Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager, Omar Khan, is no stranger to Pittsburgh, having been with the team since 2001. However, this is the first time at the helm of the whole team and fans are marveling at the changes it feels he has brought. Khan just wrapped up his first draft and the majority of his first offseason. Everyone is praising his aggressive, but smart moves.
Maya Giron/Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney and GM Omar Khan stand together at a press conference announcing Khan's new position as the team's general manager on May 27, 2022.
Khan recently appeared on an episode of The Pat McAfee Show and was asked about his 22-year career in Pittsburgh. Khan acknowledged that people see it as him running the team differently, more aggressively than it was run under Kevin Colbert, but he says that isn't the case and they are still making "Steelers decisions."
"I don't really see it that way. I mean I was trained by Kevin, pretty much everything we do, with a few tweaks, is similar to the way we did it before. When we make big decisions here, Coach Tomlin, Art Rooney, and myself, we'll get together and make a Steelers decision."
Omar Khan Says The Steelers Are Starting the Process of Self-Scouting
Khan was asked if the Steelers engage in a process of "self-scouting" where they engage in looking at trends and prior drafts to determine how they both progress and throw off other teams.
"We were actually talking about it with our group today, about self-scouting," said Khan. "About how we were during this first year and how we can improve. If I was someone on the outside and I was looking at how we did things this past year, what would we say that we were doing?"
He also shoots down the narrative that he is only the "money man" because his background is primarily in finance. He names some of the many talented people he's worked with in Pittsburgh that have helped him grow.
"I am involved in all aspects of it. When I was in New Orleans, I started off on the scouting side. One thing about Kevin is he always involved me in everything that he did. I've been very fortunate to have great teachers. I've been around some great Steelers here from Kevin to Bill Nunn, Hall of Fame owner Dan Rooney, future Hall of Fame owner Art Rooney. Hall of Fame Head Coach Bill Cowher, future Hall of Fame Coach Mike Tomlin. I mentioned Bill Nunn was around. When I was young in this business, the best thing was I sat in the back of the draft and just took it all in next to Joe Greene, Bill Nunn, and Ron Hughes. Those were three of the greatest football people. I don't take that for granted."
Don Juan Moore / Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers Legendary NFL Scout Bill Nunn poses next to his award for being in the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
How Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan Got His Nickname
Khan said that Head Coach Mike Tomlin is such a tremendously gifted coach to work with. When asked about the process of scouting young players, he said Tomlin makes it easy.
"Mike Tomlin is the best at this, he's so easy to get to know. We don't have a lot of time, but we take advantage of that time."
As if on cue, Coach Tomlin happens to walk into Khan's office and leans over his shoulder.
"I'm undefeated," jokes Tomlin, "so things are good."
The Pat Mcafee Show
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin steals the spotlight from General Manager Omar Khan's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
When it comes to working with Khan, Tomlin gives him credit for having a fantastic offseason.
"He has honed his skills to a fine edge."
As Tomlin leaves the room, Khan jokes that he is going to get revenge on Tomlin for giving him the nickname "The Khan Artist," but then reveals that it wasn't even Tomlin who originally came up with the idea.
"You know what's crazy? It wasn't coach that gave me that nickname, it was coach's mom. She's the one that gave me the nickname."
What do you think about Khan's first offseason as a GM? How do you feel he stacks up to Colbert? Click to comment below.
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