No matter how much experience a head coaching candidate might have, there’s always a steep learning curve to running a ship of his own for each first-time head coach. That’s even true of Eric Bieniemy as he hopes to finally garner the (long) deserved opportunity to run an NFL team his way sometime this winter.
Bieniemy has been standing on the sidelines of Arrowhead Stadium for the last nine seasons, ever since he first agreed to become Andy Reid’s running backs coach as part of a brand new regime for the Kansas City Chiefs. Since that moment, Bieniemy has climbed the ladder to offensive coordinator after watching his predecessors take flight to head coaching opportunities after spending a bit of time as Reid’s right hand on offense.
To date, Bieniemy has four years at the coordinator level to go with several more as a positional coach. Before that, he’s served as an assistant head coach in Minnesota with the Vikings along with years there as a positional coach as well as back at his alma mater, the University of Colorado.
Eric Bieniemy has plenty of experienced friends who can help.
That body of experience is certainly enough for Bieniemy to warrant head coaching looks in the present. Right now, the Vikings have shown interest and we hope to hear the same about other teams as they continue their search—including the Houston Texans and New York Giants.
When Bieniemy finally gets his opportunity, he might want to bring along some seasoned help—some trusted friends who have gone down the head coaching road and might be able to point out some potential pitfalls along the way. After all, a head coach is much more than the guy calling the shots on the field. He’s also a public-facing figure and an important part of an organization’s culture. The scope is wider, the responsibilities are greater.
If Bieniemy wants to tap some experienced pros on the shoulder to invite them along for a ride we’ll assume he’s getting, he’s got several familiar faces to choose from.