Bruce Arians declines to address Adrian Peterson reports

Wearing a white hat and a wide smile, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians enlightened and entertained during an interview session Wednesday morning, a few hours before the NFL owners meetings at the Biltmore ended.

Like other NFC coaches, Arians was peppered with questions for an hour, and he only sidestepped those involving the Cardinals' reported interest in acquiring Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

"I ain't saying jack about Adrian Peterson," Arians said. "You trying to get me fined?"

It was the first time Arians has been available to reporters since free agency started on March 12. The Cardinals signed six players that first week, including two offensive linemen and two defensive linemen.

Improving a running game that ranked next-to-last in yards per game (81.8) and last in yards per carry (3.29) last year was a priority this offseason. Arians believes the signing of guard Mike Iupati and center A.Q. Shipley will help.

"There were some areas last year we fell short in ... running the ball in the red zone," Arians said. "Not so much goal line, but short-yardage situations. We felt like we got more powerful and we also got more athletic."

The Cardinals released center Lyle Sendlein earlier this month after he refused a pay cut, but they would like to re-sign him to compete for the job he's held the last seven years.

"I thought Lyle played well last year," Arians said. "In November, December, he was hurt and gutted it out. It was not his best in those two months."

Arians addressed a variety of other topics, ranging from proposed rule changes to his relationship with General Manager Steve Keim to coaching philosophy.

More: Not in Adrian Peterson's best interest to play in Minnesota, agent says

Some highlights:

-- On what he said to Keim when Keim was named executive of the year by The Sporting News: "Dude, you got a cup, we can drink out of that."

--What he likes about the two defensive linemen signed in free agency: Cory Redding and Corey Peters.

"First of all, tremendous passion for the game. Cory Redding might be the best leader I've ever been around. "Corey Peters is a very versatile player. He play nose, he can play five (technique), he can play three. We've added great depth as far as position flexibility with those two guys."

-- Remaining positions to address this offseason: "In the draft, it's still speed. Speed at running back, speed at receiver, speed at linebacker, another interior player. I'd like to find another tight end who is potentially a fullback/H-back type guy."

--On running backs in this draft: "We're looking to hopefully find… not just a big back but a fast back. This is one of the best drafts for running backs that I've seen in a while. You could probably get down to round four and five."

--On not starting rookie quarterback Logan Thomas late last season: "We drafted him for two years from now, not for November. I was not going to let him fail. Once you fail, those scars never go away. It's hard to get the (confidence of) guys back in the locker room if you cost them the playoffs. I just wasn't going to put him in that situation."

--Kareem Martin, who played defensive end as a rookie last year, will move to outside linebacker, at least for the offseason.

--Arians said nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu struggled to come back from a knee injury last year and gained weight. "Ate himself out of a job." Arians left the impression that Ta'amu has lost weight since.

--Arians wants to see consistency from defensive end Calais Campbell, who made the Pro Bowl last season. "He disappears too much."

--On changing his coaching style over the years: "If I coached the way I coached at Temple, I'd be in jail."

--On safety Tyrann Mathieu's progress this offseason. "He's got a gleam in his eye that I haven't seen in awhile."