Eric Bieniemy’s strength as a coach has always been his motivational approach to getting the most out of his players, and the Kansas City Chiefs “new” offensive coordinator stayed true to his reputation in a piece written by Jesse Newell of The Athletic about his return to the sidelines in Kansas City.
“I feel like a kid in a candy store,” Bieniemy said during a video conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “Just … excitement.”
His excitement is justified for a couple of reasons. The former running back spent five years as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2018-22, and he got to lead a high-powered offense fueled by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight and Travis Kelce and receiver Tyreek Hill with all three players in their prime.
Mahomes may still have that status, but Hill was traded years ago and Kelce is finishing out his stellar career. Bieniemy is replacing OC Matt Nagy, who has been interviewing for head coaching jobs for the last couple of weeks, and he’ll be leading a very different group this time around.
That group lacked a running game and was plagued by inconsistency. The key plays Mahomes always made in close games didn’t happen for much of the season, and the result was a 1-10 record in one-score games.
The other reason for Bieniemy’s excitement is that he’s probably happy to have a job at the coordinator level. When he left the Chiefs a few years ago he was a hot head-coaching candidate, but a series of struggles in subsequent jobs left him as the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears.
That’s a big downfall, but Bieniemy’s task this time around will be about discipline. Mahomes hinted as much, according to Newell, stating that he wanted his next coordinator to “hold people accountable.”
That’s one thing Bieniemy has always been good at, both as a player and a coach, and Newell referenced the coordinator’s constant pleas to “Finish! Finish!” as plays concluded during training camp.
Reid talked up his new OC earlier this week after the hire, saying that “there’s nobody like E.B.” when it comes to getting a message across.
“I’ve always said he’s a great leader of men, whether it’s coaches, players,” Reid said. “I think he does a heck of a job there.”
If you go by Reid’s comments and tone, Bieniemy won’t be asked to provide much in the way of new ideas, which was something else Mahomes said he wanted from his new coordinator. It’s always fun when new coaches refer to themselves in the third person, though, and it’s clear that Bieniemy hasn’t lost his confidence in that regard.
“More than anything, E.B. is E.B,” Bieniemy said. “We will still be disciplined and detailed in everything and how we handle our business.”