.jpg) Arians with theTampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Title | Senior football consultant |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1952-10-03)October 3, 1952 (age 73) Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | William Penn (York, Pennsylvania) |
| College | Virginia Tech |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| |
Operations | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach: | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | NCAA: 21–39 (.350) NFL: 80–48–1 (.624) |
| Postseason | 6–3 (.667) |
| Career | NCAA: 21–39 (.350) NFL: 86–51–1 (.627) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an Americanfootball executive and former coach in theNational Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for theTampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously thehead coach of theArizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2017 and the Buccaneers from 2019 to 2021. He was also the interim head coach of theIndianapolis Colts during the 2012 season. Arians is known as a "quarterback whisperer" with a "no risk-it, no biscuit" slogan, which encourages aggressive playcalling. Under Arians' coaching, several high-profile quarterbacks were named to theAll-Pro team orPro Bowl, includingPeyton Manning,Ben Roethlisberger,Andrew Luck,Carson Palmer, andTom Brady.
An offensive assistant for most of his career, Arians held his first NFL head coaching position with the Colts when head coachChuck Pagano was treated forleukemia. As Indianapolis' interim head coach for 12 weeks, Arians guided a team that went 2–14 the previous season to a 9–3 record, earning them a playoff berth. He was namedAP NFL Coach of the Year for the season and was the first interim head coach to receive the honor. His success in Indianapolis led to Arians becoming the Cardinals' head coach for five seasons, where he led them to two postseason runs, a division title, and anNFC Championship Game appearance in 2015. Arians also received a second Coach of the Year award after the 2014 season.
After initially retiring in 2017, Arians returned in 2019 to coach the Buccaneers. He led the team to their first postseason appearance since 2007 and first playoff win since 2002 during the 2020 season, culminating with a victory inSuper Bowl LV. At age 68, he was the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl. Arians retired from coaching a second time after the 2021 season and became a consultant with Tampa Bay.
A native ofPaterson, New Jersey,[1] Arians graduated fromWilliam Penn Senior High School inYork, Pennsylvania.[2] He previously attended York Catholic High School,[3] where he was a standout scholastic quarterback.
Arians playedcollege football atVirginia Tech inBlacksburg, Virginia.[4][5] As a senior in1974, he was the startingquarterback in awishbone offense for theindependentHokies, and completed 53 of 118 passes (44.9%) for 952 yards with three passing touchdowns and seven interceptions.[6] Arians rushed for 243 yards and eleven touchdowns,[7] which set a school record for most quarterback rushing touchdowns in a season;[8] it stood for 42 years, until broken byJerod Evans in2016.[9] He was also the first white player to share a dorm room with a black player in school history; his roommate was James Barber, father ofRonde andTiki Barber.[10]
Arians began his coaching career in 1975 as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech.[11] Arians then held an assistant coaching position atMississippi State University (running backs and wide receivers) from 1978 to 1980 before heading to theUniversity of Alabama to coach the running backs from 1981 to 1982 underPaul "Bear" Bryant.[12][13]
Arians was also the head coach atTemple University from 1983 to 1988.[14] While head coach for the Owls, he compiled a 27–39 overall record over six seasons.[15] He had two winning records on the field, in 1984 and 1986; the Owls finished 6–5 both seasons. However, all of the 1986 wins were later forfeited after it emerged that running backPaul Palmer, who was the runner-up in theHeisman Trophy voting in 1986,[16] had signed with a sports agent before the season.[17] Besides Palmer, other standout players Arians coached at Temple included cornerbackKevin Ross, safetyTodd Bowles, and running backTodd McNair. Ross, Bowles, and McNair would all later serve as NFL assistant coaches with or under Arians.[18]
After coaching at Temple, Arians held positions with Mississippi State (offensive coordinator, 1993–95) and Alabama (offensive coordinator, 1997) in between NFL assistant coaching jobs.[12][19]
At the end of the college football season in 1988, Arians was hired in the NFL as arunning backs coach for theKansas City Chiefs. It was during this time with the Chiefs that he worked with the coach who brought him to the Pittsburgh Steelers,Bill Cowher.[20] He also spent one season as thetight ends coach of theNew Orleans Saints in 1996.[21]
Following this stint was when he made a name for himself when he got the job as the quarterbacks coach of theIndianapolis Colts in 1998. He was the firstquarterback coach ofPeyton Manning when he arrived in the NFL.[22] Afterward, he was hired as offensive coordinator (2001–2003) for theCleveland Browns underButch Davis.[23] In 2002, he helped the Browns finish 9–7 (2nd in the newly aligned AFC North) and to aWild Card Round berth where they lost to thePittsburgh Steelers (36–33).[24] It was during his tenure with the Browns that he first worked withChuck Pagano who served as the Browns secondary coach.[25]
After the 2003 season, Arians was hired as the Steelers wide receivers coach, helping the Steelers in winningSuper Bowl XL.[26] In 2007 he was promoted tooffensive coordinator, and would go on to winSuper Bowl XLIII.[27]
Despite his success in Pittsburgh, he had his fair share of critics. He was a gambling man who liked to take big risks that didn't sit well with fans. For instance, on a 3rd & 1, instead of running the ball or making a short quick pass, he wanted to air it out downfield. According to Arians, "I got booed in the Super Bowl parade. I look over and I hear 'get a fullback', and I say 'never'." In Arians' offense the quarterback is often exposed:Ben Roethlisberger took a high number of sacks every year and it left the Steelers front office unhappy. This led the front office to not renew Arians' contract as offensive coordinator[28] when it expired after the 2011 season.[29]
On January 28, 2012, Arians agreed to become the offensive coordinator of theIndianapolis Colts, replacingClyde Christensen.[30] Arians previously served as the quarterbacks' coach for the Colts from 1998 to 2000, coaching a youngPeyton Manning, whom Arians was briefly reunited with until Manning's release 2 months later. The2012 season marked the arrival of new rookie quarterbackAndrew Luck to theColts, who Arians was tasked with developing.[31] On October 1, 2012, Arians was named the interim head coach of the Colts following coachChuck Pagano's leukemia diagnosis.[32] Arians led the Colts to a 9–3 record, part of one of the biggest one-season turnarounds in NFL history. The nine wins are the most by an interim head coach in NFL history.[33] After winning only two games in 2011, the Colts returned to the playoffs. Pagano returned to the Colts as head coach on December 24, 2012, with Arians returning to his role as offensive coordinator.[34] Arians missed the Colts'Wild Card Round loss against theBaltimore Ravens due to being hospitalized with an illness, which was described by doctors as aninner ear infection or a virus; Arians had missed practice on January 3 due to the flu.[35] Arians was named the 2012AP Coach of the Year, making him the first interim head coach to win the award.[36]
On January 17, 2013, theArizona Cardinals and Arians agreed on a 4-year deal that would make Arians their 40th head coach.[37]
In the2013 NFL draft, Arians took a chance on troubled LSU defensive backTyrann Mathieu, who had been kicked off the LSU football team as well as arrested for drug possession prior to the draft.[38] Arians was the first Cardinals head coach sinceNorm Barry in1925 to record at least nine wins in his first season, with a record of 10–6 in2013.[39] Despite the improvement, the Cardinals failed to reach the postseason, finishing third in the NFC West.[40][41]
The Cardinals finished the2014 season with an 11–5 record and were the #5 seed in the NFC.[42][43] The 11 wins tied a Cardinals franchise record for most wins in a season.[44] Arians led the Cardinals to a 9–1 start, best in the NFL, but injuries to starting quarterbackCarson Palmer (who was 6–0 as the starter) and backupDrew Stanton, (who was 5–3 as starter) led to the eventual NFC championSeattle Seahawks claiming the divisional title with a 12–4 record.[43] Roughly half the team was put on injured reserve between Week 8 and Week 17.[45] The injury plagued Cardinals were eliminated by theCarolina Panthers in theWild Card Round, 27–16.[46] Following the season, Arians was named Associated Press Head Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.[47]
On February 23, 2015, the Cardinals announced a new four-year deal with Arians which would keep him with the Cardinals through the 2018 season.[48] After starting 3–0 for a second consecutive season, Arians led the Cardinals to a 13–3 record in2015, setting a new franchise record for regular season wins.[49] The Cardinals defeated theGreen Bay Packers 26–20 in overtime in theDivisional Round, Arians' first playoff win as a head coach.[50] It was also only the fifth home playoff game in franchise history.[51] The next Sunday, in theNFC Championship, the Cardinals were defeated again by theCarolina Panthers, this time in a 49–15 blowout.[52]
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In the2016 season, Arians led theCardinals to a record of 7–8–1, causing the team to miss the postseason. Five of the Cardinals losses were within one possession.[53][54]
During the2017 season, Arians led theCardinals to an 8–8 record, again missing the playoffs. During the season finale onNew Year's Eve, in what would be Arians' final game with the Cardinals, a 26–24 away victory over theSeattle Seahawks marked his 50th and final win with the team and saw him surpassKen Whisenhunt as the franchise's winningest head coach.[55] Arians finished his tenure in Arizona with a 49–30–1 record and a pair of playoff appearances, where he had a 1–2 record.[56][57]
The next day, Arians announced his retirement from coaching after five seasons with the Cardinals, despite having a year left on his contract. He said in his retirement statement: "I always told Carson [Palmer] and future Hall of FamerLarry Fitzgerald that we were like three old gunfighters looking to go out in a blaze of glory with a Super Bowl win. It pains me that I couldn’t help them accomplish our goal."[58] He would be succeeded bySteve Wilks.[59]
After spending one season as a broadcaster on CBS, Arians agreed to terms on a four-year contract to come out of retirement and became the 12th head coach of theTampa Bay Buccaneers on January 8, 2019.[60] As Arians was still under contract with the Cardinals, Tampa Bay traded their sixth round pick for Arizona's seventh-round pick in the2019 NFL draft in order to receive Arians' rights to hire him.[61]
Arians assembled the largest coaching staff in the NFL for the2019 season, at a total of 28 assistants.[62] This included hiring African-Americans at every top coaching position:Byron Leftwich as offensive coordinator,Todd Bowles as defensive coordinator,Keith Armstrong as special teams coordinator, andHarold Goodwin as assistant head coach and run-game coordinator, as well as two female assistant coaches:Lori Locust as assistant defensive line coach and Maral Javadifar as assistant strength and conditioning coach/physical therapist.[63] Arians stated in the offseason for the Buccaneers that he could win with the team he had, and also put his faith inJameis Winston, saying: "I think with (quarterbacks coach)Clyde Christensen and (offensive coordinator) Byron Leftwich, he's in great hands."[64] He also made it known one of his intentions was fixing the defensive secondary, which the year before had surrendered a league worst passer rating (110.9), yards per attempt (8.2) and completion percentage (72.5).[65] In his first year with the team, Arians led theBuccaneers to a 7–9 record, finishing third in the NFC South.[66][67]
Before the2020 season, theBuccaneers signed longtimeNew England Patriots quarterbackTom Brady to a two-year contract on March 20, 2020. They traded for Brady's former teammate and former Patriots tight endRob Gronkowski on April 21, 2020, and he came out of retirement to play for the Buccaneers with Brady.[68][69][70] Arians led the Buccaneers to a 11–5 record, earning a Wild Card spot - their first playoff berth since2007.[71] After winning three straight road games against theWashington Football Team,New Orleans Saints, andGreen Bay Packers, the Buccaneers reached their secondSuper Bowl appearance inSuper Bowl LV.[72] The playoff victories were the Buccaneers' first since the 2002 season when they wonSuper Bowl XXXVII, and Arians was the first head coach to lead an NFL team to play and win a Super Bowl in their home stadium when they defeated theKansas City Chiefs 31–9 in the Super Bowl.[73][74][75]
During the2021 season, theBuccaneers finished atop the NFC South with a 13–4 record.[76] They defeated thePhiladelphia Eagles in theWild Card Round, but lost to the eventualSuper Bowl LVI championLos Angeles Rams during theDivisional Round in what would be Arians' final game as an NFL head coach.[77][78] Arians finished his tenure in Tampa Bay with a 31–18 record and a 5–1 record in the postseason.[79]
On March 30, 2022, Arians informed his staff that he would be stepping down from the head coach position and would take on a new role for the team as a Senior Football Consultant.[80] He was succeeded by Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.[81]
Arians' coaching philosophy can be summed up with one phrase: "No risk it, no biscuit. You can't live scared." His former quarterback in Arizona,Carson Palmer, says, "You play for him, you see he just has guts. He will let it rip, let it fly no matter what."[28] Arians first developed this philosophy when the old-timers at the bar he worked at in college told him, "In life you must take risks." During games, Arians always gave the quarterback at least two options based on how the defense lines up. Arians stated: "One option will give us a chance to make a first down and the other option will give us a chance to score a touchdown." All his quarterbacks must believe, "If I have the right match up and the opportunity is there to take a shot at the deep ball, take it. I don't care if it's a third-and-three; if our best receiver is in single coverage and he's running a deeppost route, throw him the goddamn ball."[82]
One thing Arians cannot stand is when coaches play not to lose. He considers conservative coaching to be a cardinal sin. In his book, Arians writes, "That's not my way, brother. I'll never be too afraid to throw it and take the heat if it's incomplete. My job as an offensive coach is not to allow our defense to retake the field. Run out the clock and kneel down—that's my job."[82]
Arians has an image of what the perfect NFL QB looks like. In his book, Arians wrote: "It's something you cannot see. He must have a big lion's heart, a heart that beats for an entire franchise." He says the heart is exhibited when a quarterback plays through pain, when he smashes into a 320-pound defensive linemen on third down to gain six extra inches for the first down. Or when he throws a pick and runs forty yards down field to make a tackle. What he calls "grit" is a must-have ability to make the dozens of decisions that need to be made in the twenty-five seconds the quarterback walks on the line of scrimmage and scans the defense to when the play is over.
On the practice field, Arians is known to spend most of the time with his quarterbacks reviewing what transpires during the three to four seconds of a basic pass play. Arians believes the first thing the quarterback has to understand is his protection, since the defense can always blitz one more guy than your linemen can block. Because of this, the quarterback has to look and read what will be coming from the opposing defense.[82]
A primary reason Arians is known as a "quarterback whisperer" is the special relationship he has had with all of his quarterbacks as well as the production he has gotten out of them. "My quarterbacks have to be a member of my family, and that has nothing to do with football," Arians says. "Trust is everything. We have to connect on a deep level in order to really be able to build something together. Trust brings a higher level of communication and a higher level of commitment and accountability. We have to care for one another. It's all about family, family, family."[83] While being a caring coach, Arians is also known to be a hard coach on his quarterbacks. When Peyton Manning had a bad game the first time he faced the Patriots his rookie year—he threw three interceptions midway through the fourth quarter of the game—he was so frustrated he begged Arians, who at the time was the team's quarterback coach, to be pulled. Arians responded by saying: "F--k no. Get back in there. We'll go no-huddle, and maybe you'll learn something."[83] While Arians has this hard style of coaching, his former quarterbacks have always had the utmost respect for Arians and attribute him as a big factor in their success.
Arians is known to socialize with players more than most NFL coaches. After Cardinals home games, he was known to pull his car up. The trunk would be open, and Arians would be handing out drinks to his players. Arians writes: "If a player had a bad game, I'm going to give him a beer and a big sincere hug. If a player had a great game, I'm going to give him a beer and a big sincere hug."[82]
On May 3, 2018, Arians joinedCBS Sports as a game analyst for theNFL on CBS, working withGreg Gumbel andTrent Green.[84]
Arians and his wife, Christine, run a charity called The Arians Family Foundation, which supports and develops programs to prevent and remedy the abuse and neglect of children.[85] The Arians Family Foundation supports the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program.[86]
A lifelong advocate forracial inclusion and againstdiscrimination, Arians commented on themurder of George Floyd and theensuing protests: "It's very disheartening [...] personally, you would hope that we would not be in 2020 still dealing with these issues. You would hope as a nation to have grown since 1968. I think we have, but not enough, obviously."[87]
Arians is aprostate cancer survivor.[88] He and his wife have a son,Jake (born January 26, 1978), who spent part of the 2001 season as the placekicker for theBuffalo Bills, and a daughter, Kristi Anne (born December 15, 1980).[89][90] They currently maintain residences inTampa, Florida, and onLake Oconee inGreensboro, Georgia.[91]
In 2017, Arians released a book,The Quarterback Whisperer: How to Build an Elite NFL Quarterback.[92]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple Owls(NCAA Division I-A independent)(1983–1988) | |||||||||
| 1983 | Temple | 4–7 | |||||||
| 1984 | Temple | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1985 | Temple | 4–7 | |||||||
| 1986 | Temple | 6–5* | |||||||
| 1987 | Temple | 3–8 | |||||||
| 1988 | Temple | 4–7 | |||||||
| Temple: | 27–39 | ||||||||
| Total: | 27–39[15] | ||||||||
* 1986 team was 6–5 on the field, but had to vacate their wins due to the presence of an ineligible player on their roster.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| IND* | 2012 | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 2nd in AFC South | — | — | — | — |
| IND total | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| ARI | 2013 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3rd in NFC West | — | — | — | — |
| ARI | 2014 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in NFC West | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toCarolina Panthers inNFC Wild Card Game |
| ARI | 2015 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in NFC West | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toCarolina Panthers inNFC Championship Game |
| ARI | 2016 | 7 | 8 | 1 | .469 | 2nd in NFC West | — | — | — | — |
| ARI | 2017 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in NFC West | — | — | — | — |
| ARI total | 49 | 30 | 1 | .614 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |||
| TB | 2019 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3rd in NFC South | — | — | — | — |
| TB | 2020 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in NFC South | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl LV champions |
| TB | 2021 | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 1st in NFC South | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toLos Angeles Rams inNFC Divisional Game |
| TB total | 31 | 18 | 0 | .633 | 5 | 1 | .833 | |||
| Total | 80 | 48 | 1 | .624 | 6 | 3 | .667 | |||
| Unofficial Total | 89 | 51 | 1 | .635 | 6 | 3 | .667 | |||
* as interim coach, league awarded all wins and losses to Chuck Pagano. This record is not reflected in career totals.[93]
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| National | |
