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Keim: Kicking problems "cannot happen again"

It turned out not to matter, but it could have, so after Phil Dawson's missed field goal Sunday -- his sixth in eight games -- General Manager Steve Keim said the issues with the whole unit have to be fixed. Quickly.

"The hard part is, the preseason and everything we saw out of Phil moving forward, felt like he was going to be a huge addition to this team and bring consistency to that spot," Keim said Monday on the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7. "For whatever reason, things aren't clicking right now. We just have to go back to the basics and really dig in and see what's going wrong and make sure we fix it, because it cannot happen again."

Coach Bruce Arians blamed a bad snap from long snapper Justin Drescher, and Keim acknowledged the snap was low. Keim also said holder Andy Lee did manage to salvage it. Keim also said he was disappointed in the field-goal unit not only from the kicking standpoint but also in the blocking and the technical aspects.

"(Phil) has got to be held accountable," Keim said. "In my opinion, when you're getting paid, you've got to make those kicks. I don't think that's any secret."

It does not sound like the Cardinals would consider looking at any kickers at least this week. A short week and a game Thursday plays into that, Keim said.

-- There was praise for quarterback Drew Stanton in the win, but Keim also underscored the reality that the Cardinals benefit from the run game -- in this case, Adrian Peterson's career-high/franchise-record 37 carries for 159 yards.

"There's no doubt we knew we had to run the ball effectively and I don't think that's a secret going forward the rest of the season," Keim said.

-- The offensive line did pretty well, particularly left guard Alex Boone and left tackle D.J. Humphries, Keim said. That's what happens when the team stays committed to the run and balanced offensively. "Give those guys a chance," Keim said, before acknowledging that it'll be a tougher task Thursday against the Seahawks.

-- Peterson had a second great game in three appearances for the Cardinals "The guy continues to impress me at his age," Keim said. "Thirty-seven carries is unheard of. As (offensive coordinator) Harold Goodwin said, the more you feed him, the better he gets."

-- Keim did want to see better consistency from the defense, and is still concerned about the red-zone offense and converting touchdowns.

-- Keim agreed with the idea Humphries is developing into a potential cornerstone left tackle, reiterating again that Humphries has matured a lot to match mentally his excellent physical talent. "He's ultra-competitive and he likes to play the game," Keim said.

-- The short week is hard, but there is excitement over playing at home on national TV, he said, and the Cardinals will benefit from the mini-bye after the game.

-- There was congratulations for veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby in joining the exclusive 40-sack/20-interception club. But Keim, who has know Dansby his whole career and has a great relationship with him, couldn't let the moment pass. Keim noted Dansby was given a chance to make a speech post-game in the locker room. "He may be one of the worst speech-givers I've ever heard," Keim deadpanned.

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