Kevin Colbert of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- The Best General Manager in the Business Many Have Never Heard Of
by Neal Coolong on Jan 28, 2011 7:10 AM EST
in Steelers Front Office
Email
Print
The media have a way of grabbing onto one concept and continually ramming it into the minds of their viewers and readers to the point it becomes "factual."
Case in point, the argument of who the best GM/Personnel Director of the NFL.
Immediately, 75 percent of those who follow the NFL will say a combination of Ted Thompson of the Packers and Scott Pioli of the Patriots Chiefs. It's likely because the average fan knows three GMs, the one who oversees his/her team and Thompson and Pioli (so perhaps Chiefs and Packers fans only know two of them).
As unfair as that is, it's even less fair to overlook such roster management brilliance as Steelers Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert.
Pioli was given the Pro Football Weekly Pro Football Writers GM of the Year award in light of the Chiefs going from worst to first in the AFC West.
Let's be honest, he's still using capital he gained in his days as the GM of the Patriots. To his credit, he's pretty much the only former Patriot manager to have success anywhere else, leaving such visionary leaders as Romeo Crennel, Josh McDaniels and Eric Mangini in his dust.
Thompson's Packers absorbed dozens of injuries en route to his first NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance.
With all due respect to Pioli, credence should be given to the GMs whose teams don't ever finish in last place.
With all due respect to Thompson - he certainly belongs in the argument of who is the best, even if it's essentially impossible to put one GM above the rest - Colbert's greatest success came in the AFC Championship game, and no one is the wiser to his existence.
The key to long-term success in the NFL is to get a franchise quarterback and lock him up long-term. After that, you get a core group of players who reflect both excellence on the field and a level of consistency and reliability. Then, you fill in the gaps with key role players, both of low-priced veterans and rookies and younger players in their first contracts.
In the AFC championship, Colbert's Steelers won because of his commitment to those ideals over the years.
It's difficult to say Rashard Mendenhall was not the most outstanding player of that game. Colbert took Mendenhall with the 23rd overall pick in the 2008 Draft. In his third season, Mendenhall gained a total of 154 yards and a critical touchdown that set the tone for the most dominating first half the Steelers ever had in a playoff game.
TE Heath Miller painted his Picasso against the Jets. A player known for excellent all around skills grabbed two catches (and had a third mysteriously overturned), including one that gave the Steelers the first of two first-downs needed to seal the game. He was an animal in run-blocking, and was a big part of the Steelers' 166 rushing yards.
NT Casey Hampton abused Pro Bowl C Nick Mangold all game, barely missing on two sacks and essentially stopped the Jets vaunted rushing attack on his own. It resorted in Jets goon Brandon Moore to take a few cheap shots at him.
While QB Ben Roethlisberger's individual numbers will not live on forever, he's not a quarterback which the sum of his parts is more than the sum of his whole. Along with the brilliant play call that resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run, his passes to both Miller and rookie Antonio Brown to ice the game were as clutch as he's ever had, short of Santonio in the corner of the end zone.
Colbert's guy at the No. 15 pick in 2007, Lawrence Timmons, led the team in tackles in the AFC Title game, and the 2010 season. The 2009 first-rounder, Ziggy Hood, had three tackles for less than 2-yard gains. Troy Polamalu, the guy Colbert traded up 13 spots for in 2003, didn't have his best game as a pro, but we've all seen what happens to Pittsburgh's opponents when he does. Maurkice Pouncey became the only center I've ever heard have his name chanted during a game, and fans were nearly in tears when he went down early in this one. His performance on that first drive was a big part of the Steelers' ability to take nine minutes off the clock.
What do all of these guys have in common? Yep, first round picks under Colbert. You could even put Santonio Holmes in Colbert's favor in this game. ‘Tone made a nice move on Steelers CB Ike Taylor (a 4th round pick under Colbert), and Taylor slipped, never to recover. A 45-yard score by the former Steeler. But he was mostly ineffective the rest of the game. Colbert converted Holmes and his quarter-season suspension into starting CB (and former 2nd round Colbert pick) Bryant McFadden, who was allegedly hurt, but still only allowed one completion against the Jets.
"Third Down" Antonio Brown was taken in the 6th round of the 2010 Draft, and after a huge touchdown in the divisional round, and a key kick return and game-sealing catch against the Jets, has already paid dividends. Taylor stripped Mark Sanchez on a sack, and the fumble was brought back to the end zone by 2006 5th round pick "Big Play" William Gay.
Perhaps best of all, 2007 2nd round pick LaMarr Woodley, who's going to haunt the dreams of Packers RT Bryan Bulaga for the next two weeks, just set an NFL record for most consecutive games with at least one sack (6).
What about guys the Steelers didn't draft?
At 35, James Farrior is having one of the best years of his career, and his timing on Sanchez's snap count destroyed any significant offensive rhythm for the Jets. Ryan Clark, like Polamalu, may not have had his best game, but it's tough to say they'd be in the game without him. He was still a part of a pass defense that didn't allow big plays in the fourth quarter.
You've heard of James Harrison, right? The Jets wanted no part of Deebo, and tried to avoid him most of the game. He still collapsed the line and shut the Jets running game down.
They acquired Jonathan Scott and Flozell Adams to replace drafted keystone players Max Starks and Willie Colon, but out with injuries, and they performed so badly (according to most), they're going to play in their first Super Bowls, respectively.
Pioli did a great job patching the holes of the sinking ship known as the Chiefs, but failed miserably in their first playoff game. Thompson deserves a heap of credit for what he's put together in Green Bay, and this is in no way denying his rightful place in the Best GM argument. But Steelers fans know what their GM, a local product, has done over the last 11 seasons.
Oh, and his guys are playing for their third Super Bowl under him. None for Pioli, just one humiliating home loss to Baltimore. And Thompson can't sniff Colbert's ridiculous 10-4 playoff record and two Super Bowl championships.
47 comments
|
Add comment
|
5 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Check & Mate!
Colbert, like many Steeler players “can’t get no respect”. But in the end it’s all erroneous, its nice to have the the T-shirt, but what really matters is smashing the draft and collecting rings. Nicely done
"I hated putting on that purple uniform, and I hated that raven bird. What really ticked me off is when we played Pittsburgh our whole stadium seemed to be filled with Pittsburgh fans." Tackle Orlando Brown
I remember the talk of the possibility of losing him in 2010
That sent shivers down me. Wether it be with the Chin or with Tomlin, Colbert has shined in his ability to mesh with the coaches and to come up with great picks, year after year.
The Rooneys need to know (and I’m sure they do) how valuable he is to the past and future successes of this team. Steeler Nation appreciates you Mr Colbert!
amen!
based on the steelers ability to consistently reload & retool, i’ve thought colbert and his predecessor, tom donahoe were both among the best GMs in the business, although donahoe couldn’t replicate that in buffalo.
i think consistency is key – while most teams seemed to swing wildly between good & bad over 20+ years, the steelers “down” years are typically only mediocre, and not as miserable as most franchises’ down years
by lamarr_the_BEAST! on Jan 28, 2011 8:54 AM EST reply actions
Great Post Neal
And while the list goes on and on, let me add a bit about the football managerial mastery of this North Catholic alum and Pittsburgh native.
While Colbert was with the Lions he drafted Pittsburgh native, Charlie Batch, in the 2nd round in 1998. With the Lions Batch led the Lions to their last playoff appearance in 1999. When Charlie Batch came available in 2002, Colbert, as the Steelers GM, signed him.
In 2005 with BB out with an injury, Charlie stepped in and won 2 games. Our Steelers made the playoffs and went on to win the Super Bowl.
In 2010 with BB out on suspension and the 2 QBs ahead of Charlie on the depth chart went out with injury, the oldest player on the team, Charlie came in and threw 3 touchdown passes to lead the Steelers in a win over Tampa Bay.
Colbert has a nose for players. Not only top performers on the field, but men of character with a burning desire to do what is necessary to overcome adversity and win – week in and week out.
When the history of this Steelers era is written, Kevin Colbert will be recognized as one of the greatest GMs ever. Good thing we already know that. :-)
Whatever it takes!
by SteelerInSeattle on Jan 28, 2011 9:55 AM EST reply actions
Great post
and thank you, I was just about to start writing about the Steelers draft/trading over the past 5 years that put us in the position to be here ( : – saved me some heavy lifting there.
BTW – Can anyone tell me how to paste in an excel spreadsheet into a post? I have one cued up for the draft post that could be interesting to people.
You should be able to just copy and paste directly from Excel, although it may have changed since my last post was several months ago.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jan 28, 2011 6:12 PM EST up reply actions
Colbert isn't perfect
I’d have to agree that he has been pretty successful in the 1st round. However I wouldn’t put him in the Hall of Fame yet because he has had his fair share of misses. 2006 and 2008 were full of strike outs. Although 2009 brought us Ziggy and Wallace, only 4 out of 9 players are on the active roster. At specific positions, he has never been able to consistently draft offensive and defensive lineman. More recently, the failures with Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis have hurt our secondary. Unfortunately I’m afraid that we are going to have some serious restocking to do over the next few years being that we are one of the oldest teams in the league. Teams like the Patriots scare me since they are much younger and had 10 rookies contributing in the beat down they gave us.
don't be scared
of the Pats young rookies. From their couches and barcaloungers they’ll have no impact on the upcoming game. ;-)
Whatever it takes!
by SteelerInSeattle on Jan 28, 2011 11:07 AM EST up reply actions
He's not perfect....
….he’s just better than everyone else.
Yeah the Steelers have had some late round misses over the years. But you know what, so does every other team in the league – including the vaunted Patriots. The Pats have been stockpiling picks for years and have consistently been having mediocre drafts until their most recent one. In fact most teams in addition to striking out in late round picks strike out with a lot of their first rounders.
The Steelers don’t operate in a vacuum. Colbert makes mistakes, but when compared to his peers he’s among the, if not the best in the business.
by catesinator on Jan 28, 2011 11:14 AM EST up reply actions
Who else here hates how the Pats get 20 picks a year
And always 2 in the first round? Its such crap…
Fortunately they suck at drafting.
But yeah we need to worry about cornerback cause thats one area we haven’t done well with. I’d almost prefer a free agent.
But to me I’d rather have a GM draft solid 1st rounders than busts there. Most teams have a bust here and there but colbert hasnt given us any crap yet in the top rounds. Limas Sweed aside.
What?
You mean that WR from Florida over Greg Jennings was a smart move??
by Neal Coolong on Jan 28, 2011 1:47 PM EST up reply actions
You mean Wille Reid?
Who was a 3rd round pick in 06. The same year we traded away our 2nd pick for a higher spot in the 1st to get Holmes. Jennings was the 20th pick in the 2nd round. We wouldn’t have been able to pick him anyway.
I'm getting tired of saying this: Dick LeBeau’s system is so complex very few rookies can make an impact.
"It would be tough for me to care less about their opinion, to be honest with you." Mike Tomlin
Think about it
Why do you think so many of them don’t make the team? Cuz he’s already drafted studs at their spots.
It’s not easy to make this team, and there are quality players all over. The Patriots needed to have many of those guys come in and play, and hats off to them, they drafted guys who could. Last I checked though the Steelers have won five playoff games since the Patriots last did, and are playing for their second Super Bowl in that same amount of time.
I can listen to an argument about Burnett being a failure, but I don’t think we know enough about Lewis right now. Ike and McFadden are battle-tested veterans, Willie Gay is a solid nickel back. Anthony Madison will get the edge because he’s a special teams ace. Where does Lewis fit in? Does that mean he’s not good enough of a player?
by Neal Coolong on Jan 28, 2011 1:53 PM EST up reply actions
Don't Discount Cowher's Influence
During his later years Bill Cowher became more concerned with filling out training camp rosters than with drafting long-term talent to develop.
Hence, you had the Steelers picking a guy like Nathan Alibi (or how ever it is spelled) over Michael Turner.
The 2008 draft brought us Mendenhall, Dennis Dixon, Ryan Mundy, and even Tony Hills has show he has some skills as a back up.
by Hombre de Acero on Jan 29, 2011 9:25 AM EST up reply actions
Ha
Agreed – the pats did good, but clearly we did just a little better.
Also judging draft success is hard, I am working on a post now analyzing the drafts from 2000 to 2010. While I agree that 2006 was a bust, 2008 is more ambiguous.
Mendy is on his way as a star in the league.
Sweed and Bruce Davis are clearly disappointments.
Tony Hills has shown little, but he is still on the roster
Dennis Dixon has done most of you could ask as a back-up, so I list him as a good pick
Humpal is gone
But the rest of the picks and UDFA all contributed or are still contributing:
Doug Legursky – big win
Ryan Mundy – playing
Patrick Bailey – decent ST player
Donavon Woods – decent ST player
The problem with the Pats theory is that having so many rooks play means you have a ton of guys who weren’t good enough to beat the rooks.
Bailey and Woods got knocked off
By Slyvester and Worilds
I'm getting tired of saying this: Dick LeBeau’s system is so complex very few rookies can make an impact.
"It would be tough for me to care less about their opinion, to be honest with you." Mike Tomlin
by Steel in FL on Jan 28, 2011 11:37 AM EST up reply actions
Am I all wet, or
did the 2006 draft not net the Steelers the 2008 Super Bowl MVP?
Willie Colon as their 4th pick played a fair game in that SB too.
As bad as it all panned out with Tone by 2010 , I can’t evaluate the 2006 draft as a bust. Pretty darn good for picking last after winning the Super Bowl.
Whatever it takes!
by SteelerInSeattle on Jan 28, 2011 12:42 PM EST up reply actions
2006
Many GMs were iffy about Santonio Holmes because of character issues. They were right, and even though he played good for us while he was here, he was still a risky pick that eventually turned sour. Willie Colon was a good pick, but overall you expect to have more than one guy out of 8 after the first round to make your team and contribute. It wasn’t a total disaster, but not a good draft by any standards.
2002 was Colbert’s masterpiece. Unfortunately, Kendall Simmons’ illness and injuries did him in, but after that the list is awesome : ARE, Chris Hope, Larry Foote, Verron Haynes, Lee Mays (granted only a backup for a few years) and Keisel.
Dick, what would Woody (Hayes) say to you now: "He'd say, 'LeBeau, get your hair cut.'"
+1
I’m not sure what everyone’s expectation is for a good draft, but two starters and one of them being a Super Bowl MVP is pretty solid, however you wanna slice it.
So ‘Tone went away, that’s fine, cuz now we have two other guys who are also young and talented, and they cost a 10th as much, and aren’t one puff away from a season-long suspension. There was a need at WR with Holmes going away, Colbert filled it with two guys who make the sum of the Steelers whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Sounds like a pretty good job on his part!
by Neal Coolong on Jan 28, 2011 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
I don't agree
I agree that Colbert is really good, but I don’t agree that two starters (and nothing else) is a solid draft. When you consider you need 24 starters and you build through the draft, you can’t have only two a year or you’re going to be in trouble. You need to hit on 50% of your picks to have a successful draft, otherwise you have to rely on free agency, and that’s just not who we are.
Dick, what would Woody (Hayes) say to you now: "He'd say, 'LeBeau, get your hair cut.'"
No team starts 100 percent draft picks
And if they do, their team sucks and their owner is a tightwad. No, that’s not a cheap joke at the Bengals expense.
The average age of the Steelers defense is, what, like 31 years? Many of those guys have started at those positions for a long time. After a bit, you can’t draft starters anymore. They do replace starters, though, and the majority of the time those starters are already on the roster.
But you need free agency as well. Whether it’s your Suisham, or your Farriors and Flozells, you always need to have those guys coming in to some degree.
If you’re saying 50 percent of your draft has to turn into starting caliber players, your expectations are ridiculously high. Since the supposedly poor 06 draft, the Steelers have won two division championships, and have only started free agent signees in that time period due to injury, except Ryan Clark and Sean Mahan/Justin Hartwig, who came in that same year.
I think…maybe a spot start or two here and there was made by a free agent. I’m thinking Cedrick Wilson, may have gotten the nod over Tone once or twice. No one of significance, I don’t think.
The point is you can’t expect every pick to be a starter, so you have to find long-term free agents (Farrior, Clark) who will stick with the team, knowing you’ll need to replace other free agent solutions as soon as you can draft the right guy (Hartwig, Mahan).
by Neal Coolong on Jan 28, 2011 7:20 PM EST up reply actions
Misunderstanding here Neal, perhaps I wasn’t clear. I just meant an average of, say, four picks a year have to make the roster and contribute somehow. Not start. Some will, some won’t. When I say hit I mean get guys who contribute to the team, i.e. Verron Haynes would be a hit, Willie Reid a miss. Even though we have several veteran starters, the average career is relatively short and your draft picks and UDFAs have to make up most of your roster. You can’t do that with only two guys a year. Or is my math wrong?
Dick, what would Woody (Hayes) say to you now: "He'd say, 'LeBeau, get your hair cut.'"
No team Starts 100 percent of draft picks?
The last team to start completely drafted team was the 1979 Pittsburgh Steeler so it has happened but with Free Agency it is near impossible.
Donnie Shell didn't start in 79?
…He went undrafted
Dick, what would Woody (Hayes) say to you now: "He'd say, 'LeBeau, get your hair cut.'"
Who's Bruce Davis?
What a chode that guy was…
Yeah, 06 sucked, but we were stacked after 05. They probably reached on a few, but they didn’t expect to take anything more than PS players.
by Neal Coolong on Jan 28, 2011 1:46 PM EST up reply actions
Kevin Colbert
Great GM or Greatest GM?
I’ll put you down for great.
hahaha!
I have not yet begun to procrastinate.
by NYSteelersFan4 on Jan 28, 2011 1:15 PM EST up reply actions
2011 Draft
I am hoping that the Steelers draft in 2011 for the “Best Available Need…”
Critical Needs are OL, OG, CB, DL, DE. We have Linebackers sitting on the bench that could play on other teams. The only Linebacker Position that might be a good pick is James Farriors eventual replacement. We need a TE that can backup and spell Miller, maybe an H-Back? How bout Moore’s replacement, fast, has good hands 3rd down back?
That CB from Virginia Tech looks very good! I hope we do get Pouncy in the 1st. I hope we get tht CB from Virginia Tech 2nd.. We have to start Looking for Kasey’s Replacement?
Lots of D-Lineman available this year! Bottom line, need guys that can step in and play right now. But please not more LB’s!!!
Corner Depth
This is a deep corner Draft and I like Aaron Williams CB out of Texas or the CB out of Colorado Jimmy Smith both good size, good speed. I also think we need a RG and a possibility is taking the best guard in the draft Mike Pouncey or moving a shorter tackle to guard. I always wondered about drafting a RT and moving Colon back to his drafted position at Guard.
4 131 Willie Colon T Hofstra
NFL
We drafted him to play Tackle and we will draft a guard to play guard.
I'm getting tired of saying this: Dick LeBeau’s system is so complex very few rookies can make an impact.
"It would be tough for me to care less about their opinion, to be honest with you." Mike Tomlin
Misuse of Words
I understand Willie Colon played tackle and we drafted him for tackle but at 6-3 roughly 320lbs he is built like a Guard and all of the scouts rated him higher as a guard I believe it is a more “natural” position for him. He is relatively quick, and a mauler but struggles against speed, my reasoning was that with his strength and physicality he would likely fair exceptionally well against DT in the RG position. This was just a theory of mine, Colon in the 09 season did have a good season at RT I’m just posing the question.
2010 draft class
The past draft class could very well be the most complete, from top to bottom, Colbert has conducted since being in Pittsburgh. Rarely do you get so many contributions from rookies. We all know what Pouncey has done. Worilds and Sylvester have contributed on special teams after they were a disaster the previous season. It’s too bad they lost Gibson as a depth OLB though. Colbert was able to grab two young dynamic WRs who will only get better. They have already shown that they can handle playing important roles for the team despite being rookies. Dwyer could be a solid backup running back as he is still learning a pro-style offense. Butler could be a contributor to a secondary that needs it. Scott has been hurt but could be a versatile backup OL.
Sure, Colbert has had busts like Davis, Colclough, Jackson, just to name a few but he has absolutely nailed his first round picks. Look around the league at all the other teams that have screwed up their first rounders. Buffalo and Oakland come to mind just off the top of my head. At least he gets that first and most important pick right.
No one is going to hit on every pick but Colbert has been able to do a very good job at drafting. Let’s hope he picks #32 in the next draft.
Proud fan of Pittsburgh's professional sports teams and the Pirates too.
by Black&GoldTrain on Jan 28, 2011 7:02 PM EST reply actions
Colbert's mentality has always been
…to ace the First Round test. D-U-N done. Kendall Simmons, a guy who started 80 games as a Steeler and won two rings, is by far and away the worst.
For every Bruce Davis and Limas Sweed, we have a LaMarr Woodley and an Emmanuel Sanders. After the first round, it’s a crapshoot. You want starters in the second round, and maybe we’ve missed on that more than we’d like, but Colbert’s ability to get talent late is what sets him apart.
by Neal Coolong on Jan 28, 2011 7:28 PM EST up reply actions
Good point about Simmons
What does it say about a GM whose first round pick is considered to be the worst first rounder out of them all when that player started, as you mentioned, 80 games? It says that he has made GREAT picks and future Hall of Fame selections.
In talking about the players he drafted I completely forgot about the players he signed as undrafted free agents. Reading Wolpack’s post reminded me that Colbert has done a heck of a job finding hidden undrafted gems. Two of them had two of the biggest plays in Super Bowl history. Willie Parker’s record breaking TD run and James Harrison’s TD which is considered one of the greatest plays, if not the greatest, in NFL history. Look at the O-line and Doug Legursky and Ramon Foster were both undrafted and will be starting in the biggest game of the year. Add in a reliable backups like Chris Hoke and Isaac Redman and it’s a little easier to forgive Colbert for some of the early round misses he has had like a bum like Alonzo Jackson.
Proud fan of Pittsburgh's professional sports teams and the Pirates too.
by Black&GoldTrain on Jan 28, 2011 8:44 PM EST up reply actions
First rounders
I was thinking about that a few days ago. I can’t think of another team ever that has had the consistency in building through nailing their first pick each year as the Steelers have over the last few years. Start with Troy in ‘03, Ben in ’04, Heath in ’05, Holmes in ’06, Timmons in ’07, Mendy in ’08, Ziggy in ’09, and Pouncey in ’10. That’s a perennial Pro Bowl safety, clutch QB, excellent all around TE, SB MVP at WR, rising star at ILB, solid contributor at DE, and a Pro Bowl center. Holmes is gone, but essentially you have 6 very strong players (including 4 or 5 stars at their positions) and Ziggy looks to me like he’s ahead of schedule for a typical 3-4 DE. So, I’d have to say that Colbert’s doing pretty good, just in the first round. Add the other players (Woodley, Sanders, Brown, and the Willie Parkers and Isaac Redmans), and he’s doing pretty darn good in my book.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jan 28, 2011 7:48 PM EST reply actions
His Masterpiece?
The 2007 draft produced what seem to be two future stars in the league, and outstanding punter, and some quality personnel.
1st Lawrence Timmons- admittedly the Steelers were looking for a replacement for Joey Porter on this one but being the quality personnel team we are we moved Timmons inside where in his first year as a starter he was solid and in the 2nd year he led team in tackles
2nd LaMarr Woodley- Has more sacks than any other Steelers player in his first for year, Beast
3rd Matt Spaeth a tall big TE who has been a solid back up to a 05 draft pick Heath Miller
4th Daniel Sepulveda- great punter that if not for injuries would be noted as one of the best in the league
5th William Gay- okay he has been a martyr for our secondary failure, but for a fifth round pick he started/ split time for our 08 Super Bowl and 09 season, he has been a decent nickle
How often are 5 of your 6 first picks in 07 major contributors in 2 Super Bowl runs yeah like I said another master peice!
Not to mention
Not to mention the Steelers decided to drop there Pro-Bowl OLB Joey Porter and give an undrafted guy who had been on and off their practice squad a shot at the position. James Harrison has since made 4 Pro-Bowls, been a Defensive Player of the Year and has the longest play in Super Bowl history. It was controversial at the time but I’d say it worked out for the better wouldn’t you?
Very Good Analysis
Neal, well done as always.
I must admit, when the Steelers 2010 training camp started I was pretty focused on the fact that when the Steelers cut Tony Hills, they would have as many players from the 2002 draft on board as they would from the 2008 draft.
Of course Tony Hills made the team, and even saw some time. (Not that he was all world, but no one expected him to even be in the NFL).
And while the 2002 draft class still made its impact (How about Keisel this year!) so did the 2009 and 2010 draft classes.
I’ll happly step forward and say, “you know, I was wrong” on this one.
One small point Neal, I do think you’re being hard on Scott Poli. While Billy B has not fallen on his face without Scott Poli, I have always thought that he didn’t get the credit he deserved, for the simple reason that (and everyone forgets this) Billy B. was a HORRIBLE head coach for the Cleveland Browns.
by Hombre de Acero on Jan 29, 2011 10:00 AM EST reply actions
ARE YOU GONNA GIVE ROBERT FLUITT OF ROCHESTER, NY A: TRY OUT
HOW COULD YOU SAY NO WITHOUT EVEN SEEING WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER? I AM A QB/CB….I HEARD YOU GIVE OPEN TRYOUTS CAN I INVITE?
Something to say? Choose one of these options to log in.
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
"Thoughtful discussion with a sense of history."
Art Rooney Jr.
"Level-headed thinking." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Related FanPosts on Behind the Steel Curtain
Related FanShots on Behind the Steel Curtain
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
