The Eagles moved on from head coach Doug Pederson on Monday, and dozens of stories have already been written outlining the potential replacements. One of the most popular names has been Eric Bieniemy, who profiles as an ideal candidate for the Eagles for a number of reasons. He is from the same familiar Andy Reid coaching tree as Doug Pederson and has been with the Chiefs since 2013, which is when Reid got the head coaching job in Kansas City.
On paper, Bieniemy’s candidacy makes a ton of sense. The Chiefs are the envy of the NFL and have had the best offense in the league for a few years now. Bieniemy has been the offensive coordinator since 2018, which coincides with the incredible rise of Patrick Mahomes. Even with the caveat that he is just spinning the plates in Andy Reid’s offense, it’s hard to argue with the resume.
He has interviewed with more than a dozen teams for their head coaching vacancies over the last few years and has received strong endorsements from head coach Andy Reid. His current quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and his former quarterback, Alex Smith, have also both praised Bieniemy. Mahomes went as far as to say “He’s helped me a ton. He’s a special coach.” Not only is the league placing an increased emphasis on hiring minority candidates for coordinator and head coaching positions, but Bieniemy has been on the shortlist of every NFL team that has had an opening over the last few years.
So, why doesn’t he have a job?
As it turns out, there could be a few answers to that question. Some of them, as is the case for many candidates, are tied to on-field or football-related concerns. How much does he contribute to the Andy Reid offense in Kansas City? Does he call plays? Can he be a “leader of men” (the new buzz phrase that has emerged over the last few years)? Can he coach his coaches? How will he be at building a staff, creating a culture? Will he be able to succeed without Andy Reid? All fair questions, and all ones that his agent likely prepared him for before he ever took an interview.
The counterargument to the Andy Reid questions would be to look around the NFL and see the success that many of his former proteges are having. Just look at the AFC playoff picture right now and multiple recent Super Bowl winners. Last year, Bieniemy’s agent Brian Levy expressed frustration about his client not landing a job:
“I think it’s discouraging, to say the least. We’re really trying to find out what the standard is, and every year the standard changes. We’re just trying to swim against the current.”
There have been mixed reports about how Bieniemy’s interviews have gone. There were early rumblings that he “struggled” in some recent interviews, specifically his interview with the Atlanta Falcons, but subsequent reports say he had a strong interview with the Falcons and was in the mix to be their next head coach. The Falcons, though, hired Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on Friday. Last December, Pro Football Network published a piece entitled “Why hasn’t Eric Bieniemy been hired as a head coach? Some point to the interview room.”
This has led some in NFL circles to question the legitimacy and motives of the criticism, and NFL reporter Jim Trotter had some strong words about them last week:
However, there are red flags about Bieniemy’s past that have likely come up in these interviews, and they could be why he hasn’t found a home as a head coach in the NFL yet. Whether or not these past events should actually matter is something we will discuss below, but it’s fair to assume that some of the teams preparing to offer Bieniemy several million dollars to be the face of their franchise have at least asked him about them. NFL insider Benjamin Allbright had this to say when asked about Bieniemy on Twitter back in December:
The Eric Bieniemy Red Flags
Eric Bieniemy has been one of the top NFL head coaching candidates over the last three years, so there are likely multiple reasons why he doesn’t have a head coaching gig just yet. Some of the issues from his past have no doubt contributed. But what exactly are those red flags? And should they matter? Let’s go through the confirmed and alleged incidents one-by-one and then determine if a team like the Philadelphia Eagles will/should consider them.
February 1988 – Arrested following a bar fight
From SI.com:
“Kanavis McGhee, Colorado’s 6’5″, 230-pound sophomore linebacker, and Eric Bieniemy, also a sophomore and the Buffaloes’ leading rusher last season, were arrested in a bar fight in February 1988, after McGhee sent a 5’7″, 158-pound bouncer, Roger Hogoboom, to the hospital with a fractured cheekbone and cuts that required plastic surgery.”
McGhee said he was angry that Bieniemy had been called a racial slur (the big one) by a bar patron.
“Hogoboom was injured when he tried to separate the combatants. Both pleaded no contest—McGhee to a charge of second-degree assault, and Bieniemy to charges of disorderly conduct and fighting in public. They received deferred sentences and were ordered to perform community service. They were also subjected to unspecified disciplinary action by [coach] McCartney.”
July 1990 – “Arrested for harassment, giving false information, and interfering with fire personnel”
Firemen were called to Bieniemy’s residence to douse a garage fire, and Bieniemy reportedly got into an altercation that led to him shoving a fireman. He received an eight-month suspended sentence and was suspended for one game by the University of Colorado football team.
Also around this time, Bieniemy had several traffic violations, and a failure to show up in court in 1991, two days after he was drafted by the Chargers, led to a bench warrant being issued for his arrest. He was later arrested for a DUI in 2001.
September 1993 – “Arrested for investigation of harassing a parking lot attendant”
“ERIC BIENIEMY, a San Diego Chargers running back and former Colorado football star, was arrested for investigation of harassing a parking lot attendant at the University of Miami-Colorado University game on Saturday. Less than an hour later, one of Bieniemy’s party was arrested for investigation of hitting a witness during the incident, an arrest report said.”
Bieniemy and one of his friends were both taken to Boulder County Jail.
“Bieniemy also was named in an outstanding warrant on a charge of driving with a suspended license. He was released Saturday on $400 bond.”
Bieniemy also was issued a ‘permanent exclusion’ from the CU campus…”
The arrest report offers more details, and this is where things look a bit uglier (emphasis added):
“Bieniemy was with five friends in a parking lot when he allegedly approached a lot attendant from behind and grabbed her by the neck. The victim told police the contact was not painful, but it startled her. She said the man also made comments while holding her.
She stated that the male who grabbed her said something about ‘a bunch of black males all at once being her worst nightmare,’ according to the report.
The victim told police the group of men then dropped their pants and began urinating nearby.
She then contacted another attendant, who began to follow the group.”
Some critics of Bieniemy’s, including Allbright above, have referred to this incident as a “choking” of a woman. “Choking” is taking what is described in this report a bit far, but this is not a good look for Bieniemy, who was 24 years old and entering his third season with the Chargers at the time.
2001-2002 – Marcus Houston bullying
From 2001 to 2002, Bieniemy, who was the running backs coach at the University of Colorado, had a strained relationship with injury-prone Colorado star running back Marcus Houston. Bieniemy questioned Houston’s “willingness to play hurt” and caused quite a stir by calling him “Markeesha” in practices. Houston eventually transferred to Colorado State, and the NCAA ruled that Houston was eligible to play for CSU right away (instead of having to sit out a year) because of “extenuating circumstances.”
Colorado’s athletic director at the time stood by Bieniemy:
Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn said he brought up the episode last winter while interviewing Bieniemy. Bohn said he was satisfied that Bieniemy had learned from his mistakes.
“I think Eric Bieniemy’s maturity level and his football acumen have grown tenfold since he coached here before,” Bohn said last week. “I have 100 percent unequivocal confidence that Eric will make a major, positive impact on this program.”
Bieniemy said he has tried unsuccessfully to reach out to Houston and mend any ill feelings. Comfortable in his own skin, Bieniemy stopped for a long interview Friday and did not deflect any questions that referenced Houston.
April 2004 – Colorado recruiting rape scandal
This is the big one. From 2001 to 2002, Bieniemy was a lead recruiter and running backs coach at the University of Colorado. Former kicker Katie Hnida told Sports Illustrated that she was raped, verbally abused, and molested. Several other women eventually came forward with rape allegations and reports of sex parties thrown for the purposes of recruiting at Colorado.
In depositions taken in 2003 for the lawsuit brought against Colorado, Bieniemy’s name was mentioned to set a pattern of behavior accepted by the university. Bieniemy himself was called by an independent investigative commission appointed by the University of Colorado Board of Regents in 2004 for questioning. He was reportedly never directly questioned, however.
ESPN published a timeline of the events.
Bieniemy left the program in 2003 but eventually returned as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2010 and was offered the head coaching position in 2020.
While the information published about these alleged sexual assaults is certainly concerning, Bieniemy was never explicitly accused of or charged with anything. That he returned to the school several years later and was eventually offered the head coaching position there is very telling, as well. If the school where these events happened was still willing to bring Bieniemy back as the face of its program, then perhaps NFL teams would be, too.
The Urban Meyer dilemma for the NFL
The list above is not a good look for Eric Bieniemy. But if NFL teams are going to use them as the primary reason for not being interested in the Kansas City offensive coordinator, they could have some uncomfortable questions coming their way. And that’s because the Jacksonville Jaguars just hired Urban Meyer.
Meyer, the white former head coach at the University of Florida and Ohio State University, has been connected to his fair share of scandals, as well. While at Florida, more than 30 of Meyer’s players were arrested, some of them for violent crimes. At the end of Meyer’s Florida tenure, the Sporting News published an exposé entitled “From champs to chomped: How Urban Meyer broke Florida football.” The story suggested that Meyer created a toxic culture in the locker room at Florida and departed just before it all blew up. The article quoted several Florida players who said Meyer developed a “Circle of Trust” that included only star players, who received favorable treatment, including not having to complete workouts, lenient punishment, and hiding the player’s positive drug tests from the public.
Trouble then followed Meyer to Ohio State. In 2018, Meyer was suspended after an investigation revealed he knew about repeated domestic abuse allegations against assistant coach Zach Smith and then lied about having any knowledge of the situation. Meyer retired after the season, citing health concerns.
So, if we are talking purely about off-field issues, it could be difficult to argue that Meyer deserves a head coaching job and Bieniemy does not. Why should Meyer be allowed to come out of retirement to take a head coaching gig fresh off of a recent scandal but Bieniemy not be allowed to earn a promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach based on events from two decades ago?
Will the Eagles be interested?
To date, there have been no reports that the Eagles have requested or are expected to request interviews with Eric Bieniemy. However, Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles got off to a late start to their search for a head coach since they waited a week to fire Doug Pederson. The Chiefs are also still in the NFL playoffs, limiting Bieniemy’s availability for interviews again this year.
Update: The Eagles have requested permission to interview Eric Bieniemy. But with the Chiefs playing on Sunday, it’s unclear when that interview will happen if Kansas City advances. After Sunday, interviews with coaches whose teams are still participating in the playoffs are prohibited until Jan. 25.
On paper, the Bieniemy-Eagles connection is a perfect fit. He is an Andy Reid disciple, just like Doug Pederson was. The Eagles are looking to improve their offense and either fix Carson Wentz or develop Jalen Hurts. Bieniemy’s quarterback just so happens to be the best quarterback on the planet. Checks all of the boxes, right? Maybe. Again, the biggest knocks against Bieniemy are that he doesn’t call plays, the offense is largely Andy Reid’s creation, and Mike Kafka is the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator and might be more crucial to Mahomes’s development and success.
Kind of reminds you of Doug Pederson in 2016, right? It’s worth wondering if the Eagles would view that as a good thing or a bad thing.
As for the off-field issues, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is seen as one of the more progressive owners in sports. He spoke out against systemic racism over the summer and had this to say when asked about minority candidates during his press conference earlier this week:
Q. It’s been awhile since you’ve had a minority in the head coaching position or a coordinator position. How will that factor into your search, and also, will you consider anybody currently on the staff for the position? (Mike Kaye)
JEFFREY LURIE: Really good questions. So yes, I think that we are very open and it’s top of mind to make sure we have some of the best minority candidates in on the search. It’s very important I think for us, for the league and it’s top of mind.
I would expect [Eagles assistant head coach/running backs coach] Duce Staley to be a candidate. He’s a great representative of the Eagles and knows our values. I would expect him to be part of the search, as well.
But great question, because I’ve never hesitated in this area. Obviously, I’ve hired an African American as a head coach and proud of it, because he was the right man for the job at the time. There’s plenty of possible candidates in this area.
But Bieniemy’s past includes allegations of mistreatment of women, both directly and as a result of alleged reprehensible recruiting tactics. How much will Lurie weigh those incidents—both confirmed and alleged—when deciding if Bieniemy should be the next face of his franchise? The answer is we don’t really know, but this is absolutely an owner who would take those things into consideration.
The Eagles are conducting a thorough search and have already been connected to Lincoln Riley, Duce Staley, Robert Saleh, Todd Bowles, Joe Brady, Arthur Smith, Brian Daboll, Ryan Day, Kellen Moore, and Jerod Mayo. Some of those names are being interviewed by everyone, but some of them, like Moore and Mayo, have only been linked to the Eagles thus far.
The Eagles haven’t been publicly connected to Bieniemy yet, but they have been connected to Kansas City quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator (and former Eagles quarterback) Mike Kafka. Perhaps that is because they believe Kafka has more to do with the success of the Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, or perhaps it is because of what was just covered in this article. If the Eagles don’t even request an interview with Bieniemy, we probably have our answer.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
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