clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Steve Keim continues to reshape Cardinals front office, team announces restructuring in personnel department

Keim is making his mark on the organization.

USA TODAY Sports

When the Arizona Cardinals hired Steve Keim as their general manager, they hired a "football guy" who worked his way up from scouting and personnel development. As time goes by, Keim is reshaping how things are done within the organization. There has been greater emphasis on coaching and on the player personnel part of the team.

As part of the changes, the team announced some restructuring in the personnel department.

The team announced Monday that Dru Grigson has been promoted to Director of College Scouting and Quentin Harris has been promoted to Director of Pro Scouting. Josh Scobey has been elevated to Pro Scout after previously serving as a scouting assistant.

In addition, the team has hired Terry McDonough as Eastern Regional Scout and John Mancini as an Area Scout covering the Midwest. Debbie Pollom will serve as College Scouting Coordinator and the team has added Glen Fox and Darius Vinnett as scouting assistants.

Whether or not more actual dollars are being invested in the department is uncertain. However, like with the on-field coaching staff, at least in raw numbers, the team is clearly focusing on talent recognition and development.

Here is what the team has listed as bios for all the new and promoted staff members:

Grigson has been the team's regional scout in charge of the eastern half of the country since 2010. He is entering his sixth season with the Cardinals after joining the team in 2008 as a college scout. Prior to joining the Cardinals, Grigson spent a year with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL as a scout. His brother, Ryan, is the General Manager of the Indianapolis Colts.

Harris has been the team's Assistant Pro Personnel Director since being elevated to that position in 2010. He is entering his sixth year with the Cardinals after joining the team as a pro scout in 2008 following his NFL playing days. Harris played four seasons for the Cardinals as a safety after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2002 out of Syracuse.

Scobey joined the Cardinals as a scouting assistant in 2012 after playing six seasons in the NFL, including two years with Arizona after he was drafted by the team in the sixth-round (185th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Kansas State. He also played with Seattle (2005-07) and Buffalo (2007).

McDonough joins the Cardinals after spending the past 10 years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, including the last four seasons as the team's Director of Player Personnel. His brother, Ryan, was recently named General Manager of the Phoenix Suns. Terry joined the Jaguars in 2003 after working with the Cleveland Browns (1992-95) and then the Ravens (1996-2003) after the organization moved to Baltimore. He began his scouting career as an intern with the 49ers in 1989 before being named player personnel director with the Barcelona Dragons of the World League in 1990. McDonough is the son of the late Will McDonough, the long-time columnist for the Boston Globe and his other brother, Sean, is a play-by-play announcer on ESPN.

Mancini comes to the Cardinals after working the past 18 years with the St. Louis Rams, including the last 16 in the team's personnel department. He will scout the Midwest region of the country for the Cardinals. Mancini spent 10 years as a college scout with the Rams before serving as Director of College Scouting from 2009-12. He joined the Rams in their inaugural season in St. Louis in 1995 and began his scouting career as an assistant in 1997. He has worked on both the pro and college sides of personnel over his 16 seasons in scouting.

Pollom joined the Cardinals this offseason after spending the last 21 seasons with the Rams, including the last 12 seasons as the Director of Scouting Administration. She began her career as a player personnel assistant with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL in 1983. She then worked for the Chicago Blitz in 1984 before working for the Cleveland Browns from 1984-89. Pollom was as a Pro Scouting Assistant for New England for two seasons (1990-91) before joining the Los Angeles Rams as a player personnel assistant in 1992.

Fox earned his degree from South Dakota State where he also played wide receiver. He was with the Green Bay Packers during the 2010 preseason and also played professionally in the Arena League (Arizona Rattlers, Orlando Predators), United Football League (Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions) and Canadian Football League (Montreal Alouettes).

Vinnett is a University of Arkansas alum and played defensive back for the Razorbacks. He played in the NFL with the Rams and Falcons (2007-09) and also played in the UFL with the Virginia Destroyers and Florida Tuskers. Most recently he worked as an assistant coach at Tulane.