Steelers' Kevin Colbert Makes Stunning Admission Of Remorse For Failing Flozell Adams

Former Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager, Kevin Colbert, in his first decade as the GM in the Steel City, had produced a roster full of Pro Bowl talent that produced two Lombardi Trophies in three tries. Colbert also tapped into free agency and plucked key contributors like James Farrior, Jeff Hartings, and Ryan Clark to augment the roster. In 2010, the Steelers faced significant adversity at the beginning of the season. Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the first six games of the season, and the Steelers' starting right tackle, Willie Colon, tore his Achilles tendon.

Roethlisberger's suspension was eventually reduced to four games, but Colbert had to act fast to find a replacement for Colon. The Steelers signed the former Dallas Cowboys tackle Flozell Adams to stabilize the position. During the most recent episode of the North Catholic Athletics Podcast, Colbert recounted that Adams played a key role in Pittsburgh's run to the Super Bowl in 2010, and losing the Super Bowl and watching him fall short in his only appearance in the game was devastating for him.

“When you’re that close and you don’t win it, it stays with you for the rest of your life. The person I felt the worst for was Flozell Adams,” Colbert said. “You’re thinking, wait a minute, Flozell Adams? He was a one-year guy with the Steelers. We knew it was his last year in the NFL. He had played a great career with the Dallas Cowboys, and we’re in Dallas, and we lost that game. Sure, we all felt bad for ourselves, but I could still see Flozell, and I knew his career was over, and we came up short for him. That’s something you don’t forget.”

Adams joined the Cowboys in 1998 after their dynasty started fading. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection at left tackle and converted to right tackle for the Steelers to replace Colon. He did a fine job and started every game for Pittsburgh during the 2010 season. Watching him lose the Super Bowl in his hometown was a disappointment, but curiously, Colbert chose Adams as one of his biggest regrets. 

Colbert was an outstanding general manager for half his career, but is a key architect of the current seven-year playoff win drought. He assembled one of the best teams outside of the New England Patriots after he took over as the director of football operations in 2000. In 2010, he became the first general manager in Steelers history. By 2016, he had earned the additional title of Vice President, which is when the real trouble began. 

The Steelers draft class in 2016 was headlined by Artie Burns, Sean Davis, and Javon Hargrave. It was the first of several disastrous draft classes. Hargrave became a star for the Philadelphia Eagles when Colbert and Tomlin decided not to re-sign him. The Burns pick was a complete bust that was only overshadowed by the selection of Devin Bush Jr. Colbert, who averaged retaining one player per draft class from 2016 to 2020, creating gaping holes in a roster that Tomlin has shouldered much of the blame for underachieving. 

Steelers Former GM Kevin Colbert Owes Ben Roethlisberger A Big Apology

The saddest part is that his roster construction, or lack thereof, cost the Killer B's, Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown, a more complete supporting cast that they desperately needed to overcome Tom Brady and the Patriots. Colbert should feel bad about coming up short as a general manager, but it shouldn't be because they lost Super Bowl XLV. It should be for the utter mess he created to prevent them from returning.