Tag Archives: Kevin Colbert

kevin-colbert

Steelers Extend GM Kevin Colbert Through 2018

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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that they have extended Kevin Colbert’s contract today. The financial terms of GM deals are very rarely made public, but the extension will keep Colbert under contract through 2018.

“I am happy to announce that we have extended Kevin Colbert’s contract for two additional years,” said Steelers’ President Art Rooney II via the team’s website. “Kevin’s work and footprint on our football operations have been a key factor in our success. We are excited Kevin will continue to lead our personnel department for at least the next three years.”

Colbert was the Pro Scouting Director for the Detroit Lions before joining the Steelers in 2000. The team promoted the former BLESTO scout to General Manager in 2010.

“I am truly grateful to Art and Mr. Rooney for the opportunity to continue my career with the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Colbert said in a statement. “It is with great anticipation that we enter into the 2015 season in pursuit of another Super Bowl championship.”

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[Audio] Kevin Colbert Combine Press Conference

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Steelers GM Kevin Colbert took the podium yesterday and answered a variety of questions from reporters. You can listen to Colbert talking about the draft strategy and scouting process in the audio below.

Colbert also talked about Cortez Allen’s future yesterday. Allen’s season was very disappointing, but Colbert expressed faith in him. “It’s up to Cortez,” Colbert said. “We’re certainly going to be there to help him find his game because, if he finds his game, he’s going to make our defense that much better. Obviously, we felt that when we invested in him.” He added that Allen had some confidence issues, but he has a fresh start.

When asked about LeGarrette Blount, Colbert said the Steelers had no regrets whatsoever about letting him go.

On free agent linebacker Jason Worilds, Colbert said that the Steelers want him back, but they are going let him test the free agent market, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. He also reaffirmed that the team could potentially tag Worilds again (something that probably has a 0% chance of happening).

“He understands that if he doesn’t get tagged, which we could still do, he will explore the market and see what is out there,” Colbert said. “We will stay in communication. Maybe he comes back. Maybe he moves on. But he’s been a good player for us and we would love to have him back if it all fits.”

Here is an excerpt from the presser.

steelers draft

The Steelers Don’t Use The Draft Trade Value Chart

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During their pre-draft press conference today, coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert covered a wide range of topics. Most of the focus, as you might expect, was on the draft which begins Thursday night. While most of the answers were par for the course in terms of generality, some did shed light on the thought process behind some of the organization’s choices.

When a reporter asked if the Steelers use the trade value chart when making trades, Colbert revealed that the Steelers do not use the trade value chart. “We don’t use it for our own purposes, we do it to try to see what the other team is thinking. We won’t ever make a trade based on the chart. If we want a player we’ll go and get that player,” said Colbert.

The Steelers GM continued, “We always talk about trading up, when we did it with Troy [Polamalu], it was a 3 and a 6, when we did it with Santonio Holmes], it was a 3 and a 4. People will argue we gave up too much, and I’ll argue- ‘how much is a super bowl worth?’ So, when you want to make that trade, you do it on what you want to do, but you have to know what the other person is thinking when they say, ‘well my chart doesn’t allow this’, so we have to know what they’re thinking, and they’ll throw it on us, but if we want to do it, we’ll do it.”

Colbert said he believes that there will be less trading in the first round. Though, regardless of other teams moving around, the Steelers are going to sit there at 15 and wait for the 14 other teams to do what they’re going to do. “You never trade away until you know what you’re trading away from,” said Colbert. He added that he believes quarterbacks will be the one position that teams will trade around for.

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Kevin Colbert Subpoenaed In Mike Adams Stabbing Trial

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Defense attorneys for the alleged attackers of Mike Adams have subpoenaed Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. Alan Jennings of WPXI reported the news via Twitter this afternoon.

Apparently, defense attorneys want to see Mike Adams’ personnel file, in hopes that something within the file will harm the victim’s character. Attorneys previously claimed that Adams wasn’t being truthful, and that he “instigated” the attackers. Jerrell Whitlock, Dquay Means, and Michael Paranay were all charged with attempted homicide last year, on top of other charges.

The attack occurred last June, which led to Mike Adams needing surgery to repair a lacerated colon. He needed 33 staples in his stomach, but made a full recovery.

It remains to be seen whether or not the judge will allow any personnel files into evidence. During the pretrial, the judge seemed concerned about protecting the victim’s rights. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for sharing on the interwebs.

steelers draft

Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, And Todd Haley Attend LSU Pro Day

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As you might expect, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, GM Kevin Colbert, and Todd Haley are in attendance for LSU’s Pro Day today.

 


Obviously there’s a handful of prospects performing today that the Steelers could have a legitimate interest in, but one would have to think that LSU’s receiving corps is going to be their main focus there. Here is a list of LSU’s attendees.

LB Lamin Barrow
WR/RS Odell Beckham Jr.
RB Alfred Blue
WR Kadron Boone
FB J.C. Copeland
DT Ego Ferguson
LB Seth Fruge
LB Jarett Hardnett
DT Anthony Johnson
RB Jeremy Hill
LB Tahj Jones
WR Jarvis Landry
S Craig Loston
QB Zach Mettenberger
G Trai Turner
OL Josh Williford
WR James Wright

Beckham Jr. stood on his excellent 40 time from the combine of 4.43. Jarvis Landry, who had a very poor showing at the combine for his 40 yard dash (due to a hamstring pull reportedly), improved on it today going from 4.77 to 4.58. Landry is a legitimate possibility for the Steelers in my opinion. He’s an excellent route runner and has great hands. He could very well have a successful future as a physical possession receiver in the NFL.


I’ll close this with a couple videos of both Landry and Beckham Jr. if you haven’t seen them in action. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

Landry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN3lII9T3XE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHZVb8vPRWU
OBJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cjvErKu35g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTARGC1MBos

steelers draft

[Gifs] Kevin Colbert And Mike Tomlin Represent Steelers At Penn State Pro Day

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Steelers GM Kevin Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin were in attendance at Penn State’s Pro Day today.

 


Here’s the list of prospects who participated today:

  • Punter Alex Butterworth
  • Linebacker Glenn Carson
  • Receiver Brandon Felder
  • Offensive lineman Garry Gilliam
  • Offensive lineman Adam Gress
  • Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones
  • Tight end Matt Lehman
  • Defensive back Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
  • Receiver Allen Robinson
  • Offensive lineman Josh Urschel
  • Defensive back Malcolm Willis

As you may already know, there’s one guy on that list who is high on my radar, and likely the team’s radar as well- Allen Robinson. Robinson improved greatly on his combine performance today, posting a 4.4x 40 yard dash and a tremendous 42 inch vertical jump. To put that into perspective, that’s higher than what any receiver posted at the combine, and 5 inches higher than Mike Evans’ vertical jump in February.

The 6’2″, 220 lb Robinson had 97 receptions, 1,432 yards and 6 touchdowns last season. One of Robinson’s stats that jumps out at you is his yards after catch on screens. You may have seen this in the forum a couple months ago, but here are some gifs that capture how shifty he can be in those situations.

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

Coach Tomlin And Kevin Colbert At Manziel/Evans Pro Day Today

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As you may have expected, Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert were in attendance for the Manziel/Evans Pro Day today. At the center of media focus today was obviously QB Johnny Manziel. The main interest of Steelers staffers today though, was of course,  WR Mike Evans.

Evans and 5 other receivers fielded passes in shorts and t-shirts while Manziel donned pads and helmet during the event. The QB took all snaps under center and connected on 61 of 64 passes. After the showcase, he credited his receivers for making him look good. “I got to give a lot of credit to those six guys because they ran their hearts out and really helped me look good,” Manziel told the Houston Chronicle.

75 Scouts were in attendance to watch the festivities. Mike Tomlin was 1 of 8 coaches and Colbert was 1 of 8 GM’s. Oddly enough, the Dolphins and Browns were the only two teams that were not represented today.

The event was televised on ESPN and NFL Network. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKDhZTYOZQY

Steelers fans will most likely only be interested in this part of the clip- the 60 yard pass to Mike Evans in the endzone. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

ManzielLastThrow

Steelers Hard Knocks

[Video] Mike Tomlin: Being Forced To Do Hard Knocks “Is A Joke”

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Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were interviewed by KDKA’s Bob Pompeani tonight about the possibility of having to do HBO’s Hard Knocks this year. You could say that neither one of them is a fan of the idea.

Mike Tomlin says he doesn’t watch the show, and “hates” reality TV. “I hate [reality TV] to be honest with you. I think that’s a misnomer. I think it’s anything but reality”, joked Tomlin.  The head coach went on to say, “On a personal level, I’m not in favor of it. That’s just me. I think that time of year, in terms of team development, there are a lot of complex things going on as it is…and to add to it, is not conducive to what we go there to do from my perspective.”

It is a joke. Just because it happens to be popular, doesn’t mean I have to participate. -Mike Tomlin

Kevin Colbert voiced his opposition as well, saying that he understood why fans would be interested in what goes on behind the scenes, but that from a management standpoint managing the extra distractions is the main issue. “If we’re picked, we’re picked. We have no choice”, he conceded. Colbert joked that he’d get personal make up artists if they could give him hair.

The possibility of the Steelers being forced to do Hard Knocks is real. While it seems likely that another team will volunteer or be chosen to do it over the Steelers, they do meet the criteria. To be exempt, a team must-

  • Have made the playoffs in one of the previous two seasons.
  • Have a new head coach.
  • Have appeared on Hard Knocks within the last 10 years.

Obviously, the Steelers don’t meet any of the above criteria. Other teams who could be forced to appear on Hard Knocks this year include the Bears, Bills, Cardinals, Giants, Jaguars, Raiders, and Rams.

You can watch the segment below. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”ColbertTomlinHardKnocks”]

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Steelers Staff Busy At Notre Dame Pro Day

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Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Joey Porter, and other Steelers staff members were in attendance today to see Notre Dame’s prospects work out in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams. The Steelers were no doubt interested in seeing players like NT Louis Nix III, DE Stephon Tuitt, TE Troy Niklas, LB Prince Shembo, CB Bennett Jackson, OL Zack Martin, RB George Atkinson III, and more in person.

Tomlin was one of two head coaches in attendance, and Colbert one of the few GMs. Joey Porter was also on hand to help with player evaluation. Scouts from all 32 teams there also. The event received a great deal of media coverage, much of which found it’s way onto Twitter. Here’s Porter and Colbert keeping track of ten yard splits.

Here is Colbert collaborating with scouts after a 40 yard dash.


Possibly the highlight of the day was when head coach Mike Tomlin sat in as center while Louis Nix did drills.


A scout for the 49ers reportedly asked Tomlin to stand in for the drill. When asked about the experience, Nix said, “I heard Mike Tomlin liked big thighs…I tried to show them off for him. That’s why I wore my tights.” Nix, who is never without jokes, went on to say, “It wasn’t intimidating…I just wanted to look in his eyes and show him I am ready.” A lot of people have mocked Nix to the Steelers with the 15th pick, a scenario I’ve never agreed with personally. Nix weighed in at 331 today. Official times have not been released yet, but you can see Nix running the 40 and doing the bench below.

It probably seemed like Nix was the star of the show, and while that might be partially true, several attendees didn’t participate in drills. Stephon Tuitt showed up with his foot in a boot, due to a recent surgery he had to mend a foot fracture. TE Troy Niklas also didn’t participate because he is recovering from a sports hernia.
As a side note, Mike Golic Jr., who spent training camp with the Steelers last year, was also there working out for scouts. His dad was also there to cheer him on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpLaAId0zIU

Kelvin Benjamin: Football

Colbert, Tomlin, And Other Coaches Finish Their Rounds In Florida

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Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley, Carnell Lake, and a slew of scouts have been busy the last couple days. Yesterday morning, Coach Tomlin spoke for the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse at spring training camp in Bradenton, Fl.

 

 

 


Kevin Colbert and Todd Haley were also there. Photo

Later that day, they headed north to Gainesville to watch prospects perform at the Florida Gators Pro Day. Several inches of rain fell, which caused problems for some people during parts of the day. “You kind of feel sorry for these guys working out in these conditions,” Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake told Jeff Barlis of ESPN.

Lake was on hand to examine Florida’s top 3 cornerbacks.  Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, and Jaylen Watkins were said to have commanded a lot of attention. Defensive tackle Dominique Easley was in attendance at the event, but did not participate as he is still rehabbing from an ACL tear. He will host private workouts next month.

Watkins decided to let his 4.41 40 time from the combine stand. Roberson and Purifoy were clocked in around the mid-4.5s to low 4.6s on most watches. One scout had Roberson at 4.71 according to Rob Rang of CBS Sports. Florida wide receiver Solomon Patton ran a 4.31 40, and was said to have performed well in drills. The 5’9″, 171 lb receiver was a combine snub, but his speed and special teams ability make him a late round sleeper.

Last night, after the UF festivities were over, Tomlin, Colbert, and Todd Haley were spotted dining and mixing with former Florida State WR Kelvin Benjamin and former Florida State RB Devonta Freeman.

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“Had a great #business meeting/dinner with the#pittsburgh steelers representers. Mike tomlin x kelvin Colbert x Todd Haley” Freeman wrote from his instagram account.

Today, a total of more than 70 scouts and members from NFL coaching staffs were in attendance to watch the FSU prospects perform at the Pro Day. Tomlin, Colbert, Haley, Lake, and others no doubt. There’s no shortage of talent to evaluate there. Names like WR Kelvin Benjamin, DT Timmy Jernigan, C  Bryan Stork, S Terrence Brooks, S Lamarcus Joyner, RB Devonta Freeman, RB James Wilder Jr., LB Telvin Smith, and LB Christian Jones.

Talent evaluator Gil Brandt said that Benjamin stood on most of his combine numbers, but had an impressive day, and made a case for himself to be chosen late in the first round. Lots of reps from the Steelers were said to be focusing on Benjamin for what it’s worth. Here’s a look at some of the FSU Pro Day action made available on the Seminoles website. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share with your friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xfwZHYgGc