Home 2014 Season Steelers’ Colbert is Putting Pride Before Common Sense

Steelers’ Colbert is Putting Pride Before Common Sense

by Steeldad

Pittsburgh Steelers’ General Manager Kevin Colbert has been around the organization since 2000 and can be credited with helping build the Steelers into a three-time Super Bowl participant. The Steelers would of course win two of those.

The National Football League is a “what have you done for me lately” type of business and Colbert has done little of late. Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin announced the 53-man roster today and among the cuts were five former draft picks of Colbert.

Two were selections from this year in Shaquille Richardson and Rob Blanchflower. The other three were Chris Carter, David Paulson and Nick Williams. Granted all five were selected in the fifth round or later, but this continues a trend of failed drafts for Colbert that has left the Steelers in a situation where depth is a very significant concern.

You could make a very valid argument that two other recent draft picks, Landry Jones (4th round) and Mike Adams (2nd round) are deserving of being released as well but they are both on the roster for two very different reasons.

In the case of Adams, his ability to run block is trumping his poor pass protection skills which has allowed him to remain on the team. The scary factor keeping him a member of the Steelers is that he is the top reserve they have on the line. This goes back to what I said about depth. An injury to either Kelvin Beachum or Marcus Gilbert will put Ben Roethlisberger on high alert every time he drops back.

As for Jones, he is on this roster for no other reason than Colbert’s unwillingness to admit he screwed up in selecting him. By cutting Jones, he is admitting that it was a mistake in drafting him and he won’t go there. Look at this situation for a moment. If the team were to have cut him, he easily would have passed through waivers and would have ended up on the practice squad. Colbert’s stubborn attitude is hindering this.

If Colbert and Tomlin wanted him on the roster for ’emergency purposes’ then that argument doesn’t wash either because they never activate him for games. Why have him on the 53-man roster if you aren’t going to at the very least dress him? If Colbert wants to make the argument that keeping him on hand because he knows the offense then that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either.

Is a third-string quarterback going to win you many games anyway? There are numerous and more athletic quarterbacks available to hold down the clipboard but Colbert won’t go there and it’s obvious that he won’t admit he was wrong.

Two guys I would have liked to have seen make this roster were linebacker Howard Jones and/or defensive Josh Mauro. Now the Steelers are playing with fire because I have a very strong feeling that both will be signed by other teams sooner rather than later.

I could be totally wrong but I’ll be more than happy to admit it. Unlike someone else I can think of…

Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteelDad and the website @SCBlitz. Check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/steelcityblitz and on Fancred.com. You can hear him weekly during the season on Trib-Live Radio

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13 comments

Mario Lopez August 31, 2014 - 1:43 pm

Great article & you know EVERY point you made I agree with to the infinity degree. Here’s hoping 1 way or another this is Colbert’s last year. What have you done LATELY, not near enough!!!

steeldad August 31, 2014 - 8:59 pm

I appreciate his service to the Steelers but the failed drafts are on him ultimately. Another .500 or less season and he has to go.

bob graff August 31, 2014 - 6:20 pm

Once again a very insightful article, The recent track record of drafting has brought this team to where it’s at. The fact that there schedule is on the weak side will be an advantage and they may be able to scrap out 9-11 wins, but there’s no way this defense can stop an elite QB. With that said let’s watch the games, let the season unfold and just root for the black and gold.

steeldad August 31, 2014 - 9:01 pm

Thanks Bob. My optimism is always there for a great season but I have serious concerns.

Vittorio Di Stazio September 1, 2014 - 3:40 am

If Colbert is gone who do you want as GM? There are very few GM’s who have done a good job of drafting the way Colbert has since 2000. You all think he has to admit his mistakes why would he? If he did that it would make him look bad but then again that’s what you want, you want the Steelers to admit to a mistake just so that you the fan can be right. Did you ever think there’s a reason as to why the Steelers make some of the decisions they make? How about putting yourself in the Steelers management shoes and you tell me how the view looks from there.

Miguel Cortes September 1, 2014 - 3:15 pm

I agree that he has made some mistakes in the last few years, but I disagree that he has to admit that he’s made the mistakes… I believe that his admitting his mistakes do not affect anything overall. Would it be nice that he admitted that he was wrong? Who knows? Probably, but whom does that benefit? No one…?
He needs to step up and do a better way of drafting. I’m not sure what he’s been doing, but he has been flopping badly in the last 4 to 5 years. Either, we get a better GM, or he gets down on the nitty gritty and do the actual travelling and scouting in the home turf of the prospects.

Or perhaps, he has just been unlucky on the drafts as of late…but how “unlucky” can you be in that many years?…

Vittorio Di Stazio September 1, 2014 - 10:26 pm

He does travel and scout when it’s necessary and even when it’s the offseason he goes to workouts of the prospects that are entering the draft. You all have this idea that every draft has to be a homerun, it can’t and never will be. Colbert and his staff have reports on every single guy at every position and depending on what the reports say and what his scout men say they make a decision on who they want to take. How many of thought that DeCastro would end up as there 2012 1st round pick? I know I didn’t. The point I’m making is that Colbert knows what he is doing and he along with his bosses can decide how he does. You all want to bash the CB position and I see why but go through every single draft Colbert has been involved in and tell me how many of those Corners were legit players? The follow up question is what happened to guys like Millner and Claiborne? What happened to those CB’s who were taken in the early rounds? Where do they stand now in the NFL?

steeldad September 2, 2014 - 1:17 am

Here’s something I didn’t even mention in the article and this starts with Colbert as well… The fact that the Steelers have been incredibly slow to adapt to the ‘new, offensive’ NFL speaks volumes about his inadequacy in recent years. In an era where offense is everything and gets all the calls, Colbert and company have failed to change the out-dated ways of thinking.

As to some of your points, DeCastro was an easy selection simply because no one dreamed he’d be there for the Steelers… I would have much greater respect for Colbert if he did just admit that both Adams and Landry Jones were poor selections. I know he won’t because that isn’t how things work. The problem as I mentioned in the article is that his pride is keeping at least one promising player off the roster because he insists on keeping Jones on it.

Vittorio Di Stazio September 2, 2014 - 3:16 am

Okay to the fans and the media you see Jones as a waste but to them they see it differently. It’s the Rooney family for crying out loud, they are set in there ways for a simple reason: They believe in there formula even if others don’t. Plus I have heard time and again that the Rooney’s are holding Ben’s past transgressions against him and it is why they won’t give Ben free control of the Offense. If you people do not believe me go ask Ron Cook or Mark Madden and they will tell you the same thing I have said. Mike Adams begged Colbert to take him and you know that, heck it has been said time and again that’s how the Steelers picked him. Everything I have said on this topic is the truth. I’m not lying about that cause that would make a fool for even attempting to post on this topic.

steeldad September 2, 2014 - 1:40 pm

People can spout off with the theories about Ben all they want to. The answer will be in the offseason when negotiations start.

Doesn’t the fact that the Steelers took a guy that begged them to do so tell you that perhaps it’s time for a paradigm shift?

Vittorio Di Stazio September 2, 2014 - 8:09 pm

No cause he also said he would play his best if the Steelers took him and look where that got him. Colbert didn’t have to pick him he could have gone a different direction but honestly looking back there were at least few other guys that they could have taken but as you look at those guys toady such as Sanu or Hilton or Osmele only the last 2 guys I mentioned have actually done anything. Don’t blame Colbert for this Adams mess. He was convinced along with others by Adams that he would do his best and he failed in that regard. The whole Ben thing is no theory that is 100% pure fact and you can check that with any sports writer or radio personality you want in this city. They will tell you the same thing I have said twice now.

steeldad September 2, 2014 - 9:36 pm

As the GM KC is 100% responsible for the team’s selection. As for Ben, I’m not saying I don’t by the theories. I’m saying next offseason will prove just how accurate the theories are.

Maxdaddy September 4, 2014 - 4:56 pm

I agree with the Jones point. He would have cleared waivers and can sit on the practice squad and if needed, they can bring him up. There are players on the practice squad that could be on the roster and add some depth.

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