Arizona Cardinals Hire Former Indianapolis Colts’ OC Bruce Arians as Head Coach
The NFL coaching carousel has officially stopped as the last team standing - the Arizona Cardinals - have tapped Bruce Arians as their head coach. The team announced the hiring Thursday night.
Arians served as the interim coach for the Indianapolis Colts this season after head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. Ariand led the surprising Colts to 9-3 record during his tenure and a playoff wild card playoff spot.
Arians missed the Colts' playoff matchup against the Baltimore Ravens when he fell ill prior to to game.
This is Arians first 'official' head coaching job. He has been coaching since 1975, when he served as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech. He also served as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2007-2011, including their Super Bowl victory in 2008.
On the Arizona Cardinals website, Arians said, “I never thought it was going to come. I appreciate it so much. I will give it every single thing I have. The passion and energy I bring to this is something I love to do.”
Now, Arians faces a major challenge in rebuilding the Arizona Cardinals. During his tenure with Pittsburgh he helped develop Ben Roethlisberger, and this season he helped Andrew Luck transition to the NFL. In Arizona, Arians has to figure out what to do with the Cardinals muddled quarterback situation. Despite trading for Kevin Kolb a couple years ago, the team is still struggling to find a quarterback to replace Kurt Warner.
What do you think? Was Bruce Arians a good hire for the Cardinals?