Bruce Arians Comments on Being Fired by Steelers in 2012

Bruce Arians has thrived ever since the Arizona Cardinals hired him as their head coach in 2013, but a conversation with HBO's Real Sports shed light on the bumpy road he traversed before arriving in the desert.

Speaking to Andrea Kremer, Arians revealed his split with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012 came as a surprise.

When asked how contract negotiations with the Steelers unfolded, Arians said head coach Mike Tomlin told him, "I'll get you your bread," before that promise went unfulfilled.

"I got a call on Monday and [Tomlin] said, 'I can't get you the money.' I said, 'OK,'" Arians said (via ESPN.com). "He said, 'No, I can't get you a contract.' I said, 'Are you firing me?' He said, 'No.' 'Well ... it's just a matter of words, Mike. OK. If I don't have a contract, I'm fired.'"

A trailer for the segment can be viewed below, while the profile is scheduled to air in full Tuesday:

When asked why he thought the team let him go, Arians told Kremer "the style of offense, and my relationship with Ben [Roethlisberger]." Specifically, Arians mentioned that "some people" thought he was too close with the quarterback.

Arians said he thought he did a "damn good job" and admitted he was "pissed." However, he concluded that "time heals things."

While his split with the Steelers may have been bitter, Arians has helped lift the Cardinals to new heights after posting a 9-3 record as the Indianapolis Colts' interim head coach in 2012, when Chuck Pagano was on medical leave.

Arizona has recorded a winning record in every season since Arians became the team's head coach, and the 13 victories in 2015 represented a new franchise record.

Season	W-L	W-L %	Playoff Finish
2013	10-6	.625	-----
2014	11-5	.688	Lost Wild Card vs. Carolina, 27-16
2015	13-3	.813	Lost NFCCG vs. Carolina, 49-15
Total	34-14	.708	-----

The Cardinals offense has also emerged as one of the league's most explosive.

After ranking 31st in scoring and last in yardage in the season prior to Arians' arrival, the Cardinals have climbed up the league rankings in a big way. Although quarterback Carson Palmer's torn ACL marred their 2014 season, the veteran signal-caller rebounded in 2015 and helped lead Arizona to the NFC Championship Game.

En route to securing an NFC West title, the Cardinals ranked first in yards per game (408.3) and second in scoring (30.6 points per game) behind the Carolina Panthers.

Replicating that success in the season ahead figures to be a tall task. But with a stacked supporting cast that includes David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown, an offensive mastermind like Arians should have no trouble maximizing his stars' skills to help Arizona maintain its status as an elite points producer.