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Keim on the future of the Cards' receivers

One of the big things Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim is going to have to deal with this offseason is the receivers room. It could be in major flux. Michael Floyd is already gone, Larry Fitzgerald could retire, and Smoke Brown is still trying to fully handle his sickle-cell issues. Monday, during his appearance on the "Doug and Wolf" show on Arizona Sports 98.7, Keim spoke on many of those players.

When it comes it Fitz, "he still loves the game and still plays at a high level," Keim said. "There's no doubt in my mind he should play next year." Of course, Keim added, that will be up to Fitz. J.J. Nelson was fantastic in Seattle with 132 yards on three catches, including two giant plays that boosted the win. As far as him as a potential No. 2 receiver, "I'm not sure what his ceiling is, I just know he is a big-play guy." He did say he thinks receivers coach Darryl Drake has helped Nelson become more physical. (But I'd agree, I think Nelson is developing into a nice and needed piece in the offense, but I don't see him as a potential big-volume guy week-to-week.)

As for Brown, Keim acknowledged it is "always a concern when you can't put a finger on exactly what is happening" when it comes to Brown's health. But he said Brown will see specialists as soon as the offseason ends so that he and the Cardinals can find the proper way for both Brown to be healthy and for him to find again what was making him special on the field. "He's a guy we are counting on," Keim added.

-- Keim has been very impressed -- other than his foolish taunting penalty -- with tight end Jermaine Gresham. The Cardinals have needed some emotional fire on offense, and Gresham definitely helps with that. "His physicality, mindset and passion for the game is something that has really excited me this year," Keim said, noting Gresham's effort in blocking more than anything. It'll be interesting to see what Gresham does as a free agent, after signing here for little last season when he could've gotten a lot more money elsewhere. (And he needs to avoid the terrible penalties because of his emotions too.)

-- Not surprisingly, he had praise for the offensive line, given the circumstances. "If you told me in August we'd beat Seattle in Seattle with John Wetzel and Earl Watford at tackle and Evan Boehm at guard, it'd certainly make me wonder," Keim said. "For the most part those guys did the job."

Carson Palmer was under pressure more than once but he was sacked only once and physically, the offensive line stayed toe-to-toe with a much-more celebrated opponent.

-- There were a couple of throws he thought Palmer would've wanted back, but other than that, Palmer was sharp, Keim said. "He's a competitor and true pro," Keim said. "He's been very, very good the last several weeks."

-- Another young player who held up was cornerback-turned-safety Harlan Miller, who played every snap at free safety when Tony Jefferson got hurt on the punt team before he even played a defensive play. Miller, by the way, hadn't played safety before. "It was interesting," Keim said. "On Friday, when B.A. came into my office and I let him know we were going to put Tyrann on IR, he told me that if Tony or D.J. Swearinger went down, we'd be in trouble just from a depth standpoint. Sure enough, first play of the game, Tony Jefferson is out.

"Harlan trots on to the field, and to his credit, the guy has never played safety before, coach Nick Rapone and James Bettcher put him in a position where he made a few plays and didn't hurt the team. He's another young guy who stepped up."

-- Finally, a good day for special teams. "That's a group that's been maligned and rightfully so," Keim said. "But they stepped up to the plate."

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