Bruce Arians was never the guy.  

For most of his career, he was what Martin Sheen once described on The West Wing as “the guy, that the guy depends on.”

In his 40-year career, he became the ultimate journeyman offensive mind in football. His specialty was molding quarterbacks. 

He coached the likes of Carson Palmer, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger. He was passed over for NFL head coaching jobs into his late 50s but when he got the chance, he won coach of the year twice and the super bowl in Tampa with Tom Brady.

In the last pages of autobiography, The Quarterback Whisperer: How to Build an Elite NFL Quarterback he laid out his theory of leadership. 

On the college level, he said, “coaching is about molding teenagers into men and leading them to be positive members of society.” 

In the NFL, on the hand, you’re dealing with adults, and he said, “that’s about building relationships.”

“If a player had a bad game,” He wrote, "I'm going to give him a beer and a big sincere hug. You see, I know they tried. They gave it their best shot. Sometimes you come up short.”

He continued, “A big part of me is rooted in the belief that you must take chances in life and in football. If you don’t try to take shots down the field, you’re never going to hit a great shot down the field.  You gotta live smart. And never live scared. I call plays and coach quarterbacks the same way. No risk it. No biscuit.”

Now that’s a philosophy I can get behind. 

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