Cards' Bruce Arians: We've got to be a playoff team
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Few NFL teams were hotter down the stretch last season than the Arizona Cardinals, who won seven of their last nine games to go 10-6 under first-year coach Bruce Arians. But that wasn't good enough to crack the playoff field out of the loaded NFC West.
In an interview with USA TODAY Sports on Monday in the bowels of University of Phoenix Stadium, Arians discussed upgrading the offense, replacing suspended linebacker Daryl Washington, Larry Fitzgerald's role, the future at quarterback, not cursing at officials anymore, rooting for old coaches and why the Cardinals must find their way into the postseason.
Question: How do you envision this team being better in 2014?
Answer: Well, I think we're definitely better at left tackle (with free-agent signing Jared Veldheer). We should be better at left guard, getting our first-round pick (from last year, Jonathan Cooper) back. We've added speed at receiver. The quality of the depth in our secondary is amazing. New linebackers, but they're more than adequate, so we'll be fine there. I'm anxious just to see us play football.
Q: Daryl Washington is suspended for at least a year. Karlos Dansby left for Cleveland. You signed Larry Foote and Ernie Sims to one-year, minimum salary deals and have your second-round pick from last year, Kevin Minter. How is that linebacker group coming together?
A: You can't replace Daryl, because Daryl has freaky speed. Karlos is a good, solid player, but we've got plenty of good, solid players. You just build your system to the guys you have. Do what they do best.
Q: Does Sims figure in the equation to replace Daryl, or is that Foote's job?
A: Larry's the guy right now. Ernie's in the fight for it. But they're two veteran guys who've played a lot of football and finding their niche is key right now. Larry's ahead. He's been here a little bit longer. But Ernie's more than quality.
Q: Daryl is suspended indefinitely. Are you allowed to have any contact with him?
A: He's only allowed to talk to Anthony Edwards, our player programs director.
Q: Is that a concern, given that you know this guy as a man and want him to get better?
A: That's one of my problems with the suspensions is that you take them out of the only structure they have. Most rehab centers want structure and support. They can't get it from their main source under these rules.
Q: Do you consider run defense the identity of this team?
A: Yeah, I think our defense is strong enough to be an identity, and our run defense obviously is No. 1 (in yards allowed last season). It is an identity. But we also want to be able to run the football. We want to stop the run and run the ball, and that's something offensively we've got to do better.
Q: How important is Patrick Peterson to allowing you to do what you want to up front?
A: We are a pressure team, and when you're a pressure team, you've got to have cover corners. We're fortunate to have Jerraud Powers and Pat and now Cro (Antonio Cromartie) and Justin Bethel's coming on like gangbusters. That extra second the receiver's working to get open allows the rush to get there.
Q: It's not like Patrick played a ton of offense last season, but you said he's done with that and won't return many punts either. Is that to streamline his focus and keep him healthy?
A: That, and we've got speed now. We needed his speed on offense last year.
Q: I've heard positive things on the fourth-round pick from Pittsburg State …
A: John Brown has been very impressive so far, as has Teddy Ginn.
Q: What does that speed do for what you want to do offensively, especially with Larry Fitzgerald now playing so much in the slot?
A: It just continues stretching the field for Larry as he learns and gets better and better in the slot. It's just that home-run shot that's there every play that you've got to worry about.
Q: When I think of Larry, I think of him playing outside. What does that role change mean for him in the big picture?
A: He's at a stage in his career, just like Reggie (Wayne) was. It's time to learn to play inside to continue to play.
Q: Where you can be smart …
A: And use your size and your experience. That's where all the balls usually go. They can always double cover you outside. It's very hard to double-cover you inside.
Q: Can you live with the way Carson Palmer played last season?
A: Oh, yeah. The last eight games, I thought he was outstanding. Once the guys around him had a better understanding of what to do and he had a better understanding of what to do — we were a playoff team the last half of the season. We just blew it early in the season.
Q: Schematically, I would think the additional speed would open things up overall for Carson and the offense.
A: They're just new toys. Everybody's got such a better grasp of what they're trying to do when they come to work every day that it's a lot easier on him.
Q: Can you view Logan Thomas as the quarterback of the future?
A: I think he has to earn that right. He's a fourth-round pick. A lot of fourth-round picks don't make it — whatever position they play. But as a quarterback, he's got to earn the right and continue to improve. He's fortunate in that he doesn't have to play now. He shows the work ethic and the ability to improve judgment-wise. He's got about two years to do it. So, he's a good project.
Q: He fits the uniform.
A: He's got everything you're looking for in a quarterback and he's a great, humble young guy. So, he should be able to make it.
Q: How much do you look at his play in the preseason to decide how you structure the quarterback position behind Carson this season?
A: Drew (Stanton)'s the backup. That's 1-2. It's just the battle for three. Logan, his decision (making) and processing information is what's going to decide for him and Ryan (Lindley).
Q: How do you hope to be a better coach in 2014?
A: Don't cuss out the officials as much.
Q: Really?
A: I've always done it. But no — it's just a matter of timeouts here and there and managing game things. I had 12 practice games in Indy (as interim coach during Chuck Pagano's illness in 2012), so it really helped. You usually don't get a practice year. But it was easy for me to transition into it and staying the play-caller.
Q: I would think as a longtime assistant, you might get away with cussing out officials because no one's listening to you. The TV cameras aren't focused on you.
A: I was warned a bunch of times as an assistant. Just hope the boom (mic)'s not too close.
Q: Coach hirings tend to be cyclical. There will be a stretch everyone's hiring first-time NFL head coaches in their 30s. Then you come in at age 60 and Marc Trestman has some success last season and it's probably not a coincidence Mike Zimmer finally gets a job.
A: I went up to Zim and said, 'I hope old guys win, man.' We finally got our shots.
Q: On some level, I would think you have to be better prepared the older you are.
A: I don't think there's any doubt. You have so many more experiences in different systems. Too many of the young guys have only been in one system. So, if that system's successful, somebody tries to hire the system. Well, he doesn't really know how it got there. So, when the problems arise, they don't know how to fix them. If you've been in three or four different organizations and you've been in different offenses and defenses, you have a better preparation point, I think, to be a head coach.
Q: I'd also think if you've been fired a few times, you may lose the fear of it happening.
A: There are two kinds of coaches: those that are fired, and those that are going to get fired.
Q: So do things your way if it's going to happen anyway.
A: Exactly. Don't compromise. Especially your principles.
Q: You're playing in one of the toughest divisions I can remember from top to bottom. What does it take for you to rise out of that and make the postseason?
A: Finish. Finish. We split with Seattle and St. Louis. We did not finish the two games against San Francisco. We had a chance to win. Our division's so tough you can't expect to sweep it. But you've got to come out on top.
Q: What difference is there from a buy-in standpoint now that players know they can win with what you're asking them to do?
A: There's nobody in the organization right now that doesn't expect to win.
Q: So, what does it take for this season to be a success? Do you have to be a playoff team?
A: Got to. Got to get to the playoffs. Our goal is obviously to play here in the Super Bowl.
Q: I'd think you'd be dangerous in January. You beat the Seahawks in Seattle in December.
A: We were playing really, really good defense. And our offense had really found our stroke late in the season. We've just got to pick it up and go. Don't blow it in September.
