Eric Bieniemy is clearly one of the most qualified of all the head coaching candidates available this offseason, as he still looks for that coveted NFL head coaching job after three years and countless interviews for the position. The Kansas City Chiefs making deep playoff runs the past few seasons is part of the reason why Bieniemy hasn't been hired as a head coach yet, but the team's offensive coordinator won't address why he hasn't been chosen by a team to lead them.
"Let me just say this, first of all, it was an honor and a privilege," Bieniemy told reporters on his interviews this week. "But that's not what we're here for. We're here to talk about the Cleveland Browns. And you've heard us talk about this before, we eliminate all distractions.
"At the end of the day, my focus and attention is on the Cleveland Browns. This is a great team and they're playing some great ball. They've got some young guys up front that are playing tremendous. They've got some guys in the second level with those backers and they've got a heck of a secondary group, one of those guys we're very familiar with. So, we're looking forward to this challenge. I know our guys are fired up and excited. They're refreshed, they've hit the reset button. Now it's time to get out there and produce and show exactly what we're about."
Every team but the Philadelphia Eagles has requested to interview Bieniemy at this stage in the head coach interview process, with two teams already making hires. The New York Jets hired Robert Saleh and the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer, while the Atlanta Falcons are eportedly already tabbing Arthur Smith for their head coaching vacancy (Smith has yet to accept). The Detroit Lions have already reportedly tabbed Dan Campbell as the front-runner for their head coaching job, leaving just the Eagles, Houston Texans, and Los Angeles Chargers left for Bieniemy to lead a team.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is hoping the third time is a charm for Bieniemy -- and will make sure to give him the highest recommendation.
"I think he's top-notch. At the risk of being redundant, I have not seen many guys that are as great a leader as he is of men. And in this business, that's huge," Reid told reporters earlier in the week. "You're never going to have to worry about Eric Bieniemy, never—on the field, off the field. He's going to be honest with you and straightforward, and then he knows the offense.
"So, those are all important things, but to be a head coach, if you're going to survive in this business, you better be honest with the people you deal with and you better have a plan for them. Guys want to know where they're at and where they're going, and most of us do. And when they don't have that put in place, then they drift, and then that's where teams fall apart. So, he knows how to do that part and do it well."
