The Pittsburgh Steelers are well known for displaying loyalty to their personnel, including coaches and front office staff. The Rooney Family has made no secret of the fact that they want homegrown ascension, and choose to promote from within as often as possible. Nothing personifies their loyalty more than the fact that they have only had three head coaches in more than 50 years. As for their commitment to grow their own, you only have to look at the general manager position. 

NFL.com

Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Art Rooney II

Current General Manager Omar Khan has been with the Steelers since 2001 when he was hired from the New Orleans Saints to be the football administration coordinator. He moved up through the organization where he eventually acted as the assistant general manager to Kevin Colbert. 

Colbert had a similar path to Khan's and the two spent a lot of time working together. So when Colbert stepped down in January of 2022 and Khan was announced as the new general manager, many wondered if he would merely be a carbon copy of his old boss. Khan showed pretty quickly that he wasn't going to do business exactly the same as Colbert, by completing some aggressive trades. Now a former Steelers player is talking about the difference between the two general managers.    

Steelers' Omar Khan And The Change He Brings To Pittsburgh

Former Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster now co-hosts a podcast with reporter Dejan Kovacevic on DK Pittsburgh Sports called The Ramon Foster Show. During a recent episode, Foster was asked if Khan is really more aggressive than Colbert. Foster said that he feels Khan has changed the way the organization does business. 

"We've never seen this organization operate like this. Kev never operated like this as far as being aggressive, as far as making a splash before the draft, during the draft and minicamp, and throughout training camp going into the season. We've never seen them operate like this."

He adds that he doesn't feel the old way of operating was to the team's detriment. Foster pointed out that the organization has been good for a very long time. The Steelers, in his opinion, have always been extremely consistent in every facet of the game from drafting to finding cheap, but outstanding free agents and then making the most out of every player they get. 

Keith Srakocic / The Associated Press

Steelers' Mike Tomlin.

Kovacevic has pointed out earlier in the show that fans often misplace both blame and credit for wins and losses. Foster said that this new aggressive style is more than just Khan, the credit for that spreads throughout the team. However, the general manager does often set the tone for how business is done. This means Head Coach Mike Tomlin deserves some credit for this new aggressive management style the team has adopted. 

"You gotta think Coach T had to abide by the rules of what Kev had in place because Kev has a method of operating. I feel like this time around, Coach Tomlin has the ability and the fact that he has been working with Omar Khan for so long, their communications are different. Both are a little bit younger than Kev, both have probably seen stuff at other places because they have the freedom and flexibility to move around the NFL talking to other GMs."

Foster said that in Pittsburgh, the general managers and coaches collaborate closely, but Tomlin has to mostly let them have their way. In order to "kick down the door to another Super Bowl," he feels that the philosophy had to change to a more aggressive one. This fresh approach to running the team is a welcomed change. 

"Changing philosophies about moving up in the draft, trading for a late-round guy, moving toward your homegrown guards and center to different teams to pick up draft picks. We have just never seen this much motion."

This is the dawn of a new era in Pittsburgh and how we operate. According to Foster, we have done it the exact same way for a long time and our blueprint is still the same, but now there is a new person using that blueprint in Khan. Foster added that just seeing Mr. Rooney speak up about the offensive coordinator signaled a shift in how we do business. He does feel that Colbert had a profound impact on Khan. 

"I think Omar has Kevin's template, you don't mirror a guy for that many years and not have his DNA. I think Omar has seen other teams operate while Kev may have had on the blinders around his eyes and only focus on his team. I don't ever want to act like Kev had a bad tenure in Pittsburgh."

Both Foster and Kovacevic agree that Colbert is destined for the Hall of Fame. Regardless of what you say about his aggressiveness or not, he did help take the Steelers to multiple Super Bowls. Foster said there is just a difference in how they operate. Colbert would be satisfied with the guys they found for the team, but Khan continually works to improve the organization. He isn't afraid to have his head turned. 

ESPN

Steelers' Ramon Foster during a game.

Do you see Khan and Colbert as drastically different? If so, in what ways? Click to comment below. 

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