Arizona Cardinals: Steve Keim’s modus operandi
Locker Room Culture
Be intentional about locker room culture.
Keim has made character a priority since taking over as general manager. In 2016 the Cardinals took this a step further, and began assigning separate grades for football character, and off-field character. Keim has also emphasized drafting players who were team captains in college. Though many of the leaders in the clubhouse were drafted prior to Keim’s promotion to GM, the Cardinals do appear to have a healthy locker room.
Be willing to take a chance on a player with off-field concerns – but only after careful vetting.
In many ways, this strategy is possible because of the emphasis the Cardinals have placed on locker room culture. If your team has strong leadership like Larry Fitzgerald and Patrick Peterson, there is less risk associated with taking a chance on a player with off-field concerns.
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This does not mean, however, that the Cardinals will bring in just any player with a questionable past. The organization takes the vetting process quite serious, beginning with team President Michael Bidwill.
Bidwill is a former federal prosecutor, and has been described as an astute judge of character. The Cardinals will not draft or acquire a player with off-field concerns, if Bidwill has not signed off on the move.
Some players that fit this description include Tyrann Mathieu, Chandler Jones, and Robert Nkemdiche. In all three cases, these players do not appear to have character concerns of the Greg Hardy variety. Instead, they seem to be decent people, who made youthful mistakes.