ASHBURN — Publicly, players have had nothing but positives to say about Eric Bieniemy’s demanding coaching style. Running back Antonio Gibson said the accelerated tempo in practices has him in the best shape he’s been “in a long while.” Wide receiver Curtis Samuel said he can tell Bieniemy “wants the best out of you.” Quarterback Sam Howell said the Commanders are feeding on the coach’s energy.
But privately, the Super Bowl-pedigreed assistant coach has required more of an adjustment than some players have let on.
Coach Ron Rivera revealed Tuesday that a “number of guys” have come to him to express concern about the offensive coordinator’s intensity. Rivera said he encouraged them to talk to Bieniemy personally, which he said led to an “enlightening” conversation.
Rivera’s comments created a stir, as they were the first acknowledgment that the legendarily hard-nosed, blunt-spoken Bienemy, hired in February, may not be everyone’s cup of tea in Ashburn.
Bieniemy’s no-holds-barred approach has been a lingering talking point in the discussion over the assistant’s inability to land a head coaching position in the NFL. Is Bieniemy — a two-time Super Bowl champion coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs — too tough on players? Has that gotten in the way of his pursuit of becoming a head coach?
Bieniemy said he’s not going to change.
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“I’m always going to remain the same,” Bieniemy said. “I’m always going to be loud and I’m always going to be vocal. I’m always going to demand from our leaders. … Eric Bieniemy is who he is … but also understand I’m going to be they’re biggest and harshest critic, but I’m also their number one fan because I got their back and I’m going to support them at all times.”
Rivera has said he brought in Bieniemy this offseason in part to shake things up and get the Commanders “uncomfortable.” After firing former offensive coordinator Scott Turner in January, Rivera lured Bineiemy to Washington by giving him an expanded role — including the opportunity to be the play-caller, a role that belonged to coach Andy Reid in Kansas City.
This offseason, the Commanders have also adjusted their practice schedule to fit Bieniemy’s vision. Training camp practices are generally longer, now running on an average of 2½ hours compared to the sessions that lasted between an hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 20 minutes last year. The structure of the sessions is also markedly different, with the Commanders focusing on specific situations (such as red-zone work) for long periods of time.
On the practice field, Bieniemy’s voice is hard to ignore. The coordinator can be heard barking “Get set!” and “Finish!” repeatedly to players who are encouraged to quickly get in and out of the huddle.
On Friday, in the chippiest practice of the summer, Bieniemy urged the offense to “shut the [expletive] up]” and “stop with the dumb [expletive]” after getting into several skirmishes with the defense. That led to a rebuttal from star wideout Terry McLaurin, who made clear he wasn’t going to tolerate defenders disrespecting a teammate.
Rivera said Bieniemy has provided a “whole different approach,” but suggested that may clash with younger players who aren’t used to that old-school style of coaching. “You’re getting a different kind of player from players back in the past,” he said.
“As a coach, I kind of have to assimilate and get a feel for everybody,” Rivera said. “Eric has an approach and it’s the way he does things and he’s not going to change because he believes in it. [Defensive coordinator] Jack [Del Rio] has his approach, having been a head coach, I think Jack has a tendency to try and figure guys out a little bit more as opposed to, ‘Hey, this is it, this is the way it’s going to be.’ That type of stuff.
“Where Eric hasn’t had that experience yet.”
Bieniemy, who is Black, has interviewed for more than a dozen coaching vacancies over the years.
Despite being one of the more accomplished assistants in the league, Bieniemy’s inability to land a top gig has often been cited as an example of how the NFL struggles to hire and promote minority coaches.
After Rivera’s comments Tuesday, former Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill took to Twitter to defend Bieniemy.
“Man there is no other coach that has your back like EB!!” said Hill, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins. “Take that coaching and get better we all been through … it’s tough but I promise you it will make you better.”
Gibson, meanwhile, echoed a similar sentiment. He said that while the tempo of practice has been very different, it would only help the Commanders in the long run. “I’ll be honest, I haven’t practiced like this since I’ve been in the league,” said Gibson, a 2020 third-rounder.
“I feel like you need that as players sometimes,” Gibson said. “Some people come off a little soft, or more caring, but sometimes, you need somebody to get in there and tell you. It just helps you. It shows they really care and at the same time, it’s ‘Let me get this done so he’s not yelling at me.’”
Bieniemy, meanwhile, said he’s an “open book.” He said he always invites players in to talk to him, later adding his demanding style isn’t personal. As much as Bieniemy yells on the field, he also consistently shouts “Great job!” and other words of encouragement when satisfied.
But for those who don’t care for his intensity, Bieniemy said he’s “perfectly fine” with the criticism. He’s just doing his job, he said.
“If I ain’t doing my job, my (butt) gets fired,” Bieniemy said. “So, it’s my job and my responsibility to make sure and I’m getting our guys to do what I expect them to do.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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