Before making a lateral move from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Washington Commanders as the team's new offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy was interviewed for an NFL head coaching job on 16 different occasions, but he was never hired for the position. During his four-year stint as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, his unit led the league in offensive yardage from scrimmage per game three times (2018, 2020, 2022) en route to hoisting two Super Bowl trophies (2019 & 2022). Despite having notched mind-boggling historical statistics in the NFL record books, many pundits throughout the league and sports media institutions attributed the lion's share of the Chief's efficiency on the offensive side of the ball to the team's quarterback, Patrick Mahomes and the genius of head coach Andy Reid. Both of whom have crept into "GOAT discussions" for their respective categories in the gridiron profession. Patrick Mahomes, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, has a trajectory that could propel his career accolades beyond the apex of Tom Brady's legacy someday. In comparison, the play-calling of his head coach Andy Reid has been compared to the innovativeness of the late Bill Walsh. Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Eric Bieniemy formed a dynastic brain trust that could have endured a decade-long run at championship success that may have placed them in rarified air amongst the Steelers of the 70s, the 49ers of the 80s or the Patriots of the 2000s. Who knows? Perhaps, Bieniemy would have succeeded Andy Reid as the next head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs someday, but at the rate of the team's current success, that day may not have come until many years down the line, long after Travis Kelce retires and more head coaching vacancies continue to get filled by his contemporaries around the league.
The tribulation that Eric Bieniemy is navigating through today is a recurring theme steeped in the history of the NFL's hiring process. Back in 2001, Marvin Lewis, the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, was lauded for scheming a stingy defensive unit that often stifled the play of the AFC's top-tier quarterbacks, Peyton Manning (Colts) and Tom Brady (Patriots), en route to winning a Super Bowl and breaking records. The public perception was that Marvin Lewis should have been a coveted prospect for a head coaching position. But Lewis wasn't offered an adequate head coaching opportunity until he made a lateral career move to the Washington Commanders (formerly the R*dskins), where he operated as the team's defensive coordinator for one season in 2002. Back then, Washington's head coach, Steve Spurrier, referred to Marvin Lewis as "the head coach of the defense." The following year, Marvin Lewis became the first Black head coach in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals' franchise when he accepted the job from the team's owner, Mike Brown.
Fair or unfair, as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy would never have gotten the credit he deserved as long as he continued to share the spotlight with Mahomes and Reid. This notion contributed to Bieniemy's decision to accept the offensive coordinator position with the Washington Commanders. Because, unlike Andy Reid in Kansas City, Washington's head coach Ron Rivera is a defensive-minded coach whose prowess will not overshadow his creativity in play-playing. However, according to LeSean McCoy, a former running back with the Chiefs, his former offensive coordinator in Kansas City might get exposed now that he's no longer operating under Andy Reid's umbrella.
On a recent episode of Speak, McCoy shared some insight about Eric Bieniemy's capabilities as a signal-caller and leader of men in the looker room. The All-Pro running back turned co-host on Fox Sports 1 told his on-air counterparts that despite the public's outcry for Bieniemy to land a head coaching job, his former boss never called plays and was rarely involved in strategizing the passing game.
"You know Eric Bieniemy better than most," said the host of Speak, Emmanuel Acho.
"Yes, I do," responded his co-host, LeSean McCoy.
"You know him really well. Eric is a former running back, [and] LeSean McCoy is one of the greatest running backs. Eric Bieniemy [was the] offensive coordinator. LeSean McCoy was one of the players that won a Super Bowl under Eric Bieniemy. How big of a risk is Eric Bieniemy [taking], leaving the Chiefs and going to the Commanders."
"I think it's a great move, getting more money, now you're on your own, but it's a huge risk," McCoy said. "You don't have Andy Reid there...Now you're your own! Reid called all the plays. How it worked in Kansas City was this, Andy Reid sends the play to Eric Bieniemy, and Bieniemy sends it to Patrick Mahomes. That's an easy job to do. In practice, all of the plays were scripted, and [Bieniemy] was calling the plays that were scripted. That's easy to do...I'm not sure if he has what it takes to get it done [in Washington]..."
LeSean McCoy is arguably the greatest running back in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles. His credentials include a Super Bowl-winning stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. So, he is pretty knowledgeable about the intricacies of Andy Reid's working relationship with Eric Bieniemy. However, in the past, Andy Reid has gone on record to state that Eric Bieniemy indeed called plays in his system. In fact, during a recent interview, Reid dispelled the misconception about his former pupil by saying, “People say [Bieniemy] doesn’t call the plays…he does. He literally calls the plays in there…” You can watch that clip here.
To watch LeSean McCoy further explain the difference between Eric Bieniemy's job duty as offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders, scroll up and skip ahead to the 1:35 mark.
Source: YouTube
