In recent weeks there have been seven head coaching jobs filled in the NFL and none of them went to Eric Bieniemy, the offensive coordinator and one of the architects behind the emerging dynasty in Kansas City. Teams around the league such as the Texans, Chargers, and Eagles are being criticized on a national scale for the lack of hiring objectively the best option to lead their team into the future.
However, maybe we should start to look at this as a blessing in disguise for Bieniemy. Being a head coach in the NFL is one of the most stressful positions to hold outside being the President of the United States. The pressure mounts against you to build a winning culture, develop talent, and above all win games as quick as you can. Some can embrace this challenge and find success but the majority will not. This isn't me saying Bieniemy can't handle the pressure of being a head coach, in fact he would welcome this opportunity as soon as possible. But what these circumstances do to brilliant offensive minds, like Bieniemy, is get them ran out of town when their past success does not translate in a new organization within the first few years.
What I see in Eric Bieniemy is much of the same as what Josh McDaniels did in New England's offense during the 2010's after his first stint as Offensive Coordinator there from 2006-2008, which led to a two year run in Denver as head coach before returning to New England to be Offensive Coordinator in 2012. Since his return to New England the team won the division for eight straight seasons between 2012 and 2019 and three Super Bowls. He led offenses with great players such as Julien Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, Aaron Hernandez, James White, LeGarrette Blount and most important Tom Brady.
For years we saw McDaniels linked to other jobs and interviewed several times for different organizations. He even had an opportunity to go coach in Indianapolis, which he would accept then rescind his commitment to stay in New England, Frank Reich later took the job.
What this decision making from McDaniels shows us is his success in New England outweighs his desire to go somewhere else and build from the ground up again. So how does this relate to Bieniemy?
What we have seen in Kansas City the last three seasons is very reminiscent of the success we saw in New England in the 2010's. All of the pieces fit together perfectly in this offense and seem to sync even more as the season goes on. Outside of a strong offensive line, they have weapons coming from everywhere on the field. Whether it is their about average run game or their spectacular passing game, Bieniemy has the Chiefs offense locked in for one scoring drive after another. This dominance has led the Chiefs to a 38-10 record in the last three seasons including an MVP winner, three division titles, and their second Super Bowl appearance in two years.
So why would he want to leave? Sure there is a pride aspect when it comes to developing your own winning organization like many greats have before, including his current head coach Andy Reid with his former Eagles teams and current Chiefs juggernaut. Andy Reid's career, while it may not seem like it, is going to come to an end sooner than we think. Reid has been a head coach for 22 seasons now and is going to be turning 63 by the time next season begins. Many have alluded to him passing the torch to Bieniemy in the next couple of seasons and leaving him with the keys to Patrick Mahomes' prime years.
This should be reason enough for Bieniemy to stay with the Chiefs and eventually build his own legacy in the Kansas City Chiefs organization and NFL. No matter where he ends up, the potential for success is through the roof but the only organization who can come close to guaranteeing a legendary coaching career at this point lies in Missouri.
--- Dombito
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