Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was none too happy with the eight-person officiating crew that oversaw Saturday night’s preseason game against the San Diego Chargers.
In fact, that is putting it mildly.
“Don’t ask me about officials,” Arians said (h/t ESPN), when prodded about the experimental eight-person officiating crews. “Please. That’s why I’m hoarse.”
According to the report, the head coach was particularly upset about the contact downfield on some deep passes. Following an incompletion to Jaxon Shipley in the fourth quarter, Arians ripped off his hat and headset, “strongly” paced the sideline while blasting the officials.
“We need to re-learn the rules that they changed two years ago,” Arians said. “This crew might need eight preseason games to get ready.”
Someone might want to tell the coach to save his voice and energy for when the games really matter during the regular season. Missing out on some opportunities during these meaningless preseason games doesn’t really matter, as coaches can look at the tape to properly evaluate their players.
Don’t tell that to Arians, though, whose competitive nature overrode logic. He treated this scrimmage like it was Super Bowl 50, but you can bet his players love him for it.