+1
Signing a guy who's strength is on the business side of things is a bad sign, IMHO.
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Updated Apr 4, 2011 - 7:51 pm
Who is Omar Khan?
by Brock Huard
We spent some time Thursday speaking to the merits of Floyd Reese and his pedigree and strength of resume. However, if we have learned one thing this season about the Seahawks, it is expect the unexpected: Ruskell resignation mid-season, Mora firing four days past Black Monday, Carroll hiring, so why now the conventional Floyd Reese? He may fit the bill on paper and make the most sense, but is he the best candidate?
I had a pretty candid conversation with a source very familiar with Omar Khan and the Steelers organization. At just 32 Omar is revered by the Rooney family, to the point that the elder Rooney, Dan, desperately wanted Omar to work with him in Ireland as he serves in his new role as U.S. Ambassador there. Ultimately, the Steelers front office and Art Rooney II won out, and Khan stayed in the Steel City.
Khan, a Sports Mgt. major from Tulane, worked initially with the New Orleans Saints out of college. He spent 4 seasons there serving in multiple capacities and climbing the ladder quickly. He went to work for the Steelers in 2001 and technically works in the business office, yet is trusted deeply by Kevin Colbert, their Director of football operations. My source tells me that trust extends beyond current Steelers employees, and that Bill Cowher has said when he lands a head coaching position, he will hire Khan as his general manager.
There were two quotes that jumped out at me in sifting through some of the articles surrounding the Steelers organization and learning more about their managerial style and where Khan currently fits. The younger Rooney, Art II, who is the President of the organization summed it up this way:
We think that the business philosophy and the business model we've set up are working, The key is to bring in good people at every level, and that's what we'll try to do.
Khan is sharp, innovative, young and talented. He is just 32. The Steelers want quality and talent at every level, regardless of age or name. He works very closely with Colbert on the personnel side as well as handling cap issues on the business side. Khan has helped uncover some of the Steelers late round success stories (Ike Taylor, Larry Foote, etc.).
Lastly, and maybe most importantly for Khan, is the fact he has been employed by an organization the last decade whose central figures in the personnel department get it. Central figures like Kevin Colbert (acting GM since 2000) and Mike Tomlin whose collaborative efforts the Hawks could learn from and Khan/Carroll would love to emulate. And I believe Tomlin sums it up beautifully as to why two Super Bowls and superior draft after draft have found their way to Pittsburgh this decade:
Kevin Colbert's impact is immeasurable. We have an awesome working relationship, because we have one very important thing in common. We don't care who gets the credit, and all we want to do is win.
Ah, wouldn't that be nice in Seattle. No more turf wars, no more power struggles, no more final say, just throw out who gets the credit and go win. I have a hunch the 32-year-old fell back on those words more than once in his very lengthy interview.
He seems more than a numbers guy plus if hired I'm sure he would surround himself with good people, but you probably don't want to hear that. How about he sucks and he'll be Ryan's lapdog - that's better
Edited by Cyberjet, 09 January 2013 - 11:12 PM.
