(Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
The Washington Commanders have received significant news coverage over the last few days.
No, it’s not about their potential name change or their new ownership group.
Head coach Ron Rivera has recently discussed the organizational fit of new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
He talked about Bieniemy’s intensity, telling the media about players who voiced their concern over Bieniemy’s tactics.
In a recent podcast on The Volume, John Middlekauff expressed his concerns about Rivera’s comments.
“Coaches, unless a story breaks, don’t usually just give out information,” Middlekauff said.
.@JohnMiddlekauff sees red flags in Washington after HC Ron Rivera threw new OC Eric Bieniemy under the bus unprompted pic.twitter.com/262wErKlOm
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 9, 2023
He called Rivera’s comments “weird,” and surprising for a head coach.
During the offseason, coaches don’t typically get in front of the media and talk about the state of their team, especially in such candid terms.
Middlekauff also said that Rivera “created a story almost out of thin air,” given there wasn’t any news coverage about Bieniemy prior.
To this point, it’s unclear what players complained about his actions.
Bieniemy comes to the Commanders from the Kansas City Chiefs and is fresh off a Super Bowl victory.
He knows what it’s like to win at the highest level, and commanded a lot of respect from Chiefs players.
At the moment, it doesn’t appear that he has that same support in Washington.
With less than a month to go until the regular season begins, the Commanders are running out of time to find cohesion.
They’re looking to get back on track after an 8-8-1 season, and have a lot of questions to answer.
Can Bieniemy’s new mindset help them get there?
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