ASHBURN — Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday he wasn’t as “clear as I needed to be” in his comments from a day earlier when he said that players were a “little concerned” over offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s demanding coaching style.
On Tuesday, Rivera told reporters that a “number of guys” had come to him to express concerns, adding he encouraged them to talk to Bieniemy personally to better understand his methods. The comments created a stir as they spread quickly all over social media and dominated sports talk shows.
Rivera said Wednesday that he met with Bieniemy personally to discuss the issue.
“I basically told him I put my foot in my mouth,” Rivera said. “I think what I said wasn’t as clear as it needed to be. And I think the understanding of it is just the fact that I think everybody is making, in my opinion, a little more than needs to be made of this.”
Rivera said his intention with his original remarks was to convey that each coach has their own way of doing things. Rivera opened his morning press conference with a lengthy statement that addressed his comments about Bieniemy.
In that statement, he reiterated that one of the reasons he hired Bieniemy — a two-time Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs — was because he loved the offensive coordinator’s message of making players “comfortable where we’re uncomfortable.” He added that the offense’s entire way of doing things has changed, and “while change is hard,” he said that he’s encouraged players to have “great dialogue” with the coaching staff. He said he believes those conversations have translated to the field.
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“I’ve seen the improvements,” Rivera said. “I can honestly say that the last couple of practices, probably been the best of training camp, which I think is great. To me, that displays a team that is beginning to embrace the message and approach to how he does things and how we want things done.”
Rivera also clarified remarks in which he contrasted Bieniemy’s coaching style to his own and that of defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. On Tuesday, Riveras said he and Del Rio tend to adapt more to players because they’ve been head coaches, “where Eric hasn’t had that experience yet.” Despite Bieniemy’s decorated resume, the offensive coordinator has been unable to land a head coaching job in interviews with more than a dozen teams.
Rivera said he didn’t communicate the comments “correctly,” adding he intended to show that every coach has their own methods.
“I mean I had Buddy Ryan riding me for two years, I had Mike Ditka riding me for nine,” Rivera said, referencing his playing days with the Chicago Bears. “It’s the way they did things. Their approach is completely different from mine. I’m not saying one is better than the other. I’m just saying that we’re all different. We all have our ways.”
A day earlier, Bieniemy spoke with reporters after Rivera’s comments and maintained he wasn’t going to change his methods.
Across the NFL community, a number of Bieniemy’s former players took to defend him on social media. Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill, who played under Bieniemy in Kansas City, tweeted that there’s “no other coach that has your back like EB,” adding his tough coaching makes players better. Former running back Jamaal Charles wrote that he loved the coordinator.
Rivera’s comments weren’t well received among former players, executives and other pundits. Former Browns general manager Michael Lombardi criticized Rivera for airing players’ “unhappiness in public,” calling the comments a “classic case of absence of leadership.” Local radio host Danny Rouhier wondered how Rivera “could run Eric Bieniemy under the bus like this.”
Former defensive lineman and current ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said players’ concerns about Bieniemy’s intensity were a sign that they were “soft.”
That narrative didn’t sit well with Commanders safety Kam Curl, who tweeted “Ain’t nobody soft over here Crazyman.”
Rivera, though, said he didn’t address his remarks with players and wasn’t concerned with the perception that they may be labeled soft because of his remarks.
He said when players came to him about Bieniemy initially, the conversations centered around them asking why Bieniemy was doing things the way he was.
“When you understand why, why people do the things the way they do them, and you look at the end result, that’s the important part,” Rivera said. “The best part is we’re seeing it.”
This is far from the first time that Rivera ignited a firestorm with his comments at a press conference. Last season, he apologized to the team for creating a distraction after he told reporters that “quarterback” was the reason for Washington’s lack of progress compared to divisional rivals.
Later in the year, he also tweaked the fanbase after appearing to not know that a late-season loss to the Cleveland Browns set up Washington to be eliminated from playoff contention. “We can be eliminated?” Rivera said.
Wednesday’s press conference was his latest attempt to do damage control.
“The biggest thing is we’re all on the same page,” Rivera said. “Everybody. I’m fortunate to have an experienced staff (with) guys like Eric and Jack and a roster of players who want to help this franchise take the next step.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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