Keim Time: At 1-3, we’ll find out what we’re made of

The Arizona Cardinals dropped their second home game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams, 17-13.

The Rams scored the go-ahead touchdown following a big punt return from Tavon Austin with less than three minutes remaining. With Carson Palmer out due to a concussion, backup Drew Stanton was called upon, but he was unable to lead the Cards to a game-winning drive.

Next up for the Cardinals is a Thursday night tilt with the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

General manager Steve Keim joined Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, as he does every morning following a Cardinals game, to discuss what happened against the Rams and what the team needs to do to move on to Thursday night.

What’s wrong with the Arizona Cardinals?

“Well I’ll say this: I never envisioned this kind of start. I don’t know that anybody, fans or anybody in the organization would’ve envisioned this. In the past we have won home games, like the Patriots, and like this game, so we’re close. (1:30) We make critical mistakes at critical times, and instead of being 3-1 we’re sitting at 1-3. Now the difference is, is those were different teams and this is a different time. So now we’re facing adversity for the first time, this kind of adversity in the three years we’ve been together, and we’ll find out what we’re made of quickly. The tape yesterday was interesting because there were actually a lot of good things and I know that’s hard to believe. When you put up 420 yards against their 288, 26 first downs versus their 12, we did some good things, particularly against Todd Gurley, minimizing his yards, moving the ball up and down the field, again, some of the same things are plaguing us, which is difficult to deal with, whether it’s a blown coverage or giving up a big play. Marcus Cooper’s in position, he just doesn’t make a play on that ball. Tony Jefferson’s over top and slips, and there’s a big play for a touchdown. The list goes on of things that happen like that. Getting off the field on third down, those sort of things, and all of that needs to improve.”

Is there a particular group that stood out to you and needs to improve?

“No. 1 thing is turning over the football, 5-1, that’s an issue. I thought we played physical, and we knew it was going to be a physical game. But I would say probably on the back end, again with a little bit of miscommunication, again, when you hold Todd Gurley to 41 yards, I thought we were physical up front against the run. (Case Keenum) got the ball out quickly, and then there were some things again in coverage, whether it was in position to make a play and you don’t or it was a busted coverage or a missed tackle or two. I would say that the back-end probably didn’t play as good as other areas. I thought Deone Bucannon played well, I thought Kevin Minter made some mistakes, whether it was leverage in coverage and that sort of thing. There were signs in different areas that still makes me believe that No. 1, we still have a talented football team and No. 2, we have time on our hands yet at the same time we can’t mess around. We’re in a position that we all know, it better start changing quickly.”

Do you think this team misses Rashad Johnson?  

“No, I mean I think we have enough leaders back there and guys that can get people lined up and can do the right things, it’s just a matter of execution, no different offensively, as we’re trying to get the ball down field and so many times we were in position to make plays, and you have the ball on the 42 yard line, David Johnson fumbles. You have the ball on the three and you don’t score a touchdown, you know, you drive in and you throw an interception in the end zone. So there’s a number of things we continue to do to shoot ourselves in the foot, and they’re all reoccurring, and it’s surprising to me because we had a good practice last week, it was physical, felt like we had a good week of preparation, but that’s not carrying over to the field. We knew what type of game we were going to have yesterday, and again I think some of it was positive, because it reinforces the fact that there are some things we can do that will give people issues, but at the same time, finishing and minimizing mistakes is still an issue.”

What did you think of the pass rush?

“We created some pressure and again, (Keenum) got the ball out so quick. I would say one of the things that bothered me was when we got pressure, we’re doing a poor job of keeping our eyes up as we rush. We’re getting guys that are consumed in blocks, or creating pressure whether it’s speed to power or bull rushes, and now all of a sudden we’re giving a quarterback an opportunity to sidestep and get a lane and get out of the pocket, or to slide and find throwing lanes when we have pressure on him. So we got to do a better job of getting our eyes up and creating havoc and making it tougher for him to move around in the pocket.”

 When is it time to panic and what does it look like?

“Panic to me is a word when you do things out of the realm, where you need to do things unorthodox, and I don’t think we need to do that. I think we have some good football players who need to play better, and guys who need to get their heads straight in terms of preparation off the field, the mental side of it. I think we played with urgency and physicality, this past game, it’s just like I said, the little things, attention to detail, which is hurting us.”

What is Carson Palmer’s condition? 

“He went through the concussion protocol, but I haven’t talked to Tom Reed yet and our medical staff, so I will follow up this morning and find out a little bit later.”

Is the team showing intensity during the week?

“Well they certainly did last week, coach was all over them, and they played fast and they practiced physical. It was one of our more physical Wednesdays of the season for sure, but that’s got to continue to ramp up. Obviously we’re in a mode right now where we got to figure out what we’re doing wrong, and there’s no doubt we’re spending every second trying to figure that out. The good news for us again is that there’s a lot of football left to be played, as disappointed as all of us are. You can look at the positives and try to build on it, but there’s no doubt, there’s a lot of disappointment around here, both inside the building and with our fan base, and that should be expected.”

Have you scheduled any meetings in hopes of finding out what’s wrong? 

“I personally don’t but I know Bruce (Arians) will. Bruce will talk to the captains and the leaders, and I know those guys will have some player-only meetings to make sure that they’re all on the same page. There was definitely anger in the locker room after the game, in a good way. In a way where, we have competitors in there and everybody needs to do a better job and look themselves in the mirror. We’re all accountable for this thing, we just got to get it back on track and play our brand of football, and our brand of football, even though it’s a different year, is to finish games like that, minimize mistakes and win at home. That’s embarrassing that we’ve lost two home games that were so close, knowing that our fans brought it and were there in full force for us.”

How do you feel about Robert Nkemdiche being inactive again?

“Well he’s not 100 percent healthy, but there’s no doubt, he’s got to continue to grow and get better as a player, and again, more so the off field stuff of studying the game and understanding the defense and that sort of thing, but now that the ankle is getting better, hopefully we’ll see more of him.”

How did the offensive line play?

“Surprisingly when you study the tape, there were some guys who got beat, but I thought for the most part we played fairly well. It’s no secret that Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn are two of the better players in the National Football League, in fact, Aaron Donald is amazing, some of the things he can do. I thought we did a really good job in the run game, being physical, creating run lanes for (David Johnson) and Chris Johnson. In the pass game there was some pressure, there’s no doubt about it, but I think they gave Carson enough of a pocket, other than a few snaps, to be able to throw the football effectively.”

What do you as the general manager do at 1-3? Do you get angry?

“Yeah man I’m a competitor. There’s nothing about it that makes me happy. I’ve been here long enough to go through tough times, and to know that the past few years that we have a chance to create sustainable success, and I hold myself accountable as anybody and I’ve got to do a better job, and it’s OK to take this thing personal, it’s my job, and there’s no doubt that it starts Thursday night of getting back on track against the 49ers.”