All-Access with Bruce Arians: Cardinals motivated to play spoiler

TEMPE, Ariz. – Head coach Bruce Arians, now in his fifth year with the Arizona Cardinals, meets the media several times leading up to gameday.

Here, in this space, with help from the Cardinals’ media relations staff, we’ll highlight many of the key topics and personnel conversations he has with reporters following practice.

Opening statement:

“Injuries in the ball game: Antoine Bethea tore a pec and will be out. Everybody else, we’ve got some bumps and bruises, but he’ll be the only guy that’s going to miss this ball game. Whether it requires surgery or not, it’s pretty much up to him at this point in time.”

The tape showed a really, really good defensive effort – outstanding in all red zone, third down, everything, shutting down the run. Our defense is playing the way they’re capable of playing and should have been playing all year, but really happy to see them playing this well this late in the season. Offensively, I thought Drew (Stanton) did a heck of a job in the red zone for us – two touchdowns. If you want to ask me about this fake news story that has come up – I’m quoting the President now – nothing has changed. I don’t know where all that (expletive) came from. Nothing has changed in the last month and a half, and everybody keeps asking the same question.”

On why his potential retirement is a topic of conversation:

“I have no idea. I don’t even know who the heck this guy is and where these supposed meetings took place. It was fun; it was good reading.”

On if the retirement stories are upsetting:

“I’m getting a little tired of it, yeah. There’ll come a time and a place when we decide what we’re going to do. I guess Larry’s (Fitzgerald) put up with this for eight years. So, I guess I can put up with it for one.”

On the process through which he will make a decision on retirement:

“We’ll come back on the plane and get everything finalized for the season, get all the reports – like we always do – get all our end-of-the-season business done, sit down with my wife, son and daughter, and we’ll talk about and see what we want to do. Make a decision sometime between Monday and February, whatever Michael (Bidwill) lets me.”

On his departure from the Steelers and if retirement has been considered before:

“Yeah, that was a re-fired not a retired. But, we were very fine with that at that time. She (wife Christine) was really fine with it, and then obviously the call from Chuck (Pagano) and we hit the lottery as far as coaching goes. It’s been an unbelievable six years since then. That’s the one thing when you think about it and say, ‘Oh my gosh. What if they win the Super Bowl next year, and you’re not going to be there? Why would you walk away?’ Dick LeBeau always said, ‘If I was going to retire at 70, then I would have missed two Super Bowls.’ It’s like, ‘I know, I hear you.’ Love these guys. We have such a great group of guys, and the character showed up Sunday of what our team’s all about.”

On if he thinks about retirement often:

“I never think about it. That’s why I get tired of (people) asking the question. I never think about it. I only think about Seattle. Last week, I only thought about New York, trying to figure out a way for that offensive line we’re playing with to block these guys.”

On if he thinks about the state of the team if he were to retire:

“Steve’s (Keim) done a great job, and I don’t take any credit for the talent that’s on the team. That’s Steve, and he’s done a great job. It’s a very talented roster, and it’ll be even more talented next year.”

On if he’s intrigued by the prospect of finding the Cardinals next quarterback:

“Oh gosh, yeah. That’s always been the most exciting thing in coaching for me. I go back to that year with Andrew Luck. It was one of the most fun years, other than Chuck’s illness, just fun coaching every day and watching him grow – same thing with Peyton (Manning). It’s just fun watching those guys grow.”

On if one year with a young quarterback is enough to teach him what he needs to know:

“I would think so. It’s just a matter of if the excitement is there just to continue doing it.”

On if it’s time to retire if the excitement of coaching is no longer there:

“Oh, that’s when you know it’s time. I got up at 5 this morning and was excited to get here. So, that hasn’t changed.”

On how much his improved health has impacted his love for the job:

“That’s made a big difference. Having no major things happen this year has been huge.”

On if it’s nice to end the season with a game that provides obvious motivation:

“Yeah. This is fun – to get to 8-8 and to play Seattle. It seems like we play them the last game every year. This is our playoff game. So yeah, our guys will be motivated just like they’re going to be super motivated. They have to win to get in. It should be a great game.”

On how satisfying it would be to knock a division rival out of the playoff race:

“If you’re going to be a spoiler, that’s the one you want to do it against.”

On if WR Larry Fitzgerald’s or QB Carson Palmer’s decisions to play in 2018 will influence his decision to return:

“No. Not at all. Not at all. They’re all separate.”

On if it’s interesting that all three of their decisions regarding next season have been grouped together and if this narrative will continue next year if they all return:

“Then you’ll just be asking the same questions next year. Yeah, it’s kind of par for the course right now.”

On his excitement for next year considering the strong finish by the Cardinals defense:

“Oh God, throw Markus Golden back in the mix, and you get Haason (Reddick) back inside, Budda (Baker). There’s a lot of – Robert (Nkemdiche), Olsen Pierre – there’s a great young defense, and ‘Bettch’ (James Bettcher) has done a great job of getting them playing. And then you add those pieces back, and add maybe some more in the draft, it could be a very dominant defense.”

On If Defensive Coordinator James Bettcher is ready to be a head coach:

“I think, yeah, he could be a head coach easily.”

On criticism of Bettcher and his defense early in the season and the defensive turnaround:

“Yeah, and when you’re not playing to what you think you should be playing, everybody’s going to criticize you. Our team didn’t play as well as we should have in September and October, overcoming the early injuries. It’s easy when you get the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth injuries. It’s really hard when you get the first four, and it’s like ‘Oh, here we go again. Here we go,’ and (it’s) kind of doom and gloom around the team for a week or so. Now it’s just, ‘OK, who is it this week?’ And you pick up the pieces, and you go. It’s really easier now than it was back then, looking at injuries.”

On how the team will deal with not having S Antoine Bethea for the final game:

“’Bettch’ and Nick (Rapone) will figure out a way. Harlan (Miller) will get in there in nickel package, I’m sure. He played up there last year and did a good job. We’ll find a way to get Justin (Bethel) back in there in nickel and dime, which he’s playing already, and Ty (Tyrann Mathieu). We’ve got plenty of guys. Taking five interceptions out of there is tough, though.”

On Bethea’s season:

“Oh, a great season.”

On if Bethea’s performance is another sign that players aren’t too old to play:

“Yeah, ‘Toine’s still young, and he takes great … He should have another great year next year.”

On what he liked most about S Budda Baker’s personality when he scouted him before the draft:

“He loved football. He was a football junkie. Always there, coaches raved about him. His skill level is one thing, but his enthusiasm for the game was huge.”

On the coaching staff and if he expects any changes:

“No. I wouldn’t anticipate any. Just look at what we’ve done and see what we’ve the last half of the season and see what we can do better.”

On the possibility Assistant Head Coach/Offense Tom Moore and Pass Rush Specialist Tom Pratt retiring:

“Yeah, I doubt it. They’re out there walking at 4:30 in the morning. They’re here every day. They’re the earliest ones here.”

On what it would mean for QB Drew Stanton to win this week’s game in Seattle:

“Oh gosh, yeah. He was so close up there a couple years ago, and we dropped an easy touchdown pass. We just blew that game. But yeah, it’d be great for him. Not that he needs being legitimized at all in our locker room, but I think it would help with the fans, to know how good of a player he really is.”

On if Stanton’s touchdown passes against the Giants really showed his ability:

“That one to John Brown? Yeah, both of those skinny posts were great throws.”

On what he meant when he said Stanton is a “calming influence” on him:

“Yeah, he knows, half the time, what I’m going to say before I say it, and he’s already got the answer. I can yell at him and it’s just, ‘OK.” It’s just normal conversation with him. I don’t have to guard what I say to Drew or Carson. I have to guard what I say to Blaine (Gabbert) because he hasn’t been around long enough. But yeah, he’ll come up to me, ‘Hey, this is what I saw. We had already picked these two plays, but I like this one better now that what I’m seeing out there.’ Great. You don’t get that from a lot of guys.”

On the success against the Seahawks in Seattle:

“Well first of all, you start with Carson, because he’s played great up there the three times we’ve won. John Brown was huge. J.J. Nelson was huge last year. The big thing, you’ve got to run the football against Seattle, and you need to hit chunk plays. It’s just so hard to go down the field without chunk plays against them.”

On if RB David Johnson’s return next season is another reason to return as head coach:

“That’s a great one. About 2,000 – maybe 2,500 – good reasons.”

On if he can rely on chunk plays from the Cardinals defense if he can’t get as many as he’d like from the offense:

“Yeah, that was a huge. That game was close, and then all of a sudden – boom – we got a defensive touchdown. Field position is always a major battle with Seattle. If we can get an interception or just a three-and-out when they’re backed up, that is huge when you’re playing a team that good.”

On Stanton dancing down the sidelines like he did a couple seasons ago:

“I hope he’s chasing somebody, dancing as good as he did that time.”

On what he still loves the most about coaching:

“The relationships. The relationship with the players. Building a roster. There really isn’t anything I don’t like about it.”

On if he likes interacting with the media:

“You guys are great. Even Jody (Jackson).”

On why he would leave if he still loves coaching:

“Who says I am? Everybody out of town. Everybody out of town.”

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