The Arizona Cardinals named Steve Keim as the club's new general manager on Tuesday.
Keim takes over for Rod Graves, who was fired on Dec. 31 along with head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
"I went through the process of evaluating the candidates and speaking with people both inside the facility and outside, I became more and more convinced Steve Keim was the right man to become general manager for the Arizona Cardinals," said club president Michael Bidwill.
The 40-year-old joined the franchise in 1999 as a college scout, eventually working his way up to vice president of player personnel -- the post in which he served last season. Keim also worked as director of college scouting and director of player personnel for Arizona.
"I realize this is my home and I am a Cardinal at heart," Keim said. "I think we have some pieces in place, but the ability to run the ball consistently and the level of physicality, that's a huge issue and that needs to be fixed. We want to make sure that with this community, this organization, we buy in and we will make sure this team is as competitive as we can be."
An offensive lineman at North Carolina State, Keim played briefly for the Miami Dolphins and Edmonton Eskimos.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.