ARIZONA CARDINALS

Cardinals’ Arians ready, butterfly-filled for Sunday

Sep 6, 2013, 11:19 PM | Updated: 11:20 pm

Presented By...

A new era for the Arizona Cardinals lies on the precipice, but their debutant head coach has familiar jitters.

Asked by the media Friday whether he’d have butterflies prior to Sunday’s season opener versus the Rams in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Bruce Arians was candid.

“I have them every week,” Arians answered with a chuckle.

“I always get a tear in my eye for the national anthem,” he added.

But this week, week one, is likely to be more nerve-racking than past weeks for Arians, who is an official head coach for the first time in his career. The 60-year-old served as the Indianapolis Colts’ interim head coach for the majority of last season, accruing a 9-3 record en route to earning AP Head Coach of the Year honors.

Nonetheless, he’s prepared for the challenges his team will face starting the season on the road, facing the noise of the opposition’s crowd.

Taking the crowd out of the game early, Arians said, is the ideal.

However, “You’ve got to plan for just the opposite,” he said.

“You’ve got to plan for something that gets the crowd fired up and you’ve got to answer the bell.”

Last season, the Cardinals went 1-7 on the road, their only away win coming against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Arians expects that to change, hoping to instill a new mental toughness in his team.

While he hopes for a big play early on, he’s not depending on it.

“It’s a lot easier if you can get it down by taking the crowd out,” Arians said, “but you’ve got to be prepared to fight it for 60 minutes.”

Presented By
Western Governors University

Arizona Cardinals

Desmond Ridder runs the rock against Houston...

Tyler Drake

Desmond Ridder eager to remind fellow Cardinals QB Clayton Tune about college wins

Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder may not know Kyler Murray just yet, but he and Clayton Tune go way back.

2 days ago

LSU's Malik Nabers, a top NFL Draft prospect...

Kevin Zimmerman

NFL Draft: Malik Nabers to visit Arizona Cardinals after LSU pro day, per report

Top NFL Draft receiver prospect Malik Nabers will reportedly visit with the Arizona Cardinals after the LSU Tigers' pro day.

2 days ago

Desmond Ridder looks to pass...

Tyler Drake

QB1 or not, Desmond Ridder keeping starter mentality with Cardinals

New Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder is focused on using the good and the bad from his first two seasons rather than listening to outside chatter.

3 days ago

Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray look on...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray’s ‘best football is ahead of him’

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Kyler Murray will continue taking the necessary steps forward with a full offseason of work.

3 days ago

Kyler Murray chats with Jonathan Gannon...

Arizona Sports

Arizona Cardinals will face ‘really good’ AFC opponent for joint preseason practices

The Arizona Cardinals expect to hold joint practices in the preseason against a really good AFC opponent, in the words of Jonathan Gannon.

3 days ago

Patriots and Cardinals kick off return in 2020...

Associated Press

NFL owners approve new kickoff rules for 2024

NFL kickoff rules will take on a hybrid approach similar to the XFL. League owners approved the new measures Tuesday.

3 days ago

Cardinals’ Arians ready, butterfly-filled for Sunday