When the Washington Commanders hired first-year offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy the move was met with excitement by most, but there were also plenty of skeptics.
Most of the apprehension stems from Bieniemy never being the primary play-caller during his tenure in Kansas City.
There Was Doubt Surrounding Bieniemy’s Playcalling Ability
While EB’s title read offensive coordinator, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was the primary play-caller. Reid did all he could to push Bieniemy’s work with the offense to the forefront, but he never received much of the credit for KC’s success.
Things are different in Washington, and with a team starving for a winner after changing ownership, Bieniemy has the keys to the offense.
In fact, Ron Rivera thought so highly of Bieniemy that he also made him the assistant head coach.
That’s done wonders for the team in terms of making players accountable for their actions, which is something Bieniemy has preached since his KC days.
Bieniemy’s Offense Looks Explosive
The narrative surrounding Bieniemy has always been can he actually call plays. We know he’s intense and fiery, but can he make the right play call when the team needs it?
Even though KC Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed that he allowed Bieniemy to call plays and Bieniemy was the main workhorse when it came to offensive game planning during the week with Patrick Mahomes, there were still skeptics.
That skepticism has benefitted Washington as Bieniemy’s track record suggests he should have been named a head coach somewhere after two Super Bowl rings and three trips to the big game with Mahomes.
Although TSL told our audience long ago, that Bieniemy was the real del.
Through two games, both comeback wins by the Commanders, Bieniemy has been locked in.
The team is averaging 27.5 points per game, and even hit 35 in a game Sunday for the first time since Rivera’s first season in 2020.
In Sunday’s win the team trailed 21-3 on the road to the Denver Broncos and came back to win 35-33.
That’s not the Commanders team of old, and that’s due in large part to Bieniemy, who’s got a once dormant offense looking explosive behind a first-time starter in just his second NFL season.
Bieniemy Is Maximizing Sam Howell’s Potential
Sam Howell has gone 46 of 70 for 501 yards, three touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one interception in two games this season.
Bieniemy Denied For Coaching Jobs After Numerous Interviews
Despite constructing a game plan for an offense that was elite under his leadership and the praises of his head coach Andy Reid, who spoke up for Bieniemy’s qualifications for one of the league’s head coach openings the last three offseasons, the offensive guru had to make a lateral move.
With no takers, he headed to Washington to prove he could call plays and transform an average offense into a potent one, basically using pieces that were already in place prior to his arrival.
He’s definitely had his share of haters along the way.
But early in his tenure with the Commanders, an organization experiencing an entire facelift/cleansing, it’s all love.
Washington Legend Praises Bieniemy
The Washington football franchise has gotten off to notoriously slow starts in recent seasons, but that seems to be changing with Bieniemy now handling a lot of the day-to-day operation.
I’m Washington legend and Super Bowl champion Rick “Doc” Walker spoke highly of EB in a radio interview on “106.7 The Fan” Tuesday.
“Usually, we are terrible in September, and it’s been a theme — so if you know what you are correct it,” Doc said. “We saw what it took to correct it, and it’s simply by amping things up; the Bieniemy effect is a rollover, because if the offense is going fast the defense has to keep up with it in practice, and thus you have more energy.”
The “Bieniemy Effect” is what Doc is calling it and in Week 2 it was obvious in his play calls and in-game adjustments. His willingness to stick with the run and use screens to slow down an hellacious Broncos pass rush were brilliant. And it further proved that the Commanders may have found their man to lead the turnaround in the DMV.
