Taylor takes Bills to NFL Playoffs for first time since 1999

Tech alum Bruce Arians announces his retirement from coaching

January 5, 2018

Sunday, Jan. 7 – 1:05 p.m.

No. 6 Buffalo (9-7) at No. 3 Jacksonville (10-6)
Under QB Tyrod Taylor, the Bills ended the longest active postseason drought in American professional sports at 17 years. The Bills have a tough test ahead of them as they face the Jaguars and their vaunted defense. Taylor has been the driving force this season for the Bills accounting for 14 TDs and just 4 INTs for 2,799 yards through the air, while also rushing 85 times for 427 yards with four touchdowns on 85 carries on the ground. TE Logan Thomas finished the regular season with seven receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown.

TYROD'S FOCUS

✅ This opportunity
✅ What he can control
✅ Lunch

📽 via @BuffaloBills #Hokies 🦃 + #GoBills pic.twitter.com/vp3gWFfLkS

— VT Football (@VT_Football) January 3, 2018

Sunday, Jan. 7 – 4:40 pm

No. 5 Carolina (11-5) at No. 4 New Orleans (11-5)
RB Trey Edmunds and the Saints own the No. 4 seed in the NFC after winning the NFC South. New Orleans swept the Panthers during the regular season to win the head-to-head tiebreaker and homefield in this postseason contest. Edmunds has been a key contributor this season on special teams tallying six tackles to go along with his three kickoff returns for a total of 65 yards. He has also contributed in the running game, earlier this season he carried the ball nine times for 48 yards with a 41-yard TD run in a 47-10 win at Buffalo on Nov. 12.

What a run for BA!

"It's been my pleasure to be your head coach."@BruceArians shared this message with the team after the game last night. #BeRedSeeRed #ThanksBA pic.twitter.com/eGLT7E1vRW

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 1, 2018

Two-time NFL Coach of the Year Bruce Arians announced Monday morning that he was retiring from coaching after a long and accomplished career. Arians served as the starting QB for the Hokies in 1974 set a single-season school QB record with 11 rushing TDs, a mark that wasn’t broken until Jerod Evans (12) did so in 2016. Arians was a graduate assistant for the Hokies from 1975-77 before working with several other programs. He was eventually named the head coach of the Temple Owl from 1983-88.

After his time at Temple Arians moved on to the NFL holding multiple jobs for several franchises. In 2003, Arians was hired as the wide receivers coach for the Steelers, eventually winning a Super Bowl in 2006 with the team. Following the season, he was prompted to offensive coordinator winning another Super Bowl in 2009. Arians remained the Steelers offensive coordinator until his contract expired following the 2011 season.

While serving as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, he took over as interim head coach for an ailing Chuck Pagano and led the Colts and Rookie QB Andrew Luck to a 9-3 record. He also became the first interim head coach to win AP Coach of the Year.

The following season Arians was named the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals where he led the team to a 10-6 record in his first season. In his second season Cardinals went 11-5 earning the fifth seed in the playoffs and also won his second AP Coach of the Year award. In his third season Arians led the Cardinals to a franchise best 13-3 season and a trip to the NFC Championship game where they fell to the Carolina Panthers.

The 65-year-old Arians finished his 42-year coaching career as the winningest head coach in Cardinals’ history with 50 total victories. He posted a 49-30-1 record to go along with a 1-2 mark in the postseason.

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