Williams To Cards: Let’s Not Be Crybabies

Cary Williams took a long pause before giving his reply. A reporter brought up the fact that Bruce Arians submitted some 15 plays to the league for review following the Cardinals’ narrow loss to the Eagles Sunday. After digesting that news like one might a box of nails, Williams began.

“Let’s not be crybabies, man,” he said. “I thought the refs kept them in the game to some degree at times. But it’s football, man. It’s about going out there and executing. If they came in here with a different attitude, maybe not so nonchalant, thinking it was going to be a cakewalk…

“I’m not big on teams sending stuff in, and ‘This is what needs to be called.’ Play the game, dude. It’s football, man. Either you come in and win or you blame it on the refs. Don’t blame it on the refs, blame it on your preparation that week. I’ve never been a fan of coaches sending stuff into the refs unless it was blatant. To me I didn’t think there was anything blatant out on the field.”

Arians began his day-after press conference by telling the media that ‘there were obviously problems in the ballgame” and that the team had sent some 15 plays to NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino for review.

“That’s pretty high,” Arians said of the number of plays sent to the league. “I think that’s considered a problem.”

Arians’ words and actions did not sit well with Williams.

“We’re all grown men. You lost, man. It’s a game that you felt like you should have won. Well, you should have come out and played a little better, you should have coached a little better, whatever was going on. I heard a lot of stuff about Bruce Arians talking. You know how I feel about those Pittsburgh guys, anyway.”

Arians was an assistant coach in Pittsburgh from 2004-2011. Williams, a former Raven, has a distaste for any Steeler, past or present. Arians did nothing to change that attitude, apparently.

“I don’t know,” said Williams, “I guess they were on a hot streak, and they want some calls.”