The Kansas City Chiefs are a week away from attempting to repeat as Super Bowl champions when they face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, February 7th. The matchup will be the coaching staff’s top focus, including offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who was unceremoniously passed over by several teams with head-coaching vacancies.
Bieniemy interviewed for nearly every head coach opening this cycle to no success for a third straight year. The veteran coordinator has been at the helm of one of the most prolific offenses in football and has continuously been considered a top candidate. While Andy Reid is happy to have his offensive coordinator sticking around, he was hopeful that this would be the year that he earned an opportunity.
“I’m glad I have him,” said Reid. “But I’m not so glad I have him. I was really hoping that he would have an opportunity to take one of these jobs. You guys know what I think of him. I think he’s great and I think he would be great any of the numbers of teams that opened up and help them win football games and also develop men into men. I just think he’s a great person.”
The seven teams that interviewed Bieniemy during their head coaching search passed on the coordinator of the league’s best offense. Chiefs All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill credits Bieniemy for making him a better player as he put up league-leading numbers all season.
“I’m not a GM (general manager) or anything, but I will say, Coach Bieniemy has helped me a lot,” said Hill. “The man, the player, and everything I’ve become for this Chiefs organization. It’s very shocking that he didn’t get a job. I know deep down inside he’s going to look at himself in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do better so I can get that job?’ He’s that kind of dude. He wants to get better and he wants to become a head coach. His time will come. I feel like everything happens for a reason. His time will come.”
The Chiefs ranked atop of most offensive categories in the 2020 regular season. They were explosive last Sunday in the AFC Championship Game against a physical Buffalo Bills defense. The focus now for Bieniemy is on capturing another Super Bowl victory as his head-coaching aspirations will hold for another season.
