The Cardinals introduced Steve Keim as their general manager on Tuesday and it didn’t take long before he reminded everyone that he’s experienced both the highs and lows of life in the Cardinals organization.
Keim, who had been the team’s vice president of player personnel, said that two days stick out for him above any other during his time are the day they won the NFC Championship Game over the Eagles and the day they lost to the Seahawks 58-0 during the 2012 season. Darren Urban of the Cardinals’ website reports that Keim promised himself that he would never let anything like the latter day happen again and now he’s got a job that will allow him to make sure it doesn’t.
Keim said he wasn’t blind to the problems on the roster, pointing out the need to improve on the offensive line and saying that he subscribes to the theory that you should try to draft a quarterback every year to ensure a pipeline of talent at the position. His familiarity with the roster also leaves him with the impression that a total overhaul of players isn’t needed to get the team back on the right track.
“I truly believe this is a retool and not rebuild,” Keim said.
Keim has been involved in the team’s coaching interviews, which will continue with Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden on Thursday. Once they’ve settled on a coach, Keim’s expected to tackle those offensive issues early on in the “retooling” process in the desert.
Photo via AZCardinals.com.