73 replies to this topic

[BleedGreen314]

BlogPodcasts/Past ShowsE-mail Brock and Salk
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.

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tchonz70 wrote...
I'm not exacttly sure why the GM is so impoertant?
January 15, 2010 10:49 am
At least with the case for the Seahawks. I know they offered Mike Holmgren something of that position or equivilant. But now that's old news. With Pete Carrol coming in, If they want him to have majority of the say then why didn't give him the power of the GM position. Any Head Coach will bring in the Coaching Staff of their choosing. And there a certainly scouts that rate and rank players at both college and NFL levels. Other than Salary issues. If you're going to hand the keys to a head coach-Shouldn't HE (HEAD COACH) Have the deciding factor to bring the players that he wants on his team. I'm No expert especially in the NFL front offices. to me it just doesn't make alot of sense.
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TheSGC wrote...
I think it's important
January 15, 2010 7:42 pm
GM has a lot of responsibilities that I don't think that Pete could handle all on his own. We saw how the Coach/GM thing went down with The Big Show back when he joined...he took us to the Super Bowl when he was just the coach. I think you need a good collaborative atmosphere to really thrive in the NFL. A system of checks and balances is good when it doesn't emulate the United States Government in the strictest of manners. You have advice coming from all directions, and hopefully it doesn't degenerate behind the scenes into your "turf wars" (Brock). Well, let's wait and see!
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BlogPodcasts/Past ShowsE-mail Brock and Salk
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





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

Nice post

[slats]

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

Yeah, you got me. I'm the head of the defeatists around here.

[Integrity28]

+1

Signing a guy who's strength is on the business side of things is a bad sign, IMHO.

Depends on who he put in charge of scouting. Some business men actually understand how to delegate to experts, and let them do their jobs. If Khan built an infrastructure where talent acquisition was led by a guy like Ross, then we'd be in good shape.

Gotta remember this search SHOULD be about more than just the GM. Our whole scouting department is the pits and needs shaking up. It's about a GM and everything he'll bring with him. I hope.

[slats]

Depends on who he put in charge of scouting. Some business men actually understand how to delegate to experts, and let them do their jobs. If Khan built an infrastructure where talent acquisition was led by a guy like Ross, then we'd be in good shape.

Gotta remember this search SHOULD be about more than just the GM. Our whole scouting department is the pits and needs shaking up. It's about a GM and everything he'll bring with him. I hope.

I'd prefer a guy who was strong on personnel and delegated contracts, than the other way around. The GM's biggest decisions center around properly valuing players. He should certainly delegate scouting and the like, but when it comes to deciding who to draft, or who to give a big FA deal to, he needs to be able to look at film and see for himself who he wants and know what they're worth - not be dependent on someone else's reports.

That's a big part of what made Tannenbaum a weak GM. It's part of why I believe he traded up so often (for higher rated, concensus-type picks), and relied so heavily on FA pickups - players who already demonstrated something in the league.

And I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the Jets' FO remained intact. They'll almost certainly be together for this draft. Another reason you need a football guy at the helm, and not simply an executive. I don't see a guy like Ross coming to the Jets in a lateral move.

[T0mShane]

The problem with the cap guy is that he's at the mercy if everybody else beneath him and has to take their word for it, which was one of Tannenbaum's major failings.

[neckdemon]

you know what pisses me off.......bradway, the complete moron who decided trading our number 1 pick for doug ****ing jolley, makes personell decisions here still. we suck and always will suck

[Integrity28]

I'd prefer a guy who was strong on personnel and delegated contracts, than the other way around. The GM's biggest decisions center around properly valuing players. He should certainly delegate scouting and the like, but when it comes to deciding who to draft, or who to give a big FA deal to, he needs to be able to look at film and see for himself who he wants and know what they're worth - not be dependent on someone else's reports.

That's a big part of what made Tannenbaum a weak GM. It's part of why I believe he traded up so often (for higher rated, concensus-type picks), and relied so heavily on FA pickups - players who already demonstrated something in the league.

And I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the Jets' FO remained intact. They'll almost certainly be together for this draft. Another reason you need a football guy at the helm, and not simply an executive. I don't see a guy like Ross coming to the Jets in a lateral move.

I'm okay with either as long as the GM comes witha system, that is proven, for evaluating, ranking and determining how to select players. No GM makes decisions without consideration for the work their staff has done. Whoever we end up with needs to build a better scouting dept, but also a system around it that leverages it better. Rather than "hey coach, who do you want here?"

I do understand your concerns though. I just don't think Omar would come without an infrastructure plan similar to that he thrived in in Pitts.

Edited by Integrity28, 10 January 2013 - 07:19 AM.

[jack48]

Jets interviewing Omar Khan for G.M. job

Posted by Mike Florio on January 9, 2013, 9:31 PM EST

The Jets ultimately could be replacing Mike Tannenbaum with another Mike Tannenbaum.
The recently-fired G.M. rose through the ranks as a cap-and-contracts specialist. Now that the Jets are having trouble replacing Tannenbaum with a traditional “football guy,” they’re turning their attention to another cap-and-contracts specialist.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the Jets will interview Omar Khan for the G.M. position on Thursday. Khan currently serves as the director of football and business administration in Pittsburgh.
As the search expands, there’s a chance that the eventual hire will have less power than previously envisioned, with coach Rex Ryan in turn having greater authority over player personnel.
If, alternatively, Khan would have final say over the draft and free agency, he would need to rely on someone like Terry Bradway to help set the table, like Bradway did for Tannenbaum

If you believe that Rex is openly picking the groceries now, then this Omar guy sounds like a fit.

[jack48]

More of the same coming. I can just see Rex in 4 years at his presser talking about how it feels like this is his first day on the job, how he should not have let Norv Turner, Cam Cameron, Brian Dabol and Kurt Warner handle all of the offensive chores the past four years, how he needs to be 100% all in on EVERY phase of the team, and that was why he was bringing in his brother Rob to handle ALL of the defense, just like he had in Carolina, Jacksonville, Kansas City and Philadelphia the past four years. And....

Edited by jack48, 10 January 2013 - 07:38 AM.

[SouthernJet]

Jets to interview Pitt's Omar Khan

no scouting background,,all cap/contracts,,a tanny clone

[BleedGreen314]

no scouting background,,all cap/contracts,,a tanny clone

Read the article on page 1 and see what you think

[SouthernJet]

Read the article on page 1 and see what you think

link? cause what I saw said same thing

[BleedGreen314]

link? cause what I saw said same thing

It was on page 2 from F.Chowds:


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.

[T0mShane]

It was on page 2 from F.Chowds:


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.

Fairly obvious PR piece. If it was any more fawning, it'd be a eulogy.

[Bugg]

Sign this beast.

His sister Chaka can perform at halftime!

Also knew Ricardo Montablan very well.

[Bugg]

We raid the Steelers and come up with...their Tannenbaum. Korn/Ferry, you've done it again.

Exactly. Gamble and Ross are scout/talent oriented-which is where the Jets need to go. But it doesn't much matter when you allow Wrecks Ryan to do what ever he wants.

[unbanmadmike1]

If you believe that Rex is openly picking the groceries now, then this Omar guy sounds like a fit.

I don't think Kahn would come here to let Rex run the show. He'd want to hire his own player personnel people.

[jack48]

I don't think Kahn would come here to let Rex run the show. He'd want to hire his own player personnel people.

well, we are stuck with Rex. In the best of all possible worlds, as things now stand, we get a GM who actually has final say.

[unbanmadmike1]

I actually like Kahn, he's very smart and could be a Jon Daniels/Andrew Friedman type of guy.

[SouthernJet]

OK, base don a few articles where Cowher says he would pick Khan as GM if he came back...

Scenario:

Khan interview with Woody.

Khan: Woody, If I am hired, Cowher has agreed to coach Jets this coming year. Can I fire Rex today?

What would you want Woody to say?

Edited by SouthernJet, 10 January 2013 - 10:15 AM.