On the offensive side, he always had the ability to find WRs. How much you want to put things on that and how much you want to put on Ben being Ben who knows. But IOL was always a strength. OT was always a weakness.
 

But the other spot he saw the changing winds hurt him was RB. He was great at finding those cow bell backs late. But the NFL went to RBBC and they started to specialize in traits. They had jobs. So these run the rock with power or speed or pass catch started to shift where in the draft they went. So the ability to wait for one later started to fade. 
 

IMO Colbert didn’t become stale. The NFL in some respects caught up to what he was doing and he never adjusted to stay ahead. They were all looking for the same thing, and when you all want the same thing, finding the steal is incredibly difficult to do, and Colbert and the scouting team didn’t really have that ability. 

[jebrick]

Colbert was more hurt by the scouting department being the smallest in the NFL.  That falls solely on him and Rooney.  They could quickly become a version of the 90's Bengals who just bought their scouting reports from the Steelers to save money on scouts.

[Dcash4]

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2022-nfl-draft-grades-analytics-driven

This made me LOL because it comes like 5 days after Colbert basically saying analytics have nothing to do with their scouting. 

[jebrick]

2 hours ago, Dcash4 said:

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2022-nfl-draft-grades-analytics-driven

This made me LOL because it comes like 5 days after Colbert basically saying analytics have nothing to do with their scouting. 

Again, a value based chart based on where PPF THOUGHT a player should be drafted.  Stupid click bait but any grade is click bait.