Cards GM Keim continues to impress around NFL circles

In life everybody needs a well-designed plan.

A list of goals streamlined with a plan of attack and willingness to execute throughout the process.

To this point Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has passed most of the tests and achieved many things during his stay in the desert. NFL on CBS insider Jason LaCanfora told Sports360AZ.com Keim did more with less in 2013 than nearly all of his peers around the league.

This off-season he added speedy wide receiver Ted Ginn to replace Andre Roberts who left via free-agency for the Washington Redskins and later inked talented cover corner Antonio Cromartie, adding another playmaker to a secondary already known for their athleticism.

“You know what’s really struck me about Steve is he’s been really methodical and measured,” ESPN NFL insider Mike Sando told Sports360AZ.com in a recent telephone interview. “When you talk to Steve he’s got a big personality. He’s a larger-than-life figure. He played offensive line. He seemed like the kind of guy you’d like to go have a beer with.”

Keim’s shrewd decisions, paired with Bruce Arians’ no non-sense approach helped elevate the Cards to a 10-win season, narrowly missing the playoffs in the loaded NFC West. His player evaluations have been, for the most part, excellent. Free-agents are no longer using Arizona as leverage to get better deals elsewhere.

“I think he’s exceeded expectations,” Sando said of Keim’s ability to go from player evaluator to general manager. “He really has been not just a good personnel guy but a good GM and I think there’s a big difference between the two. Not every good personnel guy makes a good GM.”

Sando said the Cards ability to shore up “need positions” this spring (wide receiver, cornerback, tight end) may allow more flexibility for next month’s draft, particularly in the first round where Arizona has the 20th overall selection.