As the Cardinals prepare for another season featuring another pair of games (at a minimum) against the Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson, the man who runs Arizona’s football decision spent some time regretting a decision made more than four years ago: Not drafting Wilson.
“There’s this thing scouts talk about -- ‘comps,’” Keim told Peter King of TheMMQB.com over the weekend. “It’s comparables [to similar NFL players], and for Wilson, who were they? Who at quarterback has had success in the NFL under six feet tall? Fran Tarkenton? Maybe Doug Flutie. But like John Schneider said to Pete Carroll before the draft, ‘Aside from his height, what’s wrong with him?’ Nothing.
“Look, I’m from North Carolina State. I study all the guys out of there hard. But I just didn’t think there was a good comp for Russell Wilson, and I was wrong. When I think back now, it was a chickensh-t call by me. I didn’t have the balls to take Russell Wilson.”
It’s a confusing claim from Keim, for a couple of reasons unrelated to the potential for tampering with a player under contract for four more years with Seattle. First, Keim wasn’t the G.M. in 2012; Rod Graves was. Second, Arizona’s second-round pick for 2012 had been sent to the Eagles for quarterback Kevin Kolb. So unless the Cardinals were going to take Wilson with the 13th overall pick in the draft (which became Michael Floyd), they were only going to have a shot at Wilson if they traded up from No. 80, above the 75th pick that became Wilson.
Actually, Keim should be happy that the Cardinals didn’t take Wilson. If they had and if he’d led Arizona to the final eight in 2012 (like he did for the Seahawks), Graves wouldn’t have been fired, and Keim wouldn’t have been promoted.
The Cardinals likewise wouldn’t have needed Carson Palmer, and King’s item suggests that getting Palmer makes everything fine. It doesn’t; Palmer is 36, Wilson is 27, and no one would take Palmer over Wilson right now. Frankly, it’s not even close.
So what was the point of any of that? If you can think of one, drop it in the comments.
