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Eric Bieniemy left the Kansas City Chiefs as their offensive coordinator to take the same position with the Washington Commanders this offseason. Many fans found the move surprising, especially former NFL assistant coach and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye.
Raye commented on Bieniemy's exit from the Chiefs and that it was shameful that he had to leave the team to prove how good of a coach he is elsewhere.
Here's what Raye said to USA Today:
“It’s a shame that he felt like he had to leave a Super Bowl championship team to go prove that he’s a good coach. He left a team where he still would have been in the thick of it every year with a quarterback and an organization that’s dynamic, and he’s going to a team that’s going to be sold, doesn’t have a quarterback and has some other issues."
Raye added:
“Those plays with Patrick Mahomes worked because you couldn’t make a bad call. He’s going to find out it’s not about the X’s and the O’s, it’s about the Jimmys and the Joes. I hope he pulls it off. He’s a good coach. Maybe Sam Howell or Carson Wentz will develop and they’ll have some success. I just think the odds are against him.”
Eric Bieniemy spent the last five seasons as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator, winning two Super Bowls in that role. He was also the team's running backs coach for five seasons prior to being promoted to offensive coordinator.
Despite the experience, Bieniemy has been interviewed 17 times for head coaching positions. However, there could be a reason why franchises have steered clear of him.
Why teams could be avoiding hiring Eric Bieniemy as head coach
Fair or not, the key impediment to Eric Bieniemy was that he was not a play-caller under Andy Reid in Kansas City. This could be a major part of why franchises are being cautious with him.
However, Bieniemy's predecessors as Chiefs offensive coordinator did not have a problem landing head coaching jobs.
From 2013-2015, Doug Pederson held the job under Reid before being hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as head coach in January 2016. Matt Nagy replaced Pederson as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs before landing the Chicago Bears head coaching role in 2018.
Eric Bieniemy will look to turn around a Commanders offense that has questions at the quarterback position. Should he fix Washington's offense next season, we'll see if he gets his overdue shot to run an NFL franchise as a head coach.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit USA Today and H/T Sportskeeda.
