Posted by Darren Urban on September 26, 2016 – 8:14 am

The Cardinals are 1-2. They played one of their worst games of the Bruce Arians era Sunday in Buffalo — GM Steve Keim noted it might have been topped only by the NFC Championship game — and not surprisingly, changes could be made.

Keim, during his appearance on the “Doug and Wolf” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 Monday, said the Cardinals will bring in nine players for tryouts Tuesday. If any of them can help, Keim said, “we will churn this roster.” (He didn’t say who or what positions were coming in.)

It’s not about sending a message. “I don’t make moves just to send a message,” Keim said. “but there is no doubt if you show a tendency to pull the trigger, they understand downstairs (in the locker room) if you don’t consistently produce, there will be changes made.”

One of those players could be long snapper Kam Canaday. Keim was asked if the big hit Canaday took on the first punt of the day — the one on which Drew Butler re-sprained his ankle — could have impacted his bad snap later. Keim noted Canaday’s other snaps seemed fine. “It’s not about excuses,” Keim said. “Bottom line, he’s got to get it done. He hasn’t on at least two instances.”

— Keim talked much about his disappointment, and reiterated his feelings after the first game (which, as a quick aside, too many fans thought he was jabbing fans, when he was talking about the everyone’s feelings, including his own.) “When you lose it feels like the sky is falling, when you win everything is great,” Keim said, noting that not only were there problems in all three phases of the game, but the team’s best players, the Pro Bowl players, did not play well.

Still, “I feel confident coach will have these guys ready to go Sunday,” Keim added.

— Admittedly frustrated, figuring out answers “is what I get paid to do,” Keim said. “The difficult balance is making smart decisions and making decisions based on emotions.”

“You have to do what is best for the organization and you have to keep that in mind,” he added.

— The talent is there, Keim said. Playing consistently is another matter, and the number of “mental busts” on both sides of the ball after three weeks is distressing. He wants the Cardinals to be more physical up front. He didn’t like the confusion on the offensive line dealing with stunts by the Bills defensive lines, and he noted how many bad routes and bad throws messed up the passing game. (Another aside: It does seem like Carson Palmer and his pass catchers have nowhere near the chemistry they featured in 2015.)

— There were many things to want to see get better, but the slow start bothered Keim the most. The Cardinals got a nice defensive stop and great field position to start the game. But Michael Floyd dropped what would have been a nine- or 10-yard pass on the first play, leading to a three-and-out when that one catch would have likely set up a field goal at least.

— “It’s disappointing to be 1-2 when you have expectations,” Keim said.

Tags: Kam Canaday Posted in Blog