Bruce Arians was the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers for five years. His tenure came to an end back in 2012, as it was time for both sides to move on. He helped the Steelers to two Super Bowl appearances, which included one ring. The most recent one, the loss to the Green Bay Packers in SB XLV, still leaves a bad taste in the mouths of Steelers fans and former players.
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Recently, former offensive tackle Max Starks accused Arians of trying to get quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the MVP in that game. Starks felt as if Arians was more focused on getting his QB the MVP as opposed to helping the offense excel overall and win the game. Arians appeared on the Barstool Sports podcast, Pardon My Take. He was asked who was the best quarterback that he ever worked with, and his answer may surprise some.
Yep, it's Andrew Luck, not Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger. Now, to be fair, he did coach a mid-40s Brady. Still, he was able to lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl in 2020. In 2021, Arians' final year in Tampa Bay, Brady finished second in the MVP voting. Despite the age he was clearly still playing at a high level. As for Luck, Arians spent just one season with the Indianapolis Colts as their offensive coordinator. That also happened to be Luck's rookie year, when the quarterback finished second in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and made the Pro Bowl.
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That was all despite him throwing 18 interceptions, which was tied for third-most in the 2012 NFL season. Some of Roethlisberger's seasons came without Arians, so it's not too surprising that the coach opted for Luck over the Steelers future Hall of Famer. In five years with Arians, No. 7 did make two Pro Bowls. The former OC also helped Roethlisberger cut down his interceptions a significant amount, throwing just 57 of them in the five-year stretch.
Arians retired just last year, which took place just after Brady's announced retirement. He had quite the coaching career, bouncing around the league quite a bit. After being an OC with the Steelers and Colts, he finally got his shot as a head coach. Arians spent a combined eight years as a head coach between the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No hard feelings from Arians in regards to Roethlisberger though, as he praised everyone throughout the episode.
What are your thoughts on Arians' comments that Luck was the best QB that he coached? Do you agree with his statement at all? Between the three QBs and the stages that he coached them, how would you rank Roethlisberger, Luck, and Brady? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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