One of the hottest coaches and biggest names Bears general manager Phil Emery has on his head coaching list is Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinatorinterim head coach Bruce Arians, whom Emery is scheduled to interview this week.
Arians has a long coaching history with some of the greatest coaches that helped build the great game of football. Arians played quarterback for Virginia Tech, finishing his senior season as team MVP in 1974 before embarking on his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Hokies one year later.
Arians has come a long way since running the Hokies wishbone offense, where he only completed 53 of 118 pass attempts (44.9) for 952 Yards, 3 touchdowns and 7 interceptions during his MVP season. Quite a turnaround from when he played and when now compared to Arians' latest quarterback project, first round pick Andrew Luck, who just broke the rookie record for most pass attempts in a season (627).
Arians was actually accused of throwing the ball too much when he served as Steelers offensive coordinator for five seasons, from 2007-2011. While coaching quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Arians helped win three AFC North Division titles, two AFC Championships and Super Bowl XLIII. Arians served as wide receivers coach when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL under Bill Cowher.
Under Arians' direction, Pittsburgh became known as a passing team where Roethlisberger averaged 247.4 net passing yards per game from 2007-2011, ranked eighth in the NFL and fifth in the AFC. Roethlisberger also became the first quarterback in Steelers history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season. This same offensive unit in 2009 had two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher, which were also Steelers firsts.
Steelers ownership wanted to get back to their trademark of running the football, and it was rumored Arians was too close in his relationship with Roethlisberger. They live close to one another in Georgia and would play golf two-to-three times a week in the offseason. Roethlisberger is on record stating Arians was a father figure to him during some difficult times off the field.
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Arians is a hard-nosed coach who rides his players to succeed. He demonstratively denounces those who question his ability to run the football. I run it when the defense dictates we should run it, he told me during the SirusXM NFL training camp tour in Anderson, Ind. this past fall. Its hard to argue his point, as Arians Temple Owls led the nation in rushing while he served as their head coach from 1983 to 1988.
A little Paul Bear Bryant must have rubbed off on Arians when served on Alabamas staff, but plenty of former Indianapolis offensive coordinator Tom Moores genius certainly has. Moore was the Colts offensive coordinator who was given the job of breaking in Peyton Manning into the NFL. His offenses and their success speak for themselves. They are quarterback-driven, where the entire playbook is at the quarterback's fingertips at the line of scrimmage. Who served as Peytons quarterback coach under Tom Moore in Indianapolis? None other than Bruce Arians.
Arians is more than capable of being a head coach and reigning in quarterback Jay Cutler. His job as interim head coach for the Colts while Chuck Pagano recovered from leukemia this year speaks for itself. Some worry about longevity as Arians was thinking about retirement before Pagano threw him a life line to tutor Andrew Luck. Arians is a lifer and why Indianapolis general manager Ryan Grigson is trying to fatten Arians contract to finish what he started in Indianapolis. On a funny note, Bears fans may have to put the earmuffs on during an Arians press conference... he's old school!