First Call: Kevin Colbert's new job; Bill Belichick's new TV gig with an ex-Steeler

Friday’s “First Call” passes along news about a new job for former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert.

Fox is shaking up its NFL play-by-play tandems now that Tom Brady is on board. Bill Belichick is working with a former Steeler in a new sports media role.

The Pirates look to take advantage of the worst team in Major League Baseball as the All-Star break looms.

We also pay respects to a mentor of Mike Tomlin’s.

New beginning

Kevin Colbert has found himself an occupation in post-NFL life.

On Thursday, Neil Stratton, who is an insider within the NFL scouting community, posted that the retired Steelers general manager will lend his experience to BLESTO (Bears, Lions, Eagles, Steelers Talent Organization) by performing crosschecks and setting the draft board.

Colbert is also beginning his own consulting company — called “Colbert Sports Consulting.”

Also, former Steelers scout Dave Petett will be a scout in the Rocky Mountain area for BLESTO, according to the post.

Also, former #Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, who launched his own consulting company (Colbert Sports Consulting) will perform crosschecks, help set the draft board & lend his experience, while former #Steelers exec Dave Petett will be a Veteran Scout & cover the Rocky Mtns for BLESTO

— Neil Stratton (@InsideTheLeague) July 11, 2024

BLESTO was launched in 1963. Colbert hopped on board in the mid-’80s. The agency now works with the whole league.

Colbert maintains ties with the Steelers organization too, helping alumni in their post-career lives with mental health, financial stability, physical health and family issues.

Remembering Monte

Monte Kiffin, the man who gave Mike Tomlin his first NFL coaching job, died Thursday at the age of 84.

Kiffin was a longtime defensive coordinator at both the NFL and college levels. He was best known for developing the Tampa 2 defense. An off-shoot of Tony Dungy’s Cover 2, it helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII.

Kiffin hired Tomlin as the Bucs’ defensive backs coach in 2001.

“We heard about a young guy at the University of Cincinnati by the name of Mike Tomlin,” Kiffin recalled during a 2013 interview with the National Football Post. “He was outstanding in the interview. I took him out on the field. I call it the ‘it factor.’ Some guys just have it. You can feel it. Mike was 29 at the time.”

Kiffin’s coaching career began with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1966. His son is Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. They worked together on the same staff with the Rebels through 2023, with Monte serving as player personnel analyst.

His last NFL job was in 2016 with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a defensive assistant.

More sports

• Penguins change beverage provider at PPG Paints Arena
• 2 state lawmakers call on Pirates to increase player payroll, citing economic impact
• U mad, bro?: Pittsburgh fans fire barbs at Steelers' mediocrity, Penguins' stagnation, Pirates' frugality

Make room for the GOAT

With Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady joining the NFL on Fox play-by-play team, the network is shuffling around some of its announcer pairings.

It had been previously revealed that play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt would be Brady’s in-booth partner and reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi would be on the sidelines for those games. That word came out in June.

Now, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand has posted the other combos.

With Tom Brady on board, Fox NFL will have nearly all new teams.

* Kevin Burkhardt-Brady
* Joe Davis-Greg Olsen
* Adam Amin-Mark Sanchez
* Kenny Albert-Jon Vilma
* Kevin Kugler-Daryl Johnston
* Chris Myers-Mark Schlereth

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 11, 2024

Sideline reporters for those crews are not yet known.

In other NFL broadcasting news, former Patriots coach Bill Belichick is joining Ryan Clark’s “Inside the NFL” show on the CW Network. Chad Johnson and Chris Long are also on the weekly panel.

8x Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick is joining Inside The NFL this season alongside @Realrclark25, @JOEL9ONE and @ochocinco. ????@insidetheNFL returns August 30 at 9pm ET on the CW pic.twitter.com/WdYF9mt11K

— NFL (@NFL) July 11, 2024

Does that mean he’s going to be wearing a hoodie on the show every week? I might wear one too.

Over my eyes.

Now or never?

The Pirates still haven’t won three games in a row since May 4-6. But now would be as good of a time as any.

The Bucs just won the finale of their three-game series in Milwaukee 1-0 behind Paul Skenes’ seven innings of no-hit baseball. Now, they are about to play the dreadful White Sox for three games in a row on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Chicago.

How bad are the White Sox? How about a Major League Baseball-worst 27-68? That’s a winning percentage of .284. They are 31½ games behind the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.

Chicago has lost seven of its past 10 games. They have an American League-worst run differential of minus-165. The Sox have scored just 306 runs, the lowest total in baseball. Only the Colorado Rockies (553) have given up more runs than the Sox (471).

The problem for the Pirates, though, is that in order to win three in a row, they need to win the next game. And Game 1 of the series is being pitched by Garrett Crochet. The 25-year-old lefty will at least give the White Sox a shot any night he pitches.

So far this year, Crochet leads Major League Baseball with 146 strikeouts. The All-Star is 6-6 with a 3.08 ERA. The Pirates have 863 strikeouts, second most in the National League behind only Colorado’s 890.