The Washington Commanders are excited to get underway with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, but their optimism will be short-lived according to former Kansas City Chiefs running-back LeSean McCoy.
Bieniemy left the Chiefs to become OC at the Commanders ahead of next season, but went out in style as they won Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the second Super Bowl success that Bieniemy has had as OC, but McCoy has placed all of the praise on head coach Andy Reid, and not Bieniemy.
The former Chiefs OC joins the Commanders in a bid to improve results at the franchise, and also help him on his way to becoming a head coach further down the line. But although McCoy wants him to succeed, he can't see it going well for Bieniemy.
McCoy worked with Bieniemy as the pair won their first Super Bowl together in 2019, so you'd assume that they share a happy relationship. Perhaps they do, but McCoy clearly isn't too complimentary about Bieniemy's impact as a coach.
"I hope he doesn’t (fail), but I think he will," McCoy said when appearing on FOX’s Speak For Yourself. "What’s his value? What makes him a good offensive coordinator?
"See the problem is, a lot of these people who go on social media, ‘Oh, he should be the guy for the job. They haven’t played there, they’re not in the locker room. They’ve not been in the rooms where he’s coaching. He has nothing to do with the passing game at all. The plays are designed, that’s Andy Reid.
"When you’re talking about offensive coordinators, I can tell you what makes Brian Daboll with the Giants a very good (head coach). I can tell you what Andy Reid or Doug Pederson, but when I ask about Eric Bieniemy, what makes him good?
"When we watch the film of practices and we correct the WRs, the RBs, the QBs, he doesn’t talk in there, Andy Reid talks in there. He may say things to the running backs because he’s an ex-running backs coach. I get that. But he has no real responsibility.
"Now you go from the Chiefs where you can hide behind Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Now, you can go to Washington where you’ve got to call plays, you’ve got to run the meetings, you’ve got to run the installs."
Bieniemy will be looking to prove McCoy wrong next season, as he looks to get the Commanders back into the play-offs. It will be a big adjustment for Bieniemy, but an exciting opportunity as he holds a more senior role.
