Gordon: Keim has revived the Big Red
Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/gordon-keim-has-revived-the-big-red/article_a94c145e-add0-5ccc-87be-542ca560c860.html
The inevitable occurred this week. The Rams ended the Isaiah Pead Era, dumping the star-crossed running back onto the waiver wire.
His demise reminded us that coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead have made only halting progress. They have scored some big personnel hits during their rebuild, especially on defense, but they suffered big misses, too.
Pead, a second-round pick in 2012, was a complete bust. Wide receiver Brian Quick, another second-rounder in ’12, finally flashed promise last season before a shoulder injury derailed him.
Wide receiver Tavon Austin, Class of 2013, hasn’t produced like an eighth overall pick. Offensive tackle Greg Robinson, Class of ’14, hasn’t starred like a second overall pick should.
The Rams suffered some big free agent whiffs, too, most notably on battered offensive tackle Jake Long. That move cost a ton in duct, er, athletic tape alone.
This raises the question: Where would the Rams be if they had hired Steve Keim as general manager instead of Snead?
Keim knows talent. He started with the Arizona Cardinals in 1999 as a regional scout. By 2008 he was their director of player personnel.
Four years later he was ready to run his own operation and the Rams considered him for their GM post. His discussions with Fisher went well, but the team hired Snead from the Atlanta Falcons instead.
Keim became the Cardinals’ vice president of player personnel a few months later and the GM in 2013, after Rod Graves got the axe. Arizona had gone 18-30 in the three seasons following Kurt Warner’s retirement, and team president Michael Bidwill hit the reset button.
From day one Keim demonstrated a Midas touch while finding replacements and upgrades every way imaginable. He did a total makeover with 410 roster moves during his first two seasons.
We don’t know if he would have clicked with Fisher, who has final say on personnel matters. We don’t know if he would have meshed with Rams president Kevin Demoff, who must make all the numbers work.
We don’t how long he would have needed to clear the toxic debris left by Billy Devaney, Steve Spagnuolo, Scott Linehan and Co.
But we do know the Cardinals have gone 24-11 since Keim replaced Graves. They steamrolled their first three opponents this season: New Orleans 31-19, Chicago 48-23 and San Francisco 47-7.
The Rams, by contrast, have gone 14-21 during the last two-plus seasons. Given their offensive struggles this season, they could be in for a long, long Sunday in the Valley of the Sun at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The Cardinals feature a cohesive mix of veterans and emerging talent under coach Bruce Arians’ capable leadership. They are living proof that teams really can reverse course quickly in the NFL.
Such turnarounds usually start with the draft, where Keim and his staff have excelled. Six players from their class are starting. The Cardinals drafted 23 men during the last three years, and 18 are still with the team.
Arizona scouts unearthed lots of small college gold, including wide receiver John Brown (Pittsburgh State), offensive tackle Jared Veldheer (Hillsdale College), running back David Johnson (Northern Iowa), cornerback Justin Bethel (Presbyterian) and defensive end Rodney Gunter (Delaware State).
Keim made the right play at quarterback, acquiring veteran Carson Palmer from Oakland for almost nothing while many teams figured the man was finished. Palmer, 35, has won 16 of his last 18 starts for Arizona, including nine in a row.
During those 18 games he passed for 4,962 yards with 36 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Had Palmer’s success not been interrupted by a knee injury — suffered last year against the Rams — the Gridbirds could have taken a deep playoff run last season.
Keim has made scores of key moves, filling short-term needs while also retooling for the long haul. He has landed many useful veterans on one-year deals to fill gaps and sustain the turnaround.
During his first year on the job he signed running back Rashard Mendenhall, offensive lineman Eric Winston, linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Yeremiah Bell. Each played a big role as the Cardinals finished 10-6.
In 2014 he added cornerback Antonio Cromartie, defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and linebacker Larry Foote to a team that went 11-5 despite suffering catastrophic injuries.
Among his additions for this year was running back Chris Johnson, who ran for 110 yards and two TDs against the 49ers.
“Steve just did a great job of knowing who’s available,” Arians said Wednesday during his conference call with St. Louis reporters. “We were looking for a guy that would fit what we’re doing. We thought a lot of Kerwynn Williams, who had a big game last year.
“But Chris was available and so we said, ‘Why not?’ It doesn’t cost us anything. Let’s give this guy a shot. He’s a great guy. … He’s come in and he’s been fun to coach. He’s now getting in good football shape. He came in a little out of shape and then pulled a hamstring. But he’s getting in good football shape now, so we have a nice backfield.”
Other additions for this season include linebackers Sean Weatherspoon and LaMarr Woodley, tight end Jermaine Gresham, center Lyle Sendelien and defensive tackle Cory Redding.
Whew! The positive changes have just kept coming. All but a handful of the current Cardinals were added during Keim’s tenure. The results have been spectacular.
As for the Rams, well, fans can only wonder what might have been.
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Agamemnon
