Bieniemy focuses on near-term reward
Winning another title supersedes concern about failure to land head coaching job
Eric Bieniemy took the high road Tuesday when asked about being passed over by NFL teams for head coaching positions for the third consecutive year.
The Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator interviewed for six of the seven job openings, including the Texans position that was filled by David Culley.
Despite the defending champions being back in the Super Bowl and the success of a high-octane offense headlined by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Bieniemy was left out of the head coaching hiring cycle again.
“The only thing I can do is be my most authentic self,” Bieniemy said during a Zoom news conference. “I can only be me. Some team has to want me. I can’t control that.”
Bieniemy, 51, has maintained his focus on the game against the NFC champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It’s about the task at hand for Bieniemy, not what hasn’t happened for him yet.
Bieniemy says he’ll reflect after the Super Bowl on what could have gone differently and how the process unfolded.
“I’m going to focus on what I need to focus on,” Bieniemy said. “It’s making sure whatever’s happening with Eric Bieniemy isn’t distracting us from pursuing our goals. You move on by making sure we’re focused on the goal, and the goal has always been to win the Super Bowl,”
Following the Super Bowl, he’ll take those moments to reflect. That’s not what he’s thinking about now. It’s about dealing with the Chiefs’ injury-riddled offensive line and getting Buccaneers pass rusher Shaq Barrett blocked.
“I learned a long time ago how to persevere through adversity,” Bieniemy said.
Bieniemy has continued to garner strong support from Chiefs coach Andy Reid and other advocates for his candidacy for jobs, like Mahomes and former NFL coach Tony Dungy.
“I don’t really know the answer to the last part of that,” Reid said when asked what needs to change for Bieniemy to land a head coaching position. “Am I upset? Yeah, I’m a big fan of his, and I know what he can help do for a team but most of all, for the National Football League. I think he’s so deserving of that opportunity. I’m hoping someday it comes.
“I was expecting it last year, and it didn’t happen. I definitely thought it would happen this year, and it didn’t happen. I can’t tell you the last part of your question. I think he’s as ready as anybody.”
The Fritz Pollard Alliance, including executive director Rod Graves and deputy executive director Larry Lee, have heavily criticized the hiring process. Two of the seven head coaching jobs were filled by minorities, including Culley, who is Black, and New York Jets coach Robert Saleh, whose parents are Lebanese. Three of the six general manager jobs were filled by Black executives, including Martin Mayhew in Washington, Brad Holmes with the Detroit Lions and Terry Fontenot with the Atlanta Falcons.
There are four coaches of color in the NFL currently, including Culley, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, the Miami Dolphins’ Brian Flores and Washington’s Ron Rivera, who is Hispanic.
Under an enhanced Rooney Rule, which requires two minorities interviewed for every head coaching and general manager opening, NFL teams receive a pair of compensatory thirdround draft picks when they lose an employee to another team for head coaching or general manager positions. The Ravens will receive two third-round picks for losing Culley, one in 2021 and one in 2022.
“You don’t ever want to be recognized for what you do by your race or color,” Bieniemy said. “You want to be recognized by how great of a coach you are. Why do we have to keep talking about the color? In reality, these are just good ol’ ball coaches.”