Eric Bieniemy’s time with the Commanders was short-lived, majorly because of his offensive flop with the team. Washington had the 24th-best offense as they finished 4-13 in 2023. This led to Dan Quinn’s appointment as the new HC followed by the franchise getting rid of Bieniemy as their Offensive Coordinator. However, it seems the poor offense wasn’t the only reason for the big change.
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As per X account Obvlon, the Commander’s Linemen Sam Cosmi revealed that the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach had a rule of not allowing his offensive players to wear the cap backward whenever they were in the building. Well, this is in stark contrast to Quinn’s approach who himself sports a backward hat with a pair of Air Jordans.
Fans have mixed feelings about the rule. Most agree that it is foolish to treat professionals like a child as it never ends fondly. Others asserted that doing things like this is the reason why Bieniemy never made it as an HC and never will.
A fan quipped that Dan Quinn has an opposite rule of wearing caps backwards while another joked that Colin Cowherd will probably sing praises for Eric for creating such a rule. However, a few sided with the former Chiefs OC, pointing out that many good teams and coaches create rules like these, and players who want to succeed embrace them. Fans said,
Wow. Treating them like kids never ends well.
— Bisg Money (@BisgMoney) June 20, 2024
Another chimed in and added,
Treating grown men like children that need your guidance is a sure fire way to make them see all your advice as irrelevant
— Space Cowboy (@UrBuddyNorvell) June 20, 2024
A fan quipped,
Dan Quinn has a strict rule that all players must wear their hats backwards
— (@yurrrrrrrrpp) June 20, 2024
Someone joked,
Tomorrow Cowherd is gonna open the show singing EB’s praises
— G (@grantamoss) June 20, 2024
A user commented,
Apparently we all know the reason he hasn’t been and never will be a head coach!
— Steve Fox (@SteveFo40612415) June 20, 2024
Others stated,
Good bit of teams are like that in the league how quickly we’re to forget Ron Rivera didn’t let Cam Newton start a game because of a tie. Eric Bieniemy was allowed to do that because the HC Ron Rivera signed off so it should really about Riverboat.
— Saint (@SaintWah) June 20, 2024
Things didn’t go well for Eric as a myriad of factors, some of his own making contributed to the end of his tenure.
What Went Wrong For Eric Bieniemy In Washington?
Suffice to say, Eric Bieniemy couldn’t hack it in Washington. The new UCLA Bruins Offensive Coordinator came with a lot of aspirations to become a head coach after running the offense in Kansas City with Andy Reid. During his time, he ran a free-flowing offense, with young Mahomes, who threw for 5,000 yards and won MVP in his first playing season.
Impressed with Bieniemy’s progress in Missouri, Ron Rivera hired Eric as his new OC for two years but things were never going to work out in a disorganized environment created by Dan Snyder. The team had invested minimally in the offensive line, and talented Sam Howell was no Mahomes.
Before landing the OC position, Bieniemy interviewed for head coaching jobs in several places but faced repeated rejections. After Rivera’s firing left a vacancy, Bieniemy approached the Commanders’ front office for the job only to be rejected again. His offense looked jagged with the team 23rd in offensive scoring and 24th in third-down efficiency and finished 30th in rush rate.
By the end of the season, the cracks began to appear and the tensions between him and the players became visible. Players described him as a hardworking, astute coach whose vanity, ego, and poor communication proved to be his downfall. Dan Quinn’s decision to hire Kliff Kingsbury put Bieniemy out of his misery.
Hopefully, at UCLA, Bieniemy will reflect on his short tenure and return to the NFL with renewed insight.
