Eric Bieniemy is preparing for his first season as offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, and his coaching style appears to have required some adjustment by members of his new team.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday that some Commanders players are “a little concerned” about Bieniemy’s intensity level. Rivera did not name specific players who might have concerns.
Washington Commanders assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy reacts during training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center on July 28, 2023 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Bieniemy, who helped steer the Kansas City Chiefs to two Super Bowls in five years as offensive coordinator, found support from outside the organization, as Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill hopped on social media to back Bieniemy.
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“Man there is no other coach that has your back like EB !! Take that coaching and get better we all been through … it’s tough but I promise you it will make you better,” Hill posted to X.
Hill spent the first six years of his career with Bieniemy in Kansas City before being traded to the Dolphins prior to the 2022 NFL season.
Tyreek Hill, #10 of the Miami Dolphins, takes part in a drill during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex on July 26, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Mecole Hardman, also a former player under Bieniemy, threw his support toward his former coach as well, quote tweeting Hill’s post.
Rivera said he told players to “just go talk to him” when they expressed concern over Bieniemy’s coaching style.
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“I mean, it’s a whole different approach. Again, you’re getting a different kind of player from the players back in the past, especially in light of how things are coming out of college football,” Rivera said, according to NFL.com. “So a lot of these young guys, they do struggle with certain things and a lot of it … is from where they’ve been.
“I mean, guys coming from certain programs are used to it. Guys coming from other programs aren’t as much. So, us as a coach, I kind of have to assimilate and get a feel for everybody. Eric has an approach and it’s the way he does things and it’s not going to change because he believes in it.”
Washington Commanders assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy gestures on the field during day three of minicamp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park in Ashburn, Virginia, June 8, 2023. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
Bieniemy was hired in February in order to help an offense that has failed to finish better than 20th in the league in Rivera’s three years as head coach.
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The Commanders are hoping second-year quarterback Sam Howell is the answer under center after a revolving door at the position in the past few years.
“Eric Bieniemy is who he is. Eric Bieniemy knows how to adapt and adjust,” Bieniemy said. “Eric Bieniemy is a tough, hard-nosed coach. But also understand, I’m going to be their biggest and harshest critic, but I’m also their No. 1 fan because I’ve got their back and I’m gonna support them at all times.”
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report
