Bruce Arians Has Simple Advice to Turn Cardinals Season Around

The Arizona Cardinals are close to finding success despite their 2-5 start.

Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians talks to the media during the 2022 NFL Combine. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Make a damn play.

That's much easier said than done, especially at the NFL level, though that's all it will take for the Arizona Cardinals to turn things around after their 2-5 start to the season.

Fans on the couch have said it. Us in the media in the press box have echoed it. Coaches surely preach it - and one of the biggest names in franchise history believes that's what needs to happen in the desert.

“You’ve just got to get on a run and start winning those close games, and then it becomes contagious,” Bruce Arians told The Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman in a recent interview.

“It’s just, ‘Hey, somebody make a damn play to win the game!’ Really. That’s what it comes down to. Somebody’s got to make a play to win the game.”

Bruce Arians Dives Into Cardinals Struggles

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians talks with quarterback Drew Stanton during a preseason game against Oakland Raiders at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 12, 2016. Arizona Cardinals | Cheryl Evans/azcentral sports / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cardinals are just a few plays away from being a 7-0 football team. On the flip side, they're also a few plays away from being winless after their bye week.

Such is life in the NFL where majority of games come down to one score, though the Cardinals clearly haven't been able to finish games.

“You’ve just got to finish. I mentioned on the show how the NFC West is the toughest division — if the Cardinals could finish. They’re right there in every game," Arians continued.

"They’re playing hard. I thought (backup quarterback) Jacoby (Brissett) came in and did a great job. They had a chance to beat the Colts in Indy and again last week (in another close loss to the Packers). Again, it’s just one play. You kind of catch fire when you make that play and you do it two or three times and all of a sudden, it’s, ‘Hey, we’re going to win these games.’”

READ: Cardinals Mailbag Questions After Bye Week

If anybody knows about success with the Cardinals, it's Arians. His offensive philosophy to attack downfield while finishing as Arizona's winningest coach in franchise history made him a local favorite before retiring, and for good reason.

Arians, when also prompted about head coach Jonathan Gannon, said the current Cardinals leader is doing "a hell of a job":

“I do,” he said. “It’s not like they’re getting blown out. They’re in every single game. Yeah, they’ve lost five in a row. But they were all winnable.”