No risk it, no biscuit.
Bruce Arians' football philosophy was on display in the Cardinals' wild Divisional Round playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers.
On offense, Arians decided to throw the ball on second down ahead of the two-minute warning, instead of running the ball and milking another 40 seconds off the clock. The pass fell incomplete, giving Aaron Rodgers enough time to tie the game with an incredible Hail Mary at the end of regulation.
Arians wasn't interested in simply taking 40 seconds off the clock, he wanted a first down so he could end the game.
"I play to win," Arians said of his decision to throw, via the team's official website.
Then with five seconds remaining, Arians stayed aggressive on defense. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher sent seven rushers at Rodgers on his Hail Mary heave instead of stocking the end zone with defenders.
"Most teams play the prevent," Arians said. "That's what Betch was going to play. I said, 'Hell no. Blitz him.' (Rodgers) made a great throw. I thought that Calais (Campbell) was held, but it still ended up being a touchdown."
Saturday Arians' aggression could have burned him if not for Larry Fitzgerald's otherworldly play. If you are a Cardinals fan, this is what you signed up for and you're probably perfectly fine with it right now.
When aggressiveness works, Arians is lauded. When it doesn't he's loudly critiqued. But he won't change. If he goes down, he'll go down swinging. It's what makes him great.
