Bruce Arians feels really good, and you can hear it in his voice.

His one-liners are zinging with extra bravado.

Being the oldest head coaching hire in NFL history?

"I think it should go along with being the sexiest."

Being required to take a full physical before becoming Tampa Bay's new head coach?

"I got a 'C.' I was fired up. My doctors in Arizona were ecstatic. My doctors (in Georgia) were ecstatic.

"I've been an 'F' for about 10 years between cancers and blood pressure issues."

Trading for problematic Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown?

"Too much diva."

He couldn't be bothered that Brown fired back and ripped him via social media.

Arians, 66, swears he's back where he belongs.

"I look at this as our last hurrah," said his wife, Chris, a York Catholic graduate. "Hopefully, we succeed big-time and go out with fireworks."

More:Bruce Arians returns to NFL, named head coach of Tampa Bay Buccaneers

More:York grad Bruce Arians retires, prepares for a new life without the NFL, coaching

Arizona to Tampa Bay

Arians is seemingly reborn since ditching coaching "retirement" to lead the struggling Buccaneers. Will this finally be the send-off for the York High grad who has been coaching for more than 40 years?

Such a marriage seemed unlikely after Arians looked to be running on fumes two years ago with the Arizona Cardinals. His team missed the playoffs. His health was shaky after one too many scares. He and his wife wanted to pull back for family and golf at their "forever home" in Georgia.

So he took a CBS Sports analyst job, where he had to travel to an NFL game across the country for 17-straight weeks. He was home less than when he coached.

What football fix he did get only seemed to highlight what he missed.

By November, he all but lobbied to become the next Cleveland Browns head coach — but the Browns never called.

And then, almost magically, all of the right breaks broke. No matter that the Bucs were 5-11 last year and haven't won a playoff game in 16 years.

"The stars aligned," Arians said by phone this week.

"The job came open, the general manager being a good friend, great ownership. A quarterback I like and know."

Desire to coach again

There also was the ability to hire so many assistant coaches who either worked with him, played under him or both. From recently-fired New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles (He'll be Arians' defensive coordinator again) to former Arians quarterback Byron Leftwich (He'll be Arians' offensive coordinator).

If these type of guys weren't available, "that might have been the reason not to do it for me."

It turns out he needed to finally be away from coaching to become re-energized.

He felt it while doing pregame production meetings during his CBS job. It hit particularly hard when he hooked up with one of his former players, Houston Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu, before a game.

A clincher came in midseason when he was watching a practice and a cornerback "made a mistake and I almost corrected him. I thought I better back it up.

"That spoke volumes to me."

Arians admits that he's addicted to the atmosphere of the job, especially the relationships.

"How much I miss the guys and the brotherhood of the locker room. If you haven't been in a team building experience, there's no way to describe the accountability to each other and working toward a common cause.

"I realized that's my DNA."

Jameis Winston and Tampa expectations

In Tampa, he will inherit a potential superstar quarterback in Jameis Winston who hasn't fulfilled expectations. Arians, a celebrated quarterback guru, has known Winston since the 10th-grader attended one of his football camps.

Arians won't be calling plays for the first time as a head coach, giving those responsibilities to Leftwich. He hopes this will be freeing and improve his ability to oversee both offense and defense.

He expects to radiate the same communication and bonding skills with million dollar players 40 years younger.

"Be honest with them. So they expect the correct answer from you, not just the one they want to hear.

"I'm going to talk real ugly to you at times," he said of his players, "but I'm talking to your football. It has nothing to do with you personally."

He's revving for his first full staff meeting Monday morning in Tampa. Next comes evaluating his current players on film, planning for free agency and building a playbook.

"Fortunately, most of the (coaches) already know the playbook," Arians said. "We just have to find what we need best and work with our scouts."

The more he talks, the more perfect it sounds.

He's changed his diet. His wife has mandated that he fits a workout into every work day.

The one-liners keep coming.

His wife: "He said if he’s going to have a heart attack, it'd be better on the field then in his recliner."

His Pennsylvania connection

Being in Tampa is only a six-hour drive from their permanent lake home in Georgia. It's close enough to their daughter and toddler grandson in Alabama, with another baby on the way.

Through it all, Arians said he's routinely boosted by the support from family and friends in York, Pennsylvania.

More:Bruce Arians helps usher in York City Parks Conservancy

He swears that his 93-year-old mother, Kay, who lives in Hanover, may be the one most excited.

"Just the tone of her voice," he said with a laugh. "She's like, 'Are you going to get the job? Are you going to get the job?'"

He thinks often of his father. Bert Arians died several years ago and never saw his son become a head coach in the NFL.

"My dad taught me to go to work and give everything to your boss. Your name and honor and family are the only things that matter in life. Friends I had 50 years now, 55 years, we're still real close.

"I love that they're part of the journey ..."

The goal, ultimately, will be about re-tooling Winston, tightening a leaky defense and turning the Bucs into a playoff winner.

In two years, Tampa will host the Super Bowl. Could Arians' team become the first to play the game on their home field?

"And then," his wife said, "he's allowed to retire."

Retire, quite possibly, for the final time.