If the New York Jets need a reference on Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, all they need to do is speak to quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The former NFL MVP and current Super Bowl MVP had nothing but good things to say on Tuesday about Bieniemy, who is on the Jets’ list of candidates for head coach. According to the Kansas City Star:
“If you look at how our attack has produced in recent years, it was one of the most vital pieces of that,” said Mahomes. “Obviously I want him to be here, but I understand that he deserves the chance to go there and train his own team and run his own organization. I mean, he’s a guy who holds everyone in the organization accountable, he’s going to build culture in the right way. And obviously he knows how to call the shots and do those things and produce on the pitch, so there’s nothing negative about it, so I don’t understand why he wouldn’t get one (main coach job) in this type of cycle. “
Perhaps the only criticism of Bieniemy is his lack of gaming experience, with Chiefs coach Andy Reid having a big influence on the team’s attack. But Mahomes never cared about Bieniemy’s role and seems resigned to the loss of his coordinator.
“First, he taught me how to become a better person, which I think is more important than anything. How to hold other people accountable, how to be the leader in the locker room and I think this is super important for (any) quarterback. And then, in the field, he taught me a ton about protection, he taught me a ton about how to do my business of taking the deep shot when he’s there and taking the check and moving the chains and doing things like that. And someone who is very involved in planning the game and calling the shots every week, and he understands how the defender thinks and what we need to do to be successful on the field, and I think this is very important for a guy who is getting into ( a new job with) any quarterback whatsoever. “
Bieniemy is one of six coaches that the Jets asked to interview:
– Matt Eberflus, defensive coordinator for Colts (Texans, Chargers)
– Arthur Smith, Titans offensive coordinator (Chargers, Jaguars, Lions, Falcons, Texans)
– Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator (Falcons, Lions, Chargers, Jaguars)
– Brian Daboll, offensive coordinator for Bills (Chargers)
– Brandon Staley, defensive coordinator for Rams (Chargers)
– Patrick Graham, defensive coordinator for the Giants (no other interests reported) – interview request declined
(Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media contributed to this report.)
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