Eric Bieniemy was a star ball carrier who became one of the NFL’s most talented running back coaches.
After devoting most of his life to the rushing game at the pro level, he’s now 54 and runs one of the most pass-happy offenses in football. What happened?
“I blame Coach Reid for this,” Bieniemy said with a hearty laugh, referring to Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “He’s always had a saying, ‘When in doubt, go deep.’”
Working for Reid for a decade rubbed off on Bieniemy, who is in his first year as offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
Given the charge to develop Sam Howell, Bieniemy hasn’t cheated the young quarterback out of opportunities. Among the notable numbers:
• Washington throws the ball 65% of the time on first-and-10, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL, one spot ahead of the Chiefs.
• Howell is on pace to drop back to throw 795 times this season, which would be an NFL record.
• Howell leads the league in passes of 10 yards or fewer, with 251 such completions (Reid’s quarterback, Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, is second with 241).
• On fourth down, with two yards or fewer to gain, the Commanders have passed on five of their seven attempts.
Bieniemy became a hot topic in the offseason when he was again passed over for the league’s head coaching openings, despite his run of success with the Chiefs.
He landed in Washington, with Rivera giving him total control of the offense and broad latitude over things like practice schedules and daily routines.
While Bieniemy’s numbers aren’t spectacular, they’re solid, and his performances this year have earned him largely positive reviews from those who know what he’s working with in Washington, given the team’s depleted offensive line.
Opining for ESPN’s Andscape site earlier this season, analyst Jason Reid wrote: “The narrative that Bieniemy is a buffoon who merely held Reid’s clipboard for five years has already been shattered. Perhaps NFL team owners will soon open their eyes, too.”
This week alone, four team-centric websites have speculated on whether Bieniemy might be on their shortlist next year given presumed openings: the Saints, Patriots, Cowboys and Chargers.
Bieniemy would also likely be considered for a potential opening in Washington if Rivera is moved along by new ownership, as is widely speculated.
Still, even as he’s had success, Bieniemy has also shown the candor that has reportedly rubbed teams the wrong way during his head-coaching interviews. He ran a tough training camp and takes no nonsense from players, demanding an intense work week.
Bieniemy also stands out in a league of self-promoters. After success against the Eagles, even in a losing performance, he refused to tout the stats his unit put up.
“We played good enough just to entertain folks,” he said at the time. “We didn’t win. So, did they play well? Yes. Did we do enough to win? Absolutely not.”
He added: “We’re not going to celebrate small victories, meaning we had some success, but we didn’t find a way to win. We’ve got to continue to find a way to win.”
The next two games, this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks and the following week against the New York Giants, represent opportunities to build on the progress shown so far — and put Bieniemy firmly into the head-coaching discussion.
Bieniemy said one of the biggest adjustments he’s made this year is learning that he doesn’t have the decade-long foundation he helped build for his offenses in Kansas City. There are times in Washington that Bieniemy says he has to slow things down.
“More than anything, just making sure the overall communication is where it needs to be,” Bieniemy said. “I can’t assume that they all know, because I didn’t spend 10 years with them. I’ve only spent a few months with them. So I’ve got to make sure that I’m becoming a clearer communicator at times.
“Then I’ve just got to make sure that I’m growing and putting them in the best situations, because regardless of what takes place, I’m always going to point the finger right back here, right back at me, because I always feel I can be better.”
Rivera, who also worked with Reid for many years, said he sees the similarities between the two and their styles.
“Having been a part of that success that Andy had early on, I can see it,” Rivera said. “I see a lot of positives, a lot of parallels right now. I really do.”
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