Chiefs Camp Quotes: Assistant Coaches Have Their Day

Aug 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) escapes the tackle of Cincinnati Bengals middle linebacker Rey Maualuga (58) and defensive end Wallace Gilberry (95) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACKS COACH ERIC BIENIEMY

Q: Jamaal had a historic season last year is there anything he can do to be better this year?

BIENIEMY: “Obviously, he had an outstanding year. Me and Jamaal, we always talk and the hardest part about being a professional is being a consistent professional. Everybody knows Jamaal is a great player and it’s going to be a huge challenge for him. The thing I love about Jamaal is he doesn’t take anything for granted. He comes out here every day and he works his tail off. Coach Doug Pederson is doing a heck of a job putting him in situations where he can make great plays. It has been fun to watch.”

Q: Anthony Sherman seems to be getting more respect after a great year last year. But there are always areas for improvement, what are the areas for improvement for Sherman?

BIENIEMY: “First of all, Anthony Sherman is a great professional football player. The thing that makes him special is his work ethic. The thing that is going to make him even more special is to continue his work ethic. He takes a tremendous amount of notes and does a great job studying in the film room. And like I said, the thing about Sherman is he probably has the most important job on our team. Obviously he’s a great lead blocker for Jamaal, but he’s the least recognized player. He’s one of the most consistent players we have. I enjoy working with him and the guys enjoy working with him. And the thing I love about working with him is he’s the ring leader. When things aren’t going well and the rhythm is down, Anthony Sherman finds a way to pick it up.”

Q: How did you go about introducing De’Anthony Thomas to the pro game?

BIENIEMY: “I will say this first and foremost – De’Anthony is a great football player. He’s done a tremendous amount this camp. The best thing about De’Anthony is he is getting a lot of coaching from a lot of different people. It’s been a great team effort. Coach (David) Culley has does his part, Coach Brad Childress has done his part and Doug Pederson is finding ways to put him in positions where he can be successful. And at the end of the day the head man is putting it all together, and I’m going to keep saying it, laying that foundation. At the end of the day, he (De’Anthony) is making the most of the opportunities presented to him.”

Q: How is De’Anthony as a blocker at his size?

BIENIEMY: “One thing about De’Anthony, if you know anything about him, he’s very tough. Obviously, we haven’t put him in many situations as far as blocking. But you ought to see him on that one man sled, he’ll bite you now, he will bite you.”

Q: Can you talk about the process of ending up on Coach Reid’s staff?

BIENIEMY: “Obviously, it’s a very long relationship. Me and Coach Reid, our paths have crossed for years. He’s a Southern California guy, with me growing up a portion of my life in southern Cal we’ve known each other. His claim to fame and what he’ll always bring up is the fifth down incident (1990 game between Colorado and Missouri). He was on that coaching staff, and I like to say ‘we (Colorado) only had four downs, we spiked it on the fourth down’. I played for Coach Reid in Philly – me, Doug Pederson, Al Harris. This is why our chemistry is so good; Coach Childress was the quarterbacks coach that first year, Coach Culley was our receivers coach, Coach (Tommy) Brasher was the defensive line coach. This is a familiar area, this is a family atmosphere. When the opportunity came about, Coach Reid reached out to me. He knew my predicament, and he gave me an opportunity. Who wouldn’t cherish that opportunity to work for the Big Red.”

Q: That had to be a great experience to go from running backs coach to coordinator back to running backs, that’s experience you’ll always have right?

BIENIEMY: “Obviously, you always want an opportunity to do things that you strive for. But like I said, at the end of the day it was a great experience. I’ve learned more football over the past year and a half from Coach Reid and Coach Pederson just sitting in meetings, absorbing information and taking notes, than I have my entire years of coaching.”