Arizona Cardinals Hire Colts OC Bruce Arians as Head Coach

The Arizona Cardinals were a little late to the party, but they have reportedly found a head coach to take the team into an uncertain future.

UPDATE: Thursday, January 17th at 9:38 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

The Cardinals have officially announced the hiring of Bruce Arians:

"

The @azcardinals have named Bruce Arians as their new head coach.#AZCards #nfl

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 18, 2013"

---End of Update---

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has accepted a four-year deal from the Cardinals:

"

Bruce Arians has accepted four-year deal, with a team option for a fifth year, as head coach with Arizona Cardinals.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 18, 2013"

Arians was one of the hottest head coaching names in the NFL this offseason, as his work with Indianapolis and Andrew Luck in 2012 certainly turned some heads.

He took over as interim head coach for Chuck Pagano for the majority of the season while the Colts' head man was battling cancer, and he helped lead the Colts to the best turnaround in the NFL in 2012, going from a 2-14 record in 2011 to an 11-5 campaign this season.

With No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck and a slew of under-the-radar talent at skill positions, the Colts made it all the way to the Wild Card Round before losing to the Baltimore Ravens.

Arians finished with a 9-3 record as interim head coach, and returned those duties to Pagano prior to the postseason. Arians then missed the playoff game after being hospitalized with an inner-ear infection, leading Colts fans to play the "what if" game in the wake of his absence.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator will be the sixth head coach of the franchise since it made its move to Arizona, and will try to fix a sputtering offense bereft of any semblance of a passing game.

There's work to be done in Arizona, and it appears Arians has received the call to help turn this franchise around, starting with the 2013 season.

Ethan Grant is a featured columnist for B/R's Breaking News Team.

Follow @DowntownEG