Bruce Arians has "Tony Soprano swag."
This is a ridiculous statement to make about a 60-year old man, especially coming from an NFL quarterback like Carson Palmer. But anyone who has watched Arians operate, even from afar, knows exactly what Palmer means.
Silver: The Cardinal Rule
Michael Silver chronicles the extraordinary rise of Bruce Arians, a unique head coach dripping in "Tony Soprano swag." **READ**
This is Arians' year. The Cardinals coach is piloting the most fun, aggressive, and overachieving team in the league. He's clearly loving every minute of it. NFL Media columnist Michael Silver wrote a fantastic longform piece on Arians, and it gives a great look at why players run through walls for him.
"He has such a unique gift of MF-ing them during the week and getting them to play hard for him on Sunday," general manager Steve Keim said. "He works them and works them and breaks them down, and yet the players genuinely love him. It's an art form. I've never seen anything like it."
Everyone in the piece, from Larry Fitzgerald, to Calais Campbell to Palmer goes back to the same word: Swag. Arians' blunt, funny approach helps when he does things like put his squad through a full-pad, training camp-style practice just as they are going into their bye week. Arians relayed the story, which nicely sums up these Cardinals.
"I went to Darnell (Dockett) and a couple of guys, and I said, 'Look, we're going in pads and it's gonna be a nut-cutter.' They said, 'What?' I said, 'Yep,' and they said, 'OK, we've got your back.'"
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