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Keim: No such thing as disappointing win

Steve Keim was blunt.

"I don't think there are any disappointing wins," the Cardinals GM said during his appearance on the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7. "The one thing I've learned in this position is to respect and appreciate every win."

The Cardinals are back to .500 after beating the 49ers. They have huge games coming up, on the road, with playoff contenders Minnesota and Atlanta. The good news is that Keim said the Cards came out of the game "relatively healthy" -- Keim was not asked about the status of Larry Fitzgerald -- and in keeping with the theme of respecting every victory, he found the positives from his team's first game of the second half of the season.

-- Keim said he was encouraged by the play of two players who struggled in the first half of the season: wide receiver Michael Floyd and kicker Chandler Catanzaro. Both continued to work every day despite their issues, Keim said. Especially for Floyd, "to see a smile on his face in the locker room was exciting for all of us," Keim said.

-- The offensive line did OK. Keim said new left tackle John Wetzel "played good" although Keim acknowledged the 49ers don't have much of an edge rush (Wetzel will most certainly face a harder test against the Vikings.) The 49ers came in with a plan to jam up the run, so even going against the NFL's worst run defense, "do you want to run into a wall?" Keim asked rhetorically. Instead, the Cardinals threw the ball. It led to turnovers, all on passing plays -- two interceptions, a fumble by Palmer trying to buy time to throw a pass, a fumble by J.J. Nelson after a catch. The turnovers are what made the game close, Keim said.

-- He praised Fitzgerald. "Fitz continues to be a warrior, making plays in critical situations," Keim said. Again, no comment (or question) about Fitz's health.

-- The big picture says the Cardinals "have opportunities ahead of us." And the Cards did finish in a close game, something they didn't do against New England or Seattle (or Los Angeles, for that matter."

-- Keim said there was a chance safety Tyrann Mathieu will be able to return either against the Vikings or the following week against the Falcons.

-- Keim still doesn't give much vibe one way or the other about the possibility of a Chandler Jones contract extension. "Without getting into the dialogue of negotiations, when you make a trade you're not sure how its going to go," Keim said. "But he's been a great teammate, fantastic in locker room, he works hard on and off on field. He's been great fit for us, and hopefully we can iron out something long term."

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