WEBVTT - The Dave Pasch Podcast - Steve Keim 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:08.239 Welcome to another edition of the Day Pash Podcast. The 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:12.200 Arizona Cardinals, for the first time since nineteen seventy four, 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:15.600 are five and oh. I was two years old the 0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:18.560 last time. The Cardinals won their first five games of 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:21.960 the season, and this one against the forty nine Ers 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.400 was a lot different than the others. This was a 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:28.800 battle the Cardinals found a different way to win compared 0:00:28.840 --> 0:00:33.919 two weeks one through four. If Tennessee was a snapshot 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.960 of what the Cardinals could become and the Rams potentially 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:41.880 what the Cardinals might be. The forty nine Ers game 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:44.640 was a lot different, but it tells you a lot 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:48.080 about where this team is. It's different than what we've 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:51.040 seen in the past. Kyler Murray's playing like an MVP, 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:54.440 but the defense is good enough to win you a game. 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:57.520 Who better to talk about the five and oh star 0:00:57.600 --> 0:01:00.560 for the Cardinals than general manager Steve Time. He's our 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:04.040 guest today on the Dave Pash Podcast. Among the subjects 0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:08.080 will cover the growth and maturation of quarterback Kyler Murray. 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:10.840 The thing I see more now is two things pre 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:14.920 snap and post snap. The things he can do with 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:17.280 his eyes. You start to see him manipulating safeties and 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.240 defenders where he can look off and locate secondary and 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:22.720 third options, whereas before it might have been one, two 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:25.240 and in run time also talks about what it's like 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:28.319 to be a general manager day in and day out. 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:31.720 He'll get into the rookie class and how they're progressing, 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:34.679 when he first thought Cliff Kingsbury would make a good 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:37.800 NFL head coach, and what he and Cliff did this 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:41.960 summer with a celebrity musician. You can follow us on 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:45.840 Twitter at pashpot, where you're presented by bet MGM, the 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:49.200 official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals and Heila 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:53.360 River Hotels and Casinos. Without further ado, the general manager 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:56.720 of the Arizona Cardinals and two time NFL Executive of 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:02.680 the Year, Steve Kind. So, Steve, let me start by 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:05.880 way of a story going back to two thousand and two. 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.560 I feel like Wolf. It was two thousand and two. 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:12.440 Give me a beat, Steve. So, two thousand and two, 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:15.600 I get the Arizona Cardinals radio play by play job. 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.080 I'd done the Bills preseason games in two thousand and one, 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:20.799 so I'd been in an NFL training camp, but this 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:24.520 was like my first camp as the broadcaster as the guy, 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:29.440 and I didn't really know anybody other than my broadcast team. 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:31.400 And I met my first training camp, but I think 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:33.080 it was the first day. And there's a knock on 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:36.880 my door my dorm room in Flagstaff, and I turn around. 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.000 I look and it looks like one of the players, 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:43.320 offensive lineman, Guy bald young, my age, late twenties, and 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:46.040 it's He says, Hi, my name's Steve Kim. I'm one 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:49.120 of the scouts here. We have some mutual friends at 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:52.320 Syracuse and you and I struck up a conversation and 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:54.760 you said, hey, man, anything you need, any questions about 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:58.240 any players or whatever, any help I can extend you, 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:01.320 you let me know. And so I would come up 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:03.520 to you at training camp and ask you about a 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:06.560 certain player that you scouted, and you and I struck 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:08.840 up a friendship, and here we are twenty years later. 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.280 You've risen to not only general manager, but two time 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.320 Executive of the Year in the NFL. So the reason 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:17.240 I tell that story is when I look at five 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.280 and zero and I think of all the people that 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.840 I'm happy is for You're at the top of the list. Man, 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.280 because our friendship and because of what you've been able 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:27.760 to do with this organization. I know, you got to 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:30.280 think big picture. You can't get too excited, But how 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:33.480 does it feel for you to be five and oh? Well, 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:37.720 I mean, it obviously feels great. But at the same time, 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:40.520 you know, I mean, I think that when you're in 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:44.360 the fire, so to speak, you can't enjoy or I 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.160 should say, it's hard to enjoy the process. You know, 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:51.400 it's always thinking about tomorrow next week, and you really 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:54.240 don't have a chance to think about I need to 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:58.080 enjoy this win because you're thinking about the next game 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.720 and we have to win that game. That's a balance 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:02.640 that I think that all of us struggle with on 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:05.800 a day to day basis, is, you know, enjoying the 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.280 process and the grind and all those sort of things, 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:11.240 because when you lose in a national football league, it's 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:13.200 the end of the world. When you win, you take 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:14.960 a deep breath and say, okay, one to the next. 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:19.040 So for me, you know, obviously it's rewarding to be 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:22.279 five and oh. And to go back to the first 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:24.280 part of your story, the biggest difference is is now 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:27.240 you have no hair. I know, and I had like 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:29.440 almost a fulhead of air back so the twenty years 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.360 is showing up one. I know, bro, I know, man. 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:37.080 You know last year obviously things started well. This year 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:40.160 feels different to me? Does it feel and again, I 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:41.559 know you got to kind of stay in the moment, 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:44.440 but does it feel different to you in terms of 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:48.039 the energy, the leadership, in the locker room, just the 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:51.960 vibe overall. Yeah, And I think it's the way I 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.760 see it is. It's a it's an air of confidence, 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:59.559 not cockiness. There's humility in there. Yet at the same time, 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:03.080 there are enough guys who believe in what we've built, 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:07.000 you know, the organization, they believe in the leadership. To me, 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.200 that's half the battle, because when you put a team together, 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.640 and we've talked about this before, it doesn't matter how 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.040 talented you are until they come together and jail as 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:17.200 a team. No different from the year we went to 0:05:17.240 --> 0:05:18.919 the Super Bowl. I mean, look, we went into the 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:21.560 East Coast and got trashed twice that I can remember 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:25.120 for sure, playing in Philadelphia and Philadelphia and New England. 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:27.920 There we came together late and jailed as a team 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.839 and got hot at the right time. Twenty and fifteen, 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:33.680 we went to an SC championship, you know, there was 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:35.520 an air of confidence in that locker room. We had 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:38.360 a talented team and we knew it. Yet we also 0:05:38.800 --> 0:05:41.400 enjoyed the process. We enjoyed each other. And I see 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:43.520 that in this team. The guys really enjoyed being around 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:45.800 each other and they sort of view it as a family. 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:50.600 How about Kyler? Because everybody that I've talked to, and 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:55.160 I'm including fellow broadcasters that call the games that meet 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:59.159 with Kyler in comparison to last year, the term that 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:03.080 I'm hearing is night and day in terms of his personality, 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:08.200 his demeanor, his willingness and kind of owning being the 0:06:08.240 --> 0:06:10.479 franchise quarterback, and how you handle the media, how you 0:06:10.480 --> 0:06:12.800 deal with production meetings, all those things. What are you 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:16.599 seeing in that respect from Kyler with leadership and how 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:18.560 he is around the team? Yeah, I mean I think it's, 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:21.880 you know, a natural ownership that he's taken on. And 0:06:22.520 --> 0:06:24.599 you know, it's like when I think about a kid 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:26.719 going to high school and being a freshman, then you 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:28.680 see him as a junior or senior, and how much 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:32.600 different is he. I Mean, obviously people mature, they grow up, 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.200 and not that he was immature, but understanding how to 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:38.800 be a professional what it took on and off the field, 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:41.479 and I think that's what sometimes we have a hard 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:43.840 time within his business. You want to draft a guy 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:45.279 and you want to get him through baggage claim and 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:47.400 you want to throw them in and instantly they're plug 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:50.000 in play, and that's just not it. Very few An 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:55.159 Quambo's very few, Rondale Moore's it's not reality. These guys 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:59.800 take some time, mostly processing seeing things playing at that speed, 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:03.600 realizing that everybody around him is that good. And it's 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.400 not as easy as people think. So you know, we 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:08.120 want to be hard on him early on in the 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:11.920 process and it can be difficult, and he's he's done 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:14.680 a fantastic job, in my opinion, growing in a lot 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:18.160 of different areas, mostly on the field. When you're looking 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.840 at his ability to see with vision process things. The 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:24.760 thing I see more now is two things pre snap 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:28.720 and post snap, the things he can do with his eyes. 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:32.040 You start to see him manipulating safeties and defenders where 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:34.320 he can look off and locate secondary and third options, 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:36.680 whereas before it might have been one, two and in run. 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:41.360 How about Like I noticed this on Sunday, I watched 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:45.320 him before the game going down to the defensive players 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:48.880 saying a word high five in the offensive lineman before 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:50.880 going out of the field for that last drive, not 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:53.120 saying that didn't happen last year, but again, I feel 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:56.960 like I'm seeing more of that. How important is that 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:59.960 when you scout a quarterback, when you talk with players 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:02.360 you're thinking of drafting. How much do you have to 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:05.080 kind of think about how is this going to translate 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:09.600 in terms of leadership and how a player is around 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:13.720 his teammates. Yeah, I mean, I think that that's one 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:16.600 of the hardest things that a talent evaluator has to do. 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:19.680 You can see all the physical traits on tape, but 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.080 you don't know how a guy is going to play 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:26.000 and react within your system. You don't know how their 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:28.440 leadership is going to come off. You don't know whether 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:30.560 they're a vocal guy, whether they're a guy that likes 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:32.840 to be out in front of people. Some people just 0:08:32.880 --> 0:08:34.640 like to do their job, and there's nothing wrong with 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:37.880 that unless you're playing that position. You know, the quarterback 0:08:37.960 --> 0:08:40.000 is the alpha male. He's the guy that everybody looks 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:43.640 to when things are good when things are bad. So 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:45.840 the guy has got to be able to have thick skin. 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:49.480 He's got to be able to have a short memory, 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:51.959 sort of like a pitcher in baseball, get a home 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:53.720 home un hit it off you, you can't think about 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:57.080 it same thing. You throw a pick next play. And 0:08:57.679 --> 0:09:00.679 that's hard to do, especially when there's six five thousand 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:03.000 people in the stadium and there's millions watching on TV. 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:06.560 It's not for everybody to say that, Sure, what do 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:08.160 you think is the next step for him? What do 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:11.120 you as an organization want to see from him the 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:15.360 rest of the season. I think it's just continued small things. 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:19.679 Knowing down in distance, understanding little intricacies that you know, 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.280 for example, when you're flushed out of the pocket, that 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:24.280 you don't take a two yard loss by running out 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:26.480 of bounds, that you get rid of the ball. Little 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:30.160 things like that. But it's coming with time. We're continuing 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:32.520 to see little things that he would not have done 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:35.160 in the past, which is exactly what we thought. And 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:37.160 year three, by the time we get to this point, 0:09:37.520 --> 0:09:39.280 which is where most guys, you get to that point 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.080 in their career, you say, year three, you want to 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:44.640 see them evolve and become the kind of player that 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:47.839 you envisioned. And you look back and I think about 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.160 the things that he did his rookie year and most 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:52.480 of it was done based off of just pure athleticism 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:55.880 and talent, which is amazing in itself. Then you look 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:57.880 at your two and you started to see him ascend 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:01.199 and do different things with us, and is his progression 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:03.880 Now you're seeing the full compliment of things, which is 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.720 why we're five. And oh, I remember when Russell Wilson 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.240 came out, and I know there was some interest from 0:10:10.240 --> 0:10:12.440 the Cardinals. He ends up going in the third round 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:17.559 and obviously had incredible success. And if Russell Wilson comes 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:20.680 out today, he's probably the number one pick. But back 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:24.760 then people were afraid right of size and stature. You 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:28.800 guys take Kyler Murray number one overall, and it was 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:32.920 almost as if that triggered the rest of the league 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:35.680 to say, Yeah, it doesn't matter. This kid's talented. He's 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:38.400 got a strong arm. We've seen him have success at 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:41.520 every level. He's always played that way. He's pretty good 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:45.880 at avoiding hits and not getting injured. Do you feel 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:48.640 like you guys have set a trend because I mean, 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:50.640 I'm just doing college games now and we used to 0:10:50.679 --> 0:10:53.319 look at Okay, he's got oh he can make every throw. Oh, 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:55.480 he's got NFL size. We're not even talking about that 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:58.040 stuff anymore or as much anyway. Yeah, I mean I 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:02.240 think with the first hick, you know, possibly setting a trend, 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:04.880 but not you know, in general, I think it's what 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:06.920 you just said. I think it was Russell Wilson because 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:09.760 we work in a business that you know, a lot 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:12.280 of it is surrounded by comps. You know, what was 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:15.560 a guy's height, weight, and speed at this position? And 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:19.360 if he didn't have the required size and speed, you know, 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:21.400 you'd put him in the back side of the board, 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:24.520 or he would have to be a guy that proved it. 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:27.000 It certainly wouldn't have been a high draft pick. But 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.320 the fact that Russell Wilson at five ten was able 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:31.440 to have that kind of success it led you to 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:35.600 believe that height isn't everything. Because Russell had the compensating 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:39.560 abilities to so to speak, mask his lack of height, 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:43.199 which is big hand, strong arm, great feet, good vision, 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:47.120 can make all the throws, has great decision making, placement, 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:51.440 touches as a as a thrower. And when we studied Kyler, 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:55.480 that was really what it came down to. Not only that, 0:11:55.600 --> 0:12:00.680 but he had rare and unusual speed, explosiveness, all the 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:03.319 different traits that you would obviously love to seeing a 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:05.720 guy who's six foot five, but he wasn't six ft five, 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:09.120 So Canny still do it one hundred percent? In our mind, 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:11.800 we felt like he could when you built this team, 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.439 this particular group, the twenty twenty one version, and you 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:16.240 knew you had to make some changes after the way 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.200 things ended last year. And I know you've talked about 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:21.440 this elsewhere, Maybe you can go a little bit more 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:24.000 in depth here. What was top of mine for you? 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:27.280 How disappointed were you with last year and health? Fired 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:30.760 up were you to fix it? And what were your focuses? Well? 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:32.880 I was probably more fired up than I've ever been 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:36.280 because I saw what the template looked like and it 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:39.480 looked like the possibilities were endless. There just needed to 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:44.000 be some additions to areas where we had concerns, And 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:47.880 I felt like it probably started with emotional maturity. And 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:50.560 when I say emotional maturity, I mean that in a 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:53.640 way where guys have to be able to handle success 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:57.600 and adversity the same. You know where you're having success 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:00.559 and you don't get too high if you're having some adversity, 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.440 you have the strength and the metal toughness to battle through. 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:07.040 It wasn't a pretty game against San fran and you know, 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:09.560 there were things that weren't clean on tape that we 0:13:09.600 --> 0:13:12.719 would like to take back, and our coaches want to 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:15.800 coach them up, but at the same time, to go 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.160 through some rough patches the game and still be able 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:20.400 to win that game seventeen to ten. I think is 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:22.440 says a lot about the character of the men in 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:24.720 that locker room and that's where it all started. That 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:28.400 and then probably the physicality of this team, both on 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:31.680 offense and defense, particularly on the offensive line and defensive lines. 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:34.440 We saw that physicality on Sunday. That was a that 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:36.959 was a battle and it was like the hit on 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:38.800 the goal line. I don't know if you could hear 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:42.120 that in your booth. We could almost hear that hit. Yeah, 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:44.880 Isaiah Simmons amazing. And the and the collision and that 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:46.680 sort of thing. And in today's day and age, you know, 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:48.360 we've obviously tried to take the head out of the 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:50.520 game and that sort of thing, but there are sometimes 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:52.400 when you just have to have big collisions and you 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:54.560 have to have guys willing to, as Wolfe would say, 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:57.120 stick their face in the fan and and that play 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:00.600 right there, just to me epitomized a lot of this team, 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.439 something as small as that, where we have the ball, 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:05.720 they have the ball and the you know what two 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:09.800 or three yard line and obviously a game changing play 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:12.800 right there in a momentum shifter because of our physicality. 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:15.400 So you talk about physicality and leadership, the first guy 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:17.880 that comes to mind is JJ Watt. Can you tell 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:21.280 us how that went down this summer? I had Michael 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:23.520 on and he's and I said, it's amazing that that 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:26.600 didn't get out into the media. The DeAndre Hopkins thing 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:28.800 didn't get out, And Michael said, yeah, Steve and I 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:30.680 we talk about that and then we'll let you know, 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:32.640 coach in when he needs to know what we're thinking 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:36.000 of doing and get his input. But there's nobody too 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:38.760 leaked because it's just you and Michael. So now that 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:40.360 that's in the rear view mirror, how did that deal 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:42.760 come down? And are you starting to see that leadership 0:14:42.840 --> 0:14:45.440 and physicality showing up out of him and how's that 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:48.000 impact in the team. Yeah, and we got in early, 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:50.080 you know, and I feel like, you know, when it 0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:52.600 comes to those type of trades, you have to be aggressive, 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:55.120 yet at the same time, you know, when you have 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:59.360 a player of JJ's stature or de Hoop stature, and 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:01.640 you're trying to get something done and you feel like 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:04.560 you're making some headway, you start to wonder, Man, is 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:07.840 this is this? Is this a joke? Like are they 0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:11.280 really considering this or are they playing with our heads? 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.400 And in JJ situation, I know he had a bunch 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.640 of other suitors, and so many times I would look 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:19.560 up at the TV and I would see JJ Watt 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:22.080 narrows it down to three teams, and I'm thinking, I 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:25.280 just got done talking to his agent. How he didn't 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:28.240 tell me that, you know? And I'm thinking, you know what, 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:32.680 either this guy is a master at BS or or 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:36.320 quite frankly, like this is one of the best secrets 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:40.080 in the NFL right now. And I'll never forget talking 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:42.400 to Michael and telling them, you know, we got the 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:46.840 deal done and the excitement that surrounded it. But JJ's 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:49.080 agent let me know that JJ wanted to break the 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.840 news and this was the picture that he was gonna post, 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:56.400 which showed JJ and a Cardinal shirt squatting. And I'll 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:59.920 never forget thinking to myself, Man, tomorrow at eleven am. 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.120 When he posts this, the Internet is going to literally 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:06.200 break because people are going to be shocked, especially whenever 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:08.360 John Clayton came out and said it was down to 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:10.320 three teams and we weren't one of them. I do 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:12.200 the same thing when I went to ESPN. Steve had 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:15.760 a big ESPN shirt squat in seven hundred pounds. If 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:18.480 the Internet were around then it would it would have 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:24.520 blown up. Continuing with the theme of physicality, James Connor 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:28.160 five touchdowns in three games, change of pace. When you 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:30.440 were watching tape on him and trying to make the 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:34.040 decision with the running back room, what went into that 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:37.000 decision and how pleased are you with the way he's played? Yeah, 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.560 and you know you look at the big pitcher and 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:41.440 you say, okay, Well, in the NFL, in today's day 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:43.760 and age, most teams have a couple backs to compliment 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.840 each other. Team we're playing this week, you know with Cleveland, 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.840 they have two great backs. You know, we love everything 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:53.480 about Chase Edmonds, but we also look back and we think, okay, 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:56.160 you look at the game last year when we were 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.160 playing New England and we had the ball right before 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:01.600 half on the one inch line, and we couldn't pound 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:05.320 it in something to be said for a bigger back 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:07.520 that can finish games, that can do the things that 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:10.360 James does. And I don't think most people understand how 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:12.600 big James is until you walk up on him and 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:15.000 you see that the guy's guys. He's probably six two, 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:19.480 two hundred and thirty pounds, runs with an attitude, runs 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:22.560 with the physicality that you look for. And I think 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:25.000 the other thing that's surprising about him is he's niftier 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:27.359 and a little quicker than you you would anticipate for 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:30.000 being that size, so he catches people off guar, already 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.000 has soft hands and really feel what we did offensively. 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:36.720 James Saxon had intimate knowledge of him being his coach 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:39.560 at one time in Pittsburgh, and then we've brought him 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:41.600 out here for a visit, spent some time with him 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:43.680 and really fell in love with the person as well. 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:46.359 So I thought he was a great fit and to me, 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:48.800 so far, it's been a really good signing. All Right. 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.800 I want to get back into this team in twenty 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:55.080 twenty one, but I want to give the fans a 0:17:55.080 --> 0:17:58.879 little bit of insight into what the day in the 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:03.880 life of a NFL general manager is like, is every 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.320 day different for you? Do you wake up not knowing 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:07.639 what the day is going to bring. Do you have 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:09.719 a certain routine as opposed to when you get up, 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:11.520 when you go to bed? What you do each day? 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:15.160 Give me a sense of a normal week in season 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:18.800 for Steve Kin, Well, I'm not proud to tell you this, 0:18:18.840 --> 0:18:20.439 but I'm sort of like a grandpa. I think I 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:23.040 probably stay up to about nine or nine thirty most nights. 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:25.760 That being said, I don't sleep well. And again I'm 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:27.879 not bragging about this, but I like this morning. I 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:30.960 was up at three thirty. I was here by probably 0:18:31.000 --> 0:18:34.000 four or fifteen. And again that's not the brag. It's 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:37.120 the fact that I can't sleep, which is unfortunate. So 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:41.120 the bags under my eyes are the telltale sign. So 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:44.040 I'll come in and you know, it's nice and quiet, 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:47.040 and here the interesting fact that people wouldn't know. I've 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:49.359 been in here as early as three forty five am 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:52.320 and there's always one vehicle out in the parking lot 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:56.200 and it's a white forward raptor and I've never beat 0:18:56.200 --> 0:18:59.680 Cliff Kingsbury in here. I don't know if the guy sleeps, 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.280 if he's a vampire, or what he is. But that 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:04.959 guy is in here every morning before I can get here, 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:08.080 and it's it's amazing. So I'll get in and first 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:09.960 thing I usually do is the thing that I love 0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:12.400 the most, which is watch film, whether it's college or pro. 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:15.520 And before you know most people get in the office, 0:19:15.560 --> 0:19:18.000 it gives me a chance to have some meditation time 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:20.639 I like to call it, which is really just watching tape, 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:23.320 listening to music whatever it may be, podcasts of years 0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:28.080 and it's refreshing, relaxing. It's what I love to do 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:30.600 and I unfortunately don't get to do as much as 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:33.400 I'd like. Then are you on the phone a good 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:35.440 part of the day? Are you looking at Okay, this 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:37.399 player got hurt, so now we got to start to 0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:40.679 look at either players that are on the practice squad 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:42.720 or players that are the roster who have been inactive, 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:45.000 or we got to look at other teams for trades. Yeah. 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:47.560 I mean it's constant dialogue and depending on the game, 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:51.280 you know how many injuries you incurred and what the 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:53.440 moves that you have to make that week. The practice 0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:56.120 squad players that you have to flip. Generally we bring 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:58.679 in guys on Mondays. They get physicals Tuesday morning. We 0:19:58.760 --> 0:20:01.399