Bruce Arians has coached some of the greatest players in the NFL. He remains on the most highly respected coaches in the league after spending time with Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger. After a storied career as a position coach and coordinator, Arians finally got his spot as head coach, when he took over as an interim coach for the Indianapolis Colts. That stint resulted in being named the 2012 NFL Coach of the Year and now a head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals.
Arians certainly has his hands full when it comes to the Cardinals. He is coming into a situation with a brand new quarterback and several other young pieces. The coach's focus is surrounding the offense and new quarterback Carson Palmer. The two have spent a significant amount of time together and Palmer has nothing but praise for his new coach.
"I love the head coach. I mean, I love the head coach. He keeps it real. He already has this team wrapped around his finger. And we have some talented players in this locker room," Palmer said.
The veteran quarterback said Arians is a real stickler and expects the best from the team. He said the entire team has a large amount of respect for the coach because he takes ego out of the picture. Palmer is hopeful that this will result in Super Bowl rings for the team.
The Cardinals are playing in one of the tougher divisions in the league and as OTAs begin, Arians is not excepting anything but the best. He is already calling out the offense for sloppy playing and the team has not even put on full pads yet.
"I don't like mistakes. I really don't like mental mistakes especially if you made the same mistake last week. That should be corrected and in the books by now, and our receivers are not getting that done.," Arians said.
Arians understands that he is inheriting one of the worst offenses of the NFL. Last season, the Cardinals ranked last in the league in offense. It is now the job of Arians and Palmer to pick things up. The rust was certainly showing as wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald dropped multiple sideline passes in OTAs. The coaching staff has been elevated to 21 guys instead of 17. The coach is hoping this helps players pick things up faster. While he praised the players overall, he plans on pushing the team to pick up plays faster and improve on all positions.
