SB Nation - Darwin Walker

The Steve Keim Scorecard

John Morgan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:50:25 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Seattle Seahawks fans are unused to repeat failure. Perhaps a Cardinals suit can make them more familiar with the feeling.

Browse more photos »

Adam Schefter reports that Steve Keim is among Seattle's ten general manager candidates. This is a quick and dirty attempt to review his performance in Arizona.

Organization: Arizona Cardinals

Position(s): Player Personnel Director (May 2008), College Scouting Director (June 2006), Regional Scout (1999)

Curious that perhaps the most defamed team in the NFC, bad from when the Lions and Rams were good, is now auditioning personnel for promotion to other teams. Thus is the fickle world of the NFL. I don't like it, and I don't like Keim's boss Rod Graves. Graves has served with Arizona since 1997, and few franchises in any sport can claim a longer period of losing, instability and apathy from their fans. But, by all means, let's break off a piece of that talent factory.

Keim scouted the east for Arizona, and, undoubtedly, the southeast specifically. Let us first look at the players we can be most confident Keim had a hand in scouting. I singled out picks made from Keim's particular scouting area, and listed the round, overall pick, name and college.

2000

1) 7 Thomas Jones RB Virginia

2) 41 Raynoch Thompson OLB Tennessee

3) 71 Darwin Walker DT Tennessee

Jones is still around but was a huge bust for Arizona. He split time with Michael Pittman, never averaged more than 3.7 yards per carry and was traded before the end of his rookie contract.

Raynoch Thompson sort of speaks for himself: Who is Raynoch Thompson? He was an undersized Vol linebacker that was out of the league by 2004. He is still only 32, meaning he was cut in his prime.

Darwin Walker played for that same undefeated Tennessee team as Thompson. He didn't play for the Cardinals, who cut him before a single start and after only one regular season game. Walker was claimed by the Eagles off waivers and became a productive five-year starter for some stout Eagles defenses.

2001

2) 54 Michael Stone DB Memphis

3) 64 Adrian Wilson DB North Carolina State

4) 98 Bill Gramatica K South Florida

4) 123 Marcus Bell DT Memphis

Stone never broke through with the Cardinals and is now out of the league.

Adrian Wilson is an unconditional success. Wilson and Keim share an alma mater. He is now considered among the best safeties in the NFL. This is exploiting a hometown connection to pick an absolute steal in the third. Too bad, I guess, that NC State is hardly a talent factory.

Kicker in the fourth. Kicker in the fourth. Kicker in the fourth.

Marcus Bell is out of the league after three seasons with Arizona and three seasons with Detroit.

2002

2) 49 Levar Fisher LB North Carolina State

Fisher is the only member of the 2002 class we can be pretty sure Keim had a significant say in drafting. Fisher was a standout at NC State, but lost his career to knee injuries. Fisher has knee problems in college, so this failure falls on Keim.

2003

1) 17 Bryant Johnson WR Penn State

1) 18 Calvin Pace DE Wake Forest

2) 54 Anquan Boldin WR Florida State

Johnson has been a disappointment since entering the league. He was surpassed by Boldin in their respective rookie seasons and is now a minor player for the Detroit Lions.

Arizona selected Pace with its next pick and he was a bust before Ken Whisenhunt switched him to outside linebacker in 2007. No credit is given Keim.

Boldin was a win for all involved, if, perhaps, a crapshoot win. Boldin was a quarterback and wide receiver at Florida State that suffered serious knee injuries in college and then ran a 4.71 forty. I respect Keim for seeing the potential in Boldin, but I do not think anyone expected Boldin to be so good. His health has never improved and he still regularly misses time because of injury.

2004

2) 33 Karlos Dansby OLB Auburn

3) 64 Darnell Dockett DT Florida State

Maybe this is Keim picking up speed and proving his potential. Dansby has been solid since being signed and still starts for Arizona. Of course, that's to be expected from a linebacker selected with the first pick of the second round.

Dockett has been a starter since his rookie season and a lynchpin on the Cardinals ever-in-flux defensive line. Over the past three seasons, he's been one of the best defensive linemen in football. He was considered a first-round talent, but also an underachiever and a major risk because of his battles with coaches, troubles with the law, and, specifically, his conviction for misdemeanor theft.

2005

1) 8 Antrel Rolle DB Miami (Florida)

3) 75 Eric Green DB Virginia Tech

3) 95 Darryl Blackstock LB Virginia

4) 111 Elton Brown G Virginia

Rolle is a corner bust since shifted to safety. He has played decent at safety, but credit for that goes to the person who made the move: Whisenhunt.

Green was an intermittent starter, mostly between injuries, that is now out of the league.

Blackstock is now out of the league. He played sparingly for Arizona before being signed by the Bengals -- another well run organization.

Brown was a seldom starter for the often very bad Cardinals offensive line that is now playing in the USFL.

2006

3) 72 Leonard Pope TE Georgia

6) 177 Jonathan Lewis DT Virginia Tech

Pope is a situational tight end and among the worst players at his position in the NFL.

Lewis participated in four games in 2006 and never again played in the NFL.

At this point, Keim was promoted to Director of College Scouting and can be debited or credited for the Cardinals entire draft class.

2007

1 5 Levi Brown OT Penn State

2 33 Alan Branch DT Michigan

3 69 Buster Davis LB Florida State

5 142 Steve Breaston WR Michigan

7 215 Ben Patrick TE Delaware

Brown is a middling power right tackle that isn't significantly better than Ray Willis. Bust.

Branch is a pretty typical Keim pick: Highly touted prospect, thought of as a top ten pick before a nasty run of belligerence and bad effort knocked him off most draft boards. Branch is three years into his professional career, still every bit the monster he was in college, and still a rotational player buried on the Cardinals depth chart.

Buster Davis was a terrible pick when made. Davis was an undersized, see: 5'9", linebacker completely unfit for Whisenhunt's preferred 3-4 alignment. He was cut before his rookie season, has since bounced around and is now out of the league.

Breaston was a return monster at Michigan State that has developed into a very good slot receiver. Keim must be credited for, first, securing a good returner in the sixth, and moreover, seeing that Breaston was turning the corner as a receiver. A big win for Keim, on a pick I was very skeptical about.

Patrick is the Cardinals starting tight end, but largely an afterthought in the team's offense. Patrick was a toolsy sleeper that's produced some, but is mostly a starter by default, and still more H-back than tight end.

2008

1) 16 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee State

2) 50 Calais Campbell DE Miami (Fla.)

3) 81 Early Doucet WR Louisiana State

4) 116 Kenny Iwebema DE Iowa

5) 149 Tim Hightower RB Richmond

6) 185 Chris Harrington LB Texas A&M

7) 225 Brandon Keith T Northern Iowa

This is the draft that made Keim a general manager candidate and his fingerprints are all over it. DRC was a tools messiah that shot up boards during the pre-draft process. He never faced top competition in college, and many, including myself, questioned his ability to cover NFL talent. Well, that question is yet unanswered. Cromartie certainly looks amazing-sometimes, but he is also regularly criticized for being out of position, burned and, well, not being able to cover NFL talent. The Cardinals, noteworthy in this case, are the second worst team in the NFL at defending #1 receivers and were 27^th in 2008. DRC is the unchallenged #1 corner in Arizona. He is only 23, and cover skills are slow to grow. Best to give this pick an "Incomplete". It's possible DRC puts it together and taps into his tremendous talent, and it's possible his flashy play hides a bad player.

Campbell was a slamdunk and is proving so in his second season. He is toolsy, growing into those tools, scheme correct and straight beastly.

I liked the Doucet pick at the time and still think he has a bright future. It's tough to measure his performance because he is buried on the Cardinals depth chart. Doucet suffered a lot of injuries in college and that might have sapped his speed.

Iwebama has proven to be a solid member of a good defensive line rotation. He was, and this will shock everyone that's read this far, a toolsy player that was knocked down boards because injury and off-field problems. His performance declined his senior season, something that hurt Campbell and Doucet's stock, too.

Hightower has proven himself a valuable receiver, but, then, who defends Tim Hightower when Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston are on the field. He has since been de-emphasized in favor of Chris Wells. Hightower is a modest success.

Harrington is now a Jaguar.

Keith is still on Arizona's roster and has played in one game this season.

It's a little too early to make much of the 2009 draft, but it further supports the basic Keim profile. In brief: His preferred scouting area is the American South East. He likes toolsy players and does not bat a lash at character concerns. Keim swings for the fences and has a high whiff rate. The 2008 draft has produced solid players, but let's be clear: The Cardinals are finishing their third decade of terrible football. They made the Super Bowl last season, but were only 9-7 in the regular season. The team changed when it signed Ken Whisenhunt, and its recent success has been built off smart leadership, a weak division, years and years of early round picks, and Kurt Warner. Warner has recovered from a mid-career funk to make a case for the Hall of Fame. That's mighty lucky. Warner joined the Cardinals in 2005 and I do not see how Keim could be credited with his signing.

Maybe he interviews well. Maybe his most recent drafts, his most successful drafts, speak more clearly of his own abilities and potential, but I don't like his method, I am not impressed with his results and I don't want to sign a person that's been an integral part of one of the worst run franchises in sports history. For every one diamond in the rough, there's acres and acres more rough. And, right or wrong, executives must be judged both by the decisions they make and the company they keep.

Week 15: Panthers @ Giants Defensive Preview

LittleKing — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:17:07 -0000

We all know what's at stake this Sunday, first place for the NFC playoffs, but for the Panthers there's even more on the line. The Giants have already clinched a playoff spot, the Panthers have not. If the Panthers lose out and Dallas, Tampa, and Atlanta win out, we would miss the playoffs because of tie-breakers. While I see the chance of that happening at less than 5%, I would rather step through the front door instead of sneak in the back. Yet again, since we don't play until Sunday night, we may already know our playoff future, meaning since all three of those previous teams will have played, if any one of them lose we clinch at least a playoff spot.

Getting back to the Giants. Our opponent this week can be a monster on the field, with their strength being the ground game. Stat wise, while the Giants have the edge, for the majority we are closely matched. The one glaring difference-Panther rushing defense at 18th and the Giants rushing offense at #1. For the Panthers' defense this will be the biggest challenge.

Giants Team Stats - Game Averages

	Pts	Yrds	Pass	Rush
Off	26.7	348.5 (9th)	199.8 (18th)	148.7 (1st)
Def	17.6	285.8 (6th)	195.4 (10th)	90.4 (4th)

Panthers Team Stats - Game Averages

	Pts	Yrds	Pass	Rush
Off	25.2	341.0 (12th)	194.9 (21st)	146.1 (4th)
Def	18.9	315.9 (10th)	204.4 (12th)	111.5 (18th)

Not considering any inactive players (Plaxico mainly), both teams do have some concern at injury. The Panthers DT Maake Kemoeatu was seen using crutches and a boot after Monday's practice. Also, RG Keydrick Vincent had to leave the game early against Denver. For the Giants, Brandon Jacobs is uncertain, and during the Dallas game RT Kareem McKenzie and LG Rich Seubert both left with injuries. It to early to tell if any of them will be able to play. Both teams are saying very little about their situations right now.

My gut feeling is that Kemo has less than a 20% chance of playing, but pure speculation. For the Giants, I have no idea about their O-linemen, but for Jacob's my gut is telling me 75% chance of playing right now. If Jacob's is out, the impact of Kemo missing a game is reduced but still significant. And vice versa, if Jacobs plays and Kemo is out, that could be the difference in this game.

We are not sure how the Panthers will adjust for Kemo being out. Anything from rotating DT Darwin Walker and Gary Gibson, to moving over either DT Charles Johnson or Tyler Brayton, or a combination of these options. The good news is that we have played 3 DE at times in passing situations but we will have to see how they fair against the run.

These two teams are built very similarly as well, power running game to setup the pass. Both Jake Delhomme and Eli Manning are more game managers and both have very similar stats.

	Jake Delhomme	Eli Manning
Games	14	14
Att	375	433
Comp	221	261
Comp %	58.9	60.3
Passing Yards	2853	2938
Yards / Att	7.6	6.8
TD	14	20
INT	12	10
Comp for 1st down	133	151
Sacked	19	23
Passer Rating	82.0	86.4

For the Giants, missing two starters on their o-line could be trouble. The Giants are better at run blocking than pass blocking and if either or both of their starting line is out could spell trouble. They gave up 8 sacks to the Cowboys and now 23 for the season. With the high likelyhood of the Panthers need to use a 3 DE set, keeping Eli upright would be that much harder.

The keys for the Panthers on stopping the Giants is pressure on Manning when they have to throw and limit the ground attack (unless a miracle happens, we are not doing to shut it down). Regardless of who is starting on our defensive line, Jon Beason is going to have to play his best game of the season and dropping eight in the box is not out of the question.

This means Chris Gamble and Ken Lucas will have to work a lot of single coverage with only one safety up top. Before Plaxico Burress was suspended this was causing teams major problems. While the Giants still have quality receivers losing their best receiver changes the way you have to defend against them. Just imagine the consequences to the Panthers if we lost Steve Smith.

Defensively this game has loads of challenges. The Panthers offense have been hitting their stride and hopefully that continues but without getting into their challenges, let just say they cannot do it alone this week. Against the Broncos the defense had one of it's best days in quite a few games, but was it because the Broncos had no running attack or that our defense actually stepped up. Probably some of both, but we will find out Sunday for sure.

Correction: Incorrectly listed Travelle Wharton as leaving the game against Denver Updated to Keydrick Vencent.

Week 11 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:11:17 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
QB	Dan Orlovsky	Hand	Doubtful
FB	Jerome Felton	Ankle	Probable
WR	Mike Furrey	Concussion	Doubtful
TE	John Owens	Hamstring	Questionable
TE	Casey FitzSimmons	Ribs	Probable
C	Dominic Raiola	Hand	Out
DE	Jared DeVries	Hand	Out
DE	Dewayne White	Calf	Out
DT	Shaun Cody	Ankle	Probable
DT	Chuck Darby	Calf	Probable
DT	Cory Redding	Groin	Questionable
LB	Ernie Sims	Shoulder	Questionable
CB	Keith Smith	Groin	Out
S	Dwight Smith	Foot	Out

CAROLINA PANTHERS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
C	Ryan Kalil	Ankle	Doubtful
DT	Darwin Walker	Neck	Questionable

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	75% chance that the player will play in the game
Questionable	50% chance that the player will play in the game
Doubtful	25% chance that the player will play in the game
Out	0% chance that the player will play in the game