The GM's, Coach's, Carousel

The top three isn't a big surprise to me. Tomlin's teams play close games and if they got the ball last and down by a score, Ben found a way. They did beat the Titans and Bills last year despite their glaring deficiencies as a team.

We'll see how it goes this year.

 

Emotional Kevin Colbert exits as General Manager of the Steelers



One of the most underrated and overlooked executives in football — undoubtedly by his own preference — is Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert. With the conclusion of the 2022 draft, Colbert exits the franchise after more than 20 years with the team.

His career comes from the book of childhood dreams come true. A teenager growing up in Pittsburgh as the Steelers rose to prominence in the 1970s, Colbert attended Robert Morris University, dabbled in basketball and baseball (he was the head baseball coach at Robert Morris in 1981) before landing in football.


At Ohio Wesleyan, he worked in two sports, working as an assistant coach on the football team and again serving as the head baseball coach, in 1984. That’s when football took over and he found the NFL, starting as a BLESTO scout before attracting the attention of Don Shula and the Dolphins. After five years in Miami, Colbert became the pro scouting director of the Lions for a decade, from 1990 through 1999.

Then came his opportunity to come home. In 2000, he was hired as director of football operations by the Steelers. A decade later, the man who had become the de facto G.M. received the title. He added a V.P. designation in 2016.

At his final press conference following the completion of the 2022 draft, Colbert fought back his emotions.

“I don’t want to say better than,” Colbert said when asked how he was leaving the organization. “I’m proud to say we added to that [trophy] room. It was four trophies. There was four when we got here. And you knew the task. You think about DMR [the late Dan Rooney] and being able to add to that room means a ton. It doesn’t mean it’s over. The next step, I mean we gotta get more than, and we’ll never lose that. But it means a lot.”

Colbert meant a lot to the Steelers. At the Scouting Combine (we’ve re-posted the interview to this article), Colbert left the door open to sticking around. In a very informative look back at Colbert’s career, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains that Colbert currently is expected to stick around in a different role.

Colbert made it clear he doesn’t want to be a hindrance to the next G.M. The next G.M., whoever it may be, would be very wise to keep a permanent seat at the table for a man who will do what he has always done. His job. Incredibly well, and without wasting any time trying to make anyone else notice what a great job he was doing.

PFT

 

Steelers to have second round of interviews for vacant general manager job

The Steelers are one step closer to finding their next general manager.

Pittsburgh will have a second round of interviews for its vacant GM job, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Thursday. Titans VP of player personnel Ryan Cowden and Buccaneers VP of player personnel John Spytek are among those who are scheduled to meet with the Steelers again.

Pittsburgh is filling its vacancy now because of the planned departure of Kevin Colbert, who has been with the organization since 2000 but decided now was a good time to move on. Colbert's time with the Steelers officially ended upon the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Cowden and Spytek have been relevant in front-office hiring searches this year. Cowden interviewed with the Giants earlier in 2022 before they decided to proceed with Joe Schoen as their new GM, while Spytek interviewed with both the Raiders and Vikings before those two clubs chose Dave Ziegler and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, respectively, for their vacant GM jobs.

Spytek and Cowden both recently completed their sixth seasons with their current teams and are clearly on the radars of those making hiring decisions within NFL front offices. We'll see who else from the 16 initial candidates has made it to the second round of sit-downs to became the next personnel chief in Pittsburgh.

NFL.com

 

Andy Weidl set for second interview for Steelers G.M.



The second round of interviews for the Steelers General Manager job will include a current member of the Eagles front office.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Eagles vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl is set for another meeting with the team.


Weidl worked for the Steelers as a player personnel assistant early in his career and has been with the Eagles since the 2016 season. If he were to leave for the Steelers job, it would continue an offseason of change in the Eagles personnel department that has also seen Weidl’s brother Casey dismissed as the team’s director of scouting operations.

Titans vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden and former Bills G.M. Doug Whaley have had second interviews with the Steelers already. Buccaneers vice president of player personnel John Spytek is also expected to have a second visit with the team.

PFT

 

Report: Steelers have completed interview process for G.M. job



The Steelers are closing in on a new General Manager.

The team has concluded the interview process and now will choose among the six candidates who received second interviews, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.


The Steelers had two interviews with internal candidates Brandon Hunt, their pro scouting director, and Omar Khan, their vice president of football and business administration.

Eagles vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl, Titans vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden, Buccaneers vice president of player personnel John Spytek and former Bills G.M. Doug Whaley also interviewed twice.

Kevin Colbert announced Jan. 28 he was retiring after the draft. Colbert has been with the Steelers for 22 seasons and took over as General Manager in 2010 after a decade as the director of football operations.

PFT

 

Steelers have hired Omar Khan as GM

Good, him and Tomlin will work well together.

 

Khan has been with the Steelers since 2001.

 

Jon Gruden scores major preliminary victory in his lawsuit against the NFL, Roger Goodell



Technically, banging a gavel is just another way of knocking on wood if you’re with me.

Former Raiders coach Jon Gruden has scored a major preliminary victory in his lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell. Via Katelyn Newberg of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, District Judge Nancy Allf denied the NFL’s motion to dismiss the case and, more importantly, the NFL’s motion to compel arbitration.


It means (if it sticks) that Gruden’s case will proceed in open court, and not in the NFL’s secret rigged kangaroo court.

It’s a win for the fans and media as well, since it means that a much greater degree of transparency will apply to the fight. It means that, barring a quick and quiet settlement, we’ll find out who leaked the emails that forced Gruden out, and much more.

“We are going to let the process take care of itself,” Gruden said outside the courtroom, via A.J. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com. “Good luck to the Raiders. Go Raiders. I don’t have anything [else] to comment on. This process will take care of itself. It’s good to be back in Vegas. I am going to see friends tonight.”

The NFL has tried to make the case about the content of the emails, which obviously were inappropriate. Gruden’s lawyers have made the case about the alleged efforts of the NFL to force Gruden out by giving the emails to the media.

Making the ruling more potent is the fact that Judge Allf ruled from the bench. That doesn’t happen often. It happens when the proper ruling is so clear from the written submissions and the applicable precedent that there’s nothing that could be said or done in open court to change the outcome. It’s the closest thing that a judge can do to spiking the football in the face of the party that loses the issue.

Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says the league will appeal the ruling. Of course it will. It will fight and scratch and claw to try to keep this case out of public, open court.

The NFL, for example, took its effort to force the St. Louis relocation litigation to arbitration all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Look for the league to do the same thing here.

The NFL hates to lose in court. It’s best chance to avoid losing in court is to push the fight to its own internal processes, where the outcome is secure and the facts remain hidden.

PFT

 

Browns hire Catherine Raiche as assistant GM and VP of football operations

The Cleveland Browns have made a trailblazing hire.

Catherine Raiche was named the Browns' assistant general manager and vice president of football operations, the team announced Thursday.

Raiche remains the highest-ranking female in a football executive position in the NFL.

The 33-year-old was previously the vice president of football operations with the Philadelphia Eagles, a position she was promoted to ahead of the 2021 season.

Cleveland also promoted Glenn Cook to assistant GM and VP of player personnel and Bob Quinn as senior personnel/coaching executive and hired Jimmy Raye as senior executive advisor to the GM in addition to a number of front office hires and promotions announced Thursday.

A native of Montreal, Quebec, Raiche's career in pro football began with the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes as an intern in 2015. She went on to become the CFL's first female personnel executive when she was named the Alouettes' coordinator of football administration before getting promoted to the club's assistant general manager position. Raiche spent time with the Toronto Argonauts as the director of football administration before breaking barriers in the NFL.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman appointed Raiche as football operations coordinator in 2019, the same year in which current Browns GM Andrew Berry left Cleveland to become Philadelphia's vice president of football operations. Once Berry was hired as Browns GM ahead of the 2020 season, Raiche was promoted to the same role.


Raiche's rise to prominence was further recognized during the 2022 hiring cycle as the Minnesota Vikings interviewed her for their then-vacant GM role, which was believed to be the first interview of its kind. The Vikings went on to hire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was previously the Browns assistant GM.

NFL.com

 

Daniel Snyder’s testimony lasts nearly 11 hours



It was a long day for Daniel Snyder.

The Commanders owner testified before staff members of the House Oversight Committee for nearly 11 hours, according to A.J. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com.


A Commanders spokesperson provided a predictably self-serving comment to Perez.

“Mr. Snyder fully addressed all questions about workplace misconduct, described the Commanders’ dramatic two-year transformation and expressed hope for the organization’s bright future,” the statement asserted. “After concluding the memorial services for Mr. Snyder’s mother, Mr. and Mrs. Snyder look forward to returning their focus to supporting the efforts of the Commanders’ incredible employees and executive team and delivering a winning season for Commanders fans.”

Obviously, any changes made to the team by Snyder happened only after the situation imploded and he faced, as a practical matter, the choice of making changes on his own or getting out of the way while the next owner did so.

Perez writes that he omitted from his story a portion of the statement in which the team asserts that the Committee’s investigation concluded last month. The Committee disputes that claim. (Frankly, that perhaps should have been enough of a misstatement to reject the entirety of the team’s statement.)

It will be interesting to see whether the Committee agrees with the Commanders’ characterization of Snyder’s testimony. If it doesn’t, he could still be subpoenaed.

Perez reports that Snyder didn’t decline to answer any question. That doesn’t mean the Committee will find the answers provided satisfactory. One way of the other, we’ll likely know soon enough.

PFT

 

NFL suspends Stephen Ross for tampering with Sean Payton, Tom Brady



Well, well, well.

The most overlooked story of the 2022 offseason is overlooked no longer.


On Tuesday, the NFL suspended Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for the first six weeks of the 2022 season for tampering with former Saints coach Sean Payton and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.

Mary Jo White, who was hired to investigate the allegation that Ross and the Dolphins tried to tank in 2019 in order to improve 2020 draft position, ended up investigating whether and to what extent Ross and the Dolphins tampered with Payton and Brady. She found that they did.

“The Dolphins had impermissible communications with quarterback Tom Brady in 2019-20, while he was under contract to the New England Patriots,” the league said in a statement. “Those communications began as early as August 2019 and continued throughout the 2019 season and postseason. These numerous and detailed discussions were conducted by Mr. Beal, who in turn kept Mr. Ross and other Dolphins executives informed of his discussions with Mr. Brady.

“The Dolphins again had impermissible communications with both Mr. Brady and his agent during and after the 2021 season, while he was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those discussions began no later than early December 2021 and focused on Mr. Brady becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins and possibly serving as a football executive, although at times they also included the possibility of his playing for the Dolphins. Both Messrs. Ross and Beal were active participants in these discussions.

“In January 2022, the Dolphins had impermissible communications with Don Yee, the agent for New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton, about having Mr. Payton serve as Miami’s head coach. Miami did not seek consent from New Orleans to have these discussions, which occurred before Coach Payton announced his decision to retire as head coach of the Saints. Following that announcement, Miami requested permission to speak to Coach Payton for the first time, which New Orleans declined to grant.”

“The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity,” Commissioner Goodell said in a statement. “I know of no prior instance of a team violating the prohibition on tampering with both a head coach and star player, to the potential detriment of multiple other clubs, over a period of several years. Similarly, I know of no prior instance in which ownership was so directly involved in the violations.”

The NFL stripped Miami of the team’s first-run pick in 2023, and its third-round selection in 2024. Ross is barred from the team’s facility through October 17, and he cannot represent the club at any team or league event. He is barred from any league meetings before March 2023, and he has been fined $1.5 million.

Beal, the vice chairman and limited partner of the Dolphins, has been barred from all league meetings through the end of the year and fined $500,000.

We asked the league whether Ross and the Dolphins have any appeal rights in this content. League spokesman Brian McCarthy tells PFT that it is “effective immediately.”

PFT

 

Looks like this is a mess

 

Commanders call ESPN report “categorically untrue”

ESPN dropped a bombshell on Thursday morning, with an item about Commanders owner Daniel Snyder that contains plenty of intriguing (and, if true, damaging) nuggets.

The Commanders have issued a statement regarding the article. To little surprise, it strongly takes issue with the accuracy of the report.


“It’s hard to imagine a piece that is more categorically untrue, and is clearly part of a well-funded, two-year misinformation campaign to coerce the sale of the team, which will continue to be unsuccessful,” the team said, via Ben Standig of TheAthletic.com.

It’s one thing to disagree with the quality of the reporting. It’s quite another to suggest that the reporters have become co-opted by an extensive effort to force Snyder to sell.

Who’s funding the effort? Who’s trying to force Snyder out? If the Commanders are going to generally accuse ESPN as being part of that effort, why not identify who’s behind it?

The response from the team suggests that Snyder will continue to aggressively fight on his own behalf, as he remains determined to retain ownership of the franchise. Even if none of his partners and few of his team’s fans want that to happen.

PFT

 

Report: Daniel Snyder believes he’s protected by dirt he has on other owners and Roger Goodell

As the Washington Commanders prepare to enter the national spotlight tonight on Amazon, a new report from ESPN puts the team’s owner in the crosshairs. Again.

ESPN.com has published a lengthy and detailed article about Daniel Snyder. It surely was carefully vetted by lawyers and calculated to be published today, as the Commanders prepare to visit the Bears on Thursday Night Football. The story also will resonate into next week, when the league’s owners gather in New York for a quarterly meeting.


Often in #longreads, finding the best stuff requires the patience of Job and/or an electron microscope. In this one, the most telling information, in my assessment, comes at the very top of the article.

“Cradling a drink in one hand,” the article explains, “[Snyder] tells members of his inner circle about the dirt he has accumulated on fellow owners, coaches, executives, even his own employees — all the stuff he’s learned from other sources, including private investigative firms. He never says exactly what he knows, only that in his 23 years as owner of the Washington Commanders, he knows a lot. And that in the zero-sum world of billionaires, this is how you survive. Snyder recently told a close associate that he has gathered enough secrets to “blow up” several NFL owners, the league office and even commissioner Roger Goodell. . . . ‘They can’t fuck with me,’ he has said privately.”

That meshed with something I’ve said and written on multiple occasions. They are afraid of Snyder. They’re afraid of what he knows, and of what he will do with that knowledge. Some believe that Snyder, one of the few people in possession of the notorious Jon Gruden emails, leaked those items to the media. If that’s true, Snyder quite possibly intended it to be a warning to anyone else who would try, in his words, to fuck with him.

The report comes at a time when a Congressional probe apparently is moving toward its conclusion, and when the NFL has commissioned another investigation of Snyder. The letter his lawyer sent last week to the House Oversight Committee shows that Snyder is girding for a fight. If he will indeed fight dirty, that’s reason for the league to press pause before trying to gather the 24 votes needed to activate the eject button.

PFT

 

Report: No ownership vote planned for next week on Daniel Snyder



The new ESPN article hints that the push to shove Commanders owner Daniel Snyder out of Club Oligarch could happen as soon as next week, when the owners meet in New York. It’s currently not on the agenda, however.

Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reports that there is no plan to vote on Snyder’s status at the upcoming meetings.


Of course, plans can change. Whenever 24 owners decide to do something, they can do it — whenever and wherever they may be. They’ll be in the same room next week. In theory, they can make a run at Snyder, if they so choose.

Even if Snyder’s partners eventually will be making a move again him, it’s currently premature to do so. Mary Jo White’s investigation, sparked by allegations made directly against Snyder by Tiffani Johnston, is ongoing. The House Oversight Committee also has not yet issued a report on its work.

Either or both of those ongoing probes could generate something that would create the momentum necessary for a move against Snyder. Even then, some may have to worry about the possibility that Snyder will release whatever dirt he may have compiled as to owners and key league officials, up to and including the Commissioner.

PFT

 

Report: Lions fire DBs coach Aubrey Pleasant



At 1-6 and with the league’s worst defense, the Lions have made a move on their coaching staff.

According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the team has fired defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant.


Pleasant joined the Detroit staff when head coach Dan Campbell was hired in 2021. He previously was the Rams’ cornerbacks coach under Sean McVay from 2017-2020. He worked with McVay with Washington from 2013-2016.

The Lions’ defense has struggled all year, as the unit currently ranks last in points allowed and yards allowed. On Sunday, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Tyreek Hill caught 12 passes for 188 yards. Receiver Jaylen Waddle caught eight passes for 106 yards with a pair of TDs.

Campbell has said that he believes in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, saying at the beginning of the month that he feels Glenn is the right man for the job to turn around Detroit’s defense.

Since taking over as head coach Campbell is 4-19-1.

The Lions will play the Packers for the first time this season in Week Nine.

PFT

 

Colts fire offensive coordinator Marcus Brady



At 3-4-1, the Colts are making more changes entering Week Nine.

Indianapolis announced on Tuesday that the team has fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.


“This was an incredibly hard decision, but one I felt needed to be made in the best interest of the team,” head coach Frank Reich said in a statement released by the team. “I appreciate Marcus’s commitment to the organization, and he made a significant contribution to our offensive success over the last five seasons. I wish him the best moving forward.”

Brady joined the Colts when Reich was hired in 2018 as the club’s assistant quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to QBs coach in 2019 and offensive coordinator in 2021 after Nick Sirianni left the position to become the Eagles’ head coach.

The Colts’ announcement did not name a replacement for Brady. Reich calls the offensive plays for Indianapolis.

This is the second major offensive change in the last two weeks for Indianapolis. Starting quarterback Matt Ryan was benched for second-year QB Sam Ehlinger last week.

Ehlinger finished 17-of-23 for 201 yards with a lost fumble in the Colts’ 17-16 loss to the Commanders on Sunday.

Indianapolis plays New England on Sunday.

PFT

 

And scapegoat season is now officially under way…