Eric Bieniemy Leaves Legacy of Ron Riveraism as Speculation of His Future Grows
Bieniemy is dropping Rivera-ism as speculation about his future builds originally surfaced on NBC Sports Washington
Eric Bieniemy will serve as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for at least one more game when Kansas City takes on Philadelphia in Super Bowl 57 this Sunday. Where Bieniemy’s career will go from there, however, is the subject of much speculation.
Andy Reid’s longtime assistant could soon be in line for a new job, a possibility raised during his media availability Monday night. And in an answer to a question about his future, Bieniemy actually used a Ron Rivera go-to line.
“Right now,” he said, “I’m where my feet are.”
Rivera has often championed the need to “be where your feet are” (or some variation on that motto) since stepping in as Washington’s boss in 2020. He routinely breaks out the sentence on the podium to remind his players, his coaches and even himself how important it is to tackle every task immediately before him, rather than worrying too much about other non-urgent matters or To do duties that are due for a different time or place.
Conveniently, one of Bieniemy’s potential non-chiefs positions is a spot on Rivera’s staff, as Rivera is reportedly hoping to interview Bieniemy for the club’s open offensive coordinator position.
So was it Bieniemy’s timid way of speaking of such an approach, to acknowledge that he too has the commanders in mind? Is he secretly desperate to get away from Patrick Mahomes so he can start working with Sam Howell!?!?
Or was Bieniemy instead simply repeating a football coach phrase he’d heard before and just agreed with?
Washington Football Talk Podcast | Listen and follow | Watch on YouTube
This is a sequel to that The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala posed for Bieniemy at his press conference when she specifically asked him about the motto.
“Everyone wants to talk about what’s next,” he said. “You cannot deal with what comes next until you have dealt with what lies ahead.”
In addition to teaming up with Rivera and taking on the organization’s offense, Bieniemy will apparently have a chance to audition for the same gig with the Ravens. In Kansas City, Reid has the most power when it comes to handling that side of the ball, so a move elsewhere would give Bieniemy an opportunity to take on more responsibility even if his title were the same.
Then there’s the job as head coach for the Colts, which Bieniemy confirmed on Monday, for which he has already been interviewed.
Patrick Mahomes, for example, believes Bieniemy is up for a real promotion, meaning someone should get him to manage an entire team.
“It’s more than deserved,” Mahomes said. “He did everything right.”
“I don’t know why he wasn’t signed, but it was great for us because we had one of the best coaches in the league with us long overdue,” the quarterback added.
Bieniemy stated that he and Reid intend to have a conversation about Bieniemy’s options in due course. His much-anticipated (locally, at least) call with Rivera and Washington could come shortly after the Chiefs-Eagles showdown ends.
Until then, however, Bieniemy is focused on helping his current employer achieve another win. To borrow a different Riveraism, that’s important, while everything else is just interesting.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
