Insight into the new team model

[Mr. Scot]

For comparison's sake, here's a screen grab (courtesy of The Wayback Machine) from the Panthers 2015 Front Office.

And here's a link to the Steelers front office page:

Front Office Roster

Positions aren't necessarily directly equivalent from one organization to another, but it's worth a look.

 

[BurnHurnBurn]

So were gonna go back to the way we did it before Hurney but this time were gonna do it with Hurney?

Im fuggin thrilled

[Mr. Scot]

For clarity, here's a transcript of the conversation between David Tepper and Bill Voth regarding the new office structure.

Quote

VOTH: So also today you announced you were going to add an assistant GM/VP of football operations. What can someone like that help add?

TEPPER: You know, Marty Hurney is one of the best recognizers of college talent in the nation, period. Okay? I don’t want to lose that. And he’s also not a bad manager.

There’s also new processes that I want to bring in. I think that, you know, the modern football organization needs a couple people there.

And if I was looking at the future, I would have, you know, if I’m looking at the manager in the future and looking up at who’s gonna be there in the future and, you know, Marty…is more senior. If I brought somebody else in, it could be a potential GM.

And if that person was more involved in, you know, on the scientific side or the analytics side or, and just, you know, interfacing with the business side…just like on the business side, I brought in not only a president but a COO. This is a COO. Okay, because the organization, a football organization, needs more than just one man to be successful.

[Mr. Scot]

Parsing that conversation a little...

First off, as to how "senior" Marty is, neither his age or date of birth are listed on the team site but per Darin Gantt, he's 63.

The more I read, the more I think the "assistant" GM could easily become a replacement in a year or so.

That being the case, Nick Caserio would sound more logical than Kevin Colbert. Colbert is older than Hurney while Caserio is only 43.

Now, that's not to say there isn't a space for Colbert. There are plenty of possibilities for him here. Probably just not that one. He could, however, be an ideal choice for a consultant type role where he might, say, reorganize the scouting department.

[SmokinwithWilly]

You're not always the smartest guy in the room especially when multiple operations are going on in business. It's a smart idea, IMO, to have your head guy managing a bunch of different guys who are the smartest at what they do. The key is having someone at the top who actually listens and can make educated decisions. 

[Mr. Scot]

Another name to keep in mind while we're discussing things here: Steelers Assistant GM Omar Khan.

Khan is considered one of the best salary cap managers and contract negotiators in the league. I wouldn't necessarily see him in the VP job, but he could become an option for a similar role here.

So why would he leave Pittsburgh for a role that isn't a promotion, you ask?

Because he's not getting a promotion in Pittsburgh.

Word is that the Steelers have already identified their next GM if Colbert departs or retires, and it isn't Khan. It's Pro Personnel guy Brandon Hunt.

So after years of serving as the Steelers second in command, if the CO's job opens up, he isn't getting it.

That kind of thing has been known to slightly annoy people.

 

[Pimpdaddy]

5 hours ago, bobowilson said:

David Tepper is the smartest owner in the NFL, and the richest as well

He made his money in the most competitive and analytics intensive profession in the world, unlike Snyder and Jones

Owners that meddle are an issue when they overestimate their capacity;  Tepper is the smartest guy in the room

...i dont think hes ever dealt with giving a player a bloated contract, get paid and they turn to sht.... not producing and eating big cap.... that falls under ROI...he understands that...

[Mr. Scot]

An additional note from today's impromptu meeting with reporters.

Tepper stated that he would like for the new Assistant GM / VP to have a background in pro personnel.

Few things...

First, that further hints at the notion that Marty Hurney is going to be primarily concentrating on college scouting and the draft in his role.

Second, Nick Caserio is currently the Director of Player Personnel in Foxboro (i.e. presiding over both college and pro scouting departments) but his background prior to that was indeed in pro scouting.

And last, I wonder if Tepper has given any thought to stealing Steelers Pro Personnel rising star Brandon Hunt.

[GRWatcher]

6 hours ago, uncfan888 said:

When I hear "hands on", I think Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder. That scares me to death 

Jerry Jones is also Dallas' GM so he's expected to be hands on. As an owner, I don't see it too much. Dan Snyder is a basket case all around.

When I think of an owner that has ruined his franchise, Dean Spanos of the Chargers is the first to come to mind.

[GRWatcher]

And if we can avoid putting "Hurney" and "contracts" in the same sentence or, even, paragraph that would forever be a good thing.

[BurnHurnBurn]

I'll never agree to keeping Sharty.  But it would be very very smart to get him away from the salary cap.  My suggestion is and will stay, fire his ass, but taking away his charge card is a start.

[Mr. Scot]

Jonathan Jones wrote a pretty good article that touched on this. I'll pull some excerpts from it later but one stand out quote is that he referred to the future setup of the front office as "an arranged marriage".

I'd say that's probably a pretty good metaphor.

[mc52beast]

Tepper puts Hurney in charge of college scouting because he’s great at 1st round picks... makes sense

[Anybodyhome]

1. How long did the Tommy Morrison thing last? Using that as a comparison is misleading, especially after it was Family Feud that made him hire Morrison to begin with.

2. Didn't JR also basically poo-can the entire scouting operation to the point we had a couple guys running all over the fugging country? 

Using JR's model to describe where you think Tepper is heading does nobody any favors.