Keim: Wilks’ defensive pedigree won’t deter development, success of QBs

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Cardinals need a quarterback. Actually, they need three because they have none under contract.

They may find one in free agency. They may find one via a trade, but they must also draft one for their future — a move they have neglected for too long.

That player will need mentoring, so it is fair to wonder why the Cardinals hired a defensive-minded coach in Steve Wilks, instead of a Bruce Arians-like quarterback molder.

General manager Steve Keim believes that molding task can fall to an assistant.

“I don’t think it takes away from the importance of what a head coach does for a quarterback, but at the same time, head coaches have so much more on their plate on a daily basis,” Keim said. “They’re not the No. 1 influence in a lot of situations.

“You’ve got to make sure you’re hiring the right offensive coordinator, the quarterback coach is so essential, and really more than anything, it’s the message from the coordinator to the quarterback coach to the player that is so important to make sure everybody is on the same page.”

At his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Wilks said he hopes to have his offensive and defensive coordinators in place by the Super Bowl on Feb. 4, with Mike McCoy and Darrell Bevell a pair of reported OC candidates.

Former Seahawks' OC Darrell Bevell has wrapped up his interview in Arizona for Cardinals' OC and is pondering his options, per source; Cardinals also plan to speak with former Broncos' OC Mike McCoy, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 23, 2018

“Right now, we’re active trying to put together a quality staff,” he said. “One thing that I believe in is men that are teachers. You’ve got to be great teachers, great motivators, you’ve got to be in position to take these guys to the next level.”

Keim cited the Minnesota Vikings as an example of a quarterback thriving under a defensive coach, with the right offensive coordinator (Pat Shurmur) in place.

“Case Keenum had the best year of his career and had some success this year and Mike Zimmer is a defensive coach,” Keim said. “I think there can be too much read into it.

“Moving forward as an organization, I don’t think you can get caught up on a coach based on whether he’s an offensive or defensive coach. To me, it’s a little bit like drafting players. Are you going to leave a better player on the board to take a need? For the long-term health of the organization, that’s not the right thing.”

Keim believes there are ways that Wilks’ background can benefit a quarterback.

“A lot of times, when you’re talking about a defensive-minded guy, by nature, sometimes they’re just as critical to a quarterback’s success because he can teach him what he’s looking at, whether it’s disguising coverage, whether it’s the way they roll coverage, whether it’s pre-snap stuff,” he said. “There’s so many different things that you can look at from a positive standpoint, not just the fact that ‘hey, he’s a guy with an offensive background that can cater to a quarterback’s strengths.'”

Wilks gave little hint of his offensive plans, which will likely hinge on his new coordinator, but Keim made it clear that Wilks’ success will depend greatly on Keim’s success in finding him the right QB.

“The better quarterback we add, the better coach he is going to be,” Keim said. “We did talk about the quarterback situation with every candidate, but we looked at it as a positive. It’s really a blank canvas. You have the ability to be a part of setting us up for the future with that position, not only from a schematic standpoint, but from a personality standpoint. We all know how important that position is.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to find a guy we can win a championship with. Obviously [running back] David Johnson takes a lot of pressure off the quarterback because of the things he does… but there’s no doubt that we have to be aggressive at that position. We have to find the right fit.”

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