TEMPE, Ariz. -- Before Steve Keim was promoted to general manager in 2013, the Arizona Cardinals trusted simple scouting and number crunching to determine who to pay and what to pay them.

That’s changed under Keim.

In an excellent and impressive project by ESPN The Magazine, the use of analytics was analyzed (coincidence? I think not) across the four major sports. In the NFL category, the Cardinals were among 12 teams in the “skeptics” category.

The Magazine said the Cardinals were in the “analytics dark ages” before Keim was named general manager. He didn’t do a total overhaul of how Arizona evaluated players, but he incorporated analytics into his tried-and-true scouting techniques.

But the real reason for Arizona’s ascent into the world of analytics was Mike Disner, the Cardinals' director of football administration. In laymen’s terms, he’s the Cards’ cap guy. When he was hired in 2013, he incorporated statistical data and projections -- metrics most teams, but not the Cardinals -- were already using.

The project was broken up into five categories in each sport: All-in, Believers, One Foot In, Skeptics and Nonbelievers. The NFL was the only league among the four to not have any teams who are All-in.

Using analytics clearly works. Both Super Bowl teams are among the half of the league that have at least “one foot in.” The Patriots were believers and the Seahawks had one foot in.