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I just finished reading a book written by former college and NFL coach Bruce Arians. The title of his 2017 autobiography is called, “The Quarterback Whisperer”. I highly recommend it to football fans who wish to learn more about this interesting man and his journey as a coach.
A long-time assistant football coach, Bruce Arians finally became an NFL head coach at age 60 with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. After winning 61% of his games in five years as an NFL head coach, he retired in 2017 at age 65.
Then, the phone rang one last time from Tampa Bay in 2019. After Bruce Arians took the job with the Bucs, there was one particular quarterback who wanted to play for him.
Tom Brady joined Tampa Bay in 2020. Yes, Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl in Brady’s first year in Florida.
Arians retired again after three seasons with Tampa Bay prior to the 2022 NFL season. In three years with the Buccaneers, the coach posted a 31-18 record. The team honored his retirement last season by placing his name in the stadium’s ring of honor.
Now 70 years of age, Bruce Arians remains connected with the Bucs as a consultant. His knowledge in developing quarterbacks made him a legend.
His approach to the offensive side of the football was quite simple. The quarterback’s job should be to lead the offense to score as many points as possible as quickly as possible. The more plays the offense it takes to score points, the greater your chance of failure due to a turnover or penalties.
Bruce Arians believed that a quarterback should first examine the field to look for any possible defensive mismatches. Even if a short pass or running play was called, the quarterback should change the play at the line of scrimmage and take a shot down the field if the opportunity presented itself.
As he became famous for saying, “No risk it, no biscuit!”
As an assistant coach in the NFL, Bruce Arians pushed for the Indianapolis Colts to draft Tennessee Vols quarterback Peyton Manning in 1998. At the time, the Colts were also reviewing the possibility of drafting Washington State quarterback sensation Ryan Leaf. Leaf was taller, bigger, and had a stronger throwing arm than Peyton Manning.
Arians interviewed both quarterbacks prior to the draft. He learned that Manning was obsessed with learning the playbook and full of questions for the coaches. Manning was well liked by the coaching staff, players and even the team’s janitorial staff.
In comparison, he found Ryan Leaf to be aloof, overconfident in his abilities, and not well liked by those around the football program or many at the college campus.
Bruce Arians got his wish. The Colts selected Peyton Manning with the first pick in 1998. Under the tutelage of Coach Arians, Manning blossomed into a future Hall-of-Famer for the Colts and Broncos. The San Diego Chargers selected Ryan Leaf with the second pick. After a promising rookie year, Leaf’s drug and alcohol problems effectively ended his brief NFL career.
In 2003, Arians was hired to become the wide receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Once again, his employer faced a tough draft day decision, and Bruce Arians pushed the team’s owner and management team to make the right call.
In the 2004 NFL draft, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers were selected early in the first round, as expected. Bruce Arians wanted the Steelers to select a big quarterback from a relatively small school who was still on the board with Pittsburgh’s #11 overall draft pick in Round 1.
Ben Roethlisberger played for the University of Miami. No, not the Hurricanes, but the university located in central Ohio which plays in the Mid-America Conference. Big Ben was tall (6’5”), big and strong (250 pounds), had quick feet, and was a leader on the field for his college football team.
During his rookie season in Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger was forced into action in just his second NFL regular season game after the starting quarterback (Tommy Maddox) was injured. Big Ben won the next 13 consecutive games as a rookie starter (most in NFL history) as the Steelers rolled all the way to the AFC Championship game (losing to New England).
Bruce Arians quickly bonded with Roethlisberger and allowed the big fellow to toss the ball downfield if he saw a deep receiver was able to get open. The coach always taught his quarterbacks to look downfield first to see if the home run pass was available prior to throwing a shorter route. A touchdown – whether in one play or 15 – was the objective for the offense.
No risk it, no biscuit, baybee!
Arians was promoted to become the Steelers’ offensive coordinator after the team won the 2006 Super Bowl (beating Seattle) in Big Ben’s second year at quarterback. The coach and QB duo would collaborate for one more championship ring three years later as the Steelers defeated Arizona.
Unfortunately, Coach Bruce Arians’ “Go for it” offensive mentality was not as popular with many Pittsburgh Steelers fans. They thought Ben Roethlisberger was getting hit too often as he took that first look downfield trying to throw the ball deep.
According to one report, the offensive coach was even booed by some Steelers fans during the team’s Super Bowl celebration parade in downtown Pittsburgh.
In his book, Arians said, “I heard a fan yelling, “Get a fullback!” and I replied, “Never!”
After Pittsburgh lost a first round playoff game to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in January, 2012, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin surprised Bruce Arians by not renewing his contract.
Arians was stunned. He and his wife decided it was time to retire. The soon-to-be 60 year old coach had completed enough seasons in the NFL to qualify for the league’s comfortable retirement benefit package.
As the couple made that long drive from his home in Georgia to Pittsburgh to clean out his belongings, the phone rang. The Indianapolis Colts were calling to see if Bruce Arians would end his momentary retirement. They wanted him to help evaluate, select, and develop their new quarterback to replace the departing Peyton Manning.
With the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft, Bruce Arians had to choose between Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Baylor’s sensational quarterback, Robert Griffin III. After weeks of evaluations, Andrew Luck seemed to be the better fit for the coach’s offensive scheme.
Once again, Bruce Arians made the right choice. Though both Andrew Luck and RG3 would suffer career ending injuries, Luck had much more success on the field than Griffin did.
As for Coach Arians, he finally received his first head coaching job the very next season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013.
He immediately acquired veteran quarterback Carson Palmer and helped him regain his confidence at the position at age 34. The rejuvenated Palmer led the Cardinals to three straight years of ten wins or more. The team made the NFL playoffs in two straight seasons.
After five years with Arizona, Head Coach Bruce Arians retired again in 2017.
Until he un-retired once again!
The book ends prior to Bruce Arians coming out of retirement to team-up with legendary quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and win one more Super Bowl in 2020. Like the rest of the coach’s star quarterback pupils, Tom Brady thrived under Bruce Arians’ tutelage.
Bruce Arians never wavered from his offensive philosophy on the football field. If you outscore your opponents, you will be victorious!
With almost any sport or job, it is much more satisfying to play to win rather than trying to avoid losing.
No risk it, no biscuit!