By Bob McManaman, Arizona Republic
It wasn’t just the winning that attracted us all to Bruce Arians. It was his unique sense of style, the swag and yes, the censorship needed to properly handle some of his many, many colorful remarks during a typical Cardinals’ press conference.
Arians didn’t just fill your daily notebook, he gave you absolute belly laughs, and his salty language only made him more interesting, spontaneous and fun.
You could tell that right away from one of his earliest interview sessions upon becoming the Cardinals’ head coach in 2013, when Arians was asked how he felt about former players referring to him more as a father figure than just a coach.
“I don’t like that,” Arians said. “I’m the cool uncle you’d like to have a drink with. Everybody had that uncle that you’re like – you just love that uncle, you know? He might call you a little s–t or something, but you really liked him. That’s me.”
“Cool Uncle Bruce” hasn’t changed a bit since he announced his retirement as the Cardinals’ coach during a tearful goodbye a day after the conclusion of the 2017 season.