Bruce Arians compliments flag-happy refs, isn’t dumping his Microsoft tablet
Oct 18, 2016, 6:35 PM | Updated: Oct 19, 2016, 12:12 pm
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians watches during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)
(AP Photo/George Bridges)
The Arizona Cardinals scratched their way back to .500 with consecutive wins against the 49ers and Jets, but a taller task awaits them Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks visit University of Phoenix Stadium.
Head coach Bruce Arians made his weekly Tuesday appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio’s Late Hits show to talk about the team’s win. The head honcho of the Cardinals offered his thoughts on the NFL’s Microsoft Surface Pro tablets that the Patriots’ Bill Belichick criticized and discussed the flag-happy referees who oversaw the 28-3 Monday victory against New York.
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Arians wasn’t so upset about the 19 combined penalties between the Cardinals and Jets on Monday. “I thought it was a well-officiated game,” he said. “There were a lot of fouls. Too many times they’re getting missed now. I know people get upset that there’s that many flags, but when there are that many penalties, they should be thrown. There could have been more.”
In New England, Bill Belichick complained about the functionality of the Microsoft sideline tablets. It was arguably his longest response to a reporter’s question ever. The Cardinals’ head coach isn’t following Belichick on the anti-tablet train. “I don’t use mine as much as the assistants,” Arians said. “We have not had many problems. Some stadiums you do have a lot of problems. I think it depends on the stadium you’re in, as far as the network. We’ve been very pleased with them.
What do the tablets bring to the table?
“Just a clearer picture and you get to (the pictures) faster. You don’t have to thumb through them. You can just hit a button and boom there it is.”
Michael Floyd’s touchdown catch on a fade route was a tactical play-call. It also was an example of Arians trying to rekindle his receiver’s confidence after he struggled with drops over several weeks. “We designed a play for Mike, talked to him Thursday, said, ‘Look, you’re going to get this coverage and then we’re going to throw you the ball for the touchdown — just catch it.’ And he did a great job.”
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is evolving, and that’ll change how the Cardinals play him. “They look more like a Super Bowl team,” Arians said of the Seahawks. “They’re finding ways to win. Russell is playing so much better from years past from the pocket. There were times early in his career you try to stay in front of him, jump up and down, keep him in the pocket because he killed us just running around — he still does. He can really, really light you up in the pocket.”
