Any of us who has worked for a company large or small, has been in a meeting towards the beginning of the year, where the company you work for lists its top priorities and how YOU play a critical part in achieving these goals. This speech can often be followed by a list of budget cuts and increased expectations. Something like this “With the combination of a 10% increase in production paired with a 10% reduction in expenses. There is no one who can stop us!”(Enter Michelle Obama style eye roll here).
However, the Arizona Cardinals are making their priorities crystal clear; they want to see a monumental improvement in quarterback play. By hiring Bruce Arians the Cardinals’ secured the services of what some would say was the best QB coach available. Arians comes in with an impressive resume of understudies that include multiple Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger and rookie sensation Andrew Luck. This hire puts the current quarterbacks roster on full alert that their jobs are in peril and that the Cardinals have decided that they are the reason that team results have fallen short of expectations.
As with most hurdles this can be seen as a gift or curse. Critical feedback received while in the right frame of mind can be like rocket fuel. Wrong frame of mind, it’s like sand in the gas tank. The Cardinals QB’s will need to be in the right frame of mind to improve their skill set and potential job prospects. If the recent history of the NFL is an indicator, there will be a star QB in 2013 that was seen sitting on the bench in 2012. Bruce Arians also needs to be mindful not to become distracted and forget why he was hired. I recently heard a story on the radio that Arians personally made a phone call to Darnell Dockett to tell him how much he wanted him on the team and how his new defensive scheme would help the defensive lineman become more of a playmaker ,which is what Dockett needed to hear. For the time being, that should be about the last time he speaks to someone who plays defense. The Cardinals have a highly respected defensive roster and Arians is bringing along an experienced defensive coordinator. Bruce Arians needs to introduce his wife to their three new sons or however many quarterbacks the Cardinals will enter training camp with. Arians should be having quarterback oatmeal for breakfast, QB Clubs for lunch, and a QB casserole for dinner. Why? Because that’s why he was brought here!
What if your boss, spouse, kids, or any other person you wanted to please told you exactly in no uncertain terms what they expected of you? Wouldn’t that be great? The only stipulation is that you would have to deliver, would you still take that deal? Bruce Arians did exactly that when he accepted the Cardinals proposal, he better not waste too much time admiring his new engagement ring…………the kitchen is a mess.
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