Why Isn’t Eric Bieniemy A Head Coach?

So recently former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL.  He sited racism in the hiring practices of African American coaches.  This lawsuit brought to light, once again, the fact that about 75% of the players in the NFL are African American, yet as of this writing, there is only 1 Head Coach in the league.  Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  It appears that coaches of color are not getting the same opportunities as white coaches, or are terminated faster, and not given second chances.  You can read more about the details of this lawsuit HERE.

In this 58 page lawsuit, one of the coaches he talks about would be the OC of our Kansas City Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy.  Below is Eric's resume in the NFL as a coach:

There is zero doubt that Eric has proven to be one of the best OC in the NFL.  Since the NFL has made defense almost impossible with all of the rules in place, putting points on the board is key.  And the Chiefs have been one of the best offenses in the league for the past 4 seasons.  Having Patrick Mahomes helps, but Eric needs to get a lot of credit for that.  It is time for an NFL team to take a good look at Bieniemy as their new HC.  He has earned it.

As a Chiefs fan, certainly we would hate to lose him. Eric has a chance to be the Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints.  His interview went 8 hours.  Check the link HERE for more details.  He did not get that gig.  He also will have his contract expiring. He may choose to go elsewhere, if he chooses.  Read that story HERE.

My Chicago Bears went with Matt Nagy 4 years ago from KC, and he was a flop.  There is no telling if Eric will be a good HC if given the opportunity, but he has earned the shot.  And certainly, if he gets the gig in New Orleans, he will have some weapons to work with.

The Rooney rule in the NFL, makes it mandatory for each team to interview a minority candidate for Head Coach.  There have been a few African American HC's who have had success including Tomlin, Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, and yes, Brian Flores.  He finished with back to back winning seasons in Miami, yet was let go.  Learning under Andy Reid can't hurt Bieniemy, and I hope he gets a shot.  We will hate to see him go if he gets offered the job, but we also will wish him nothing but success.  He helped us have one of the best offenses in the NFL, and he now has a Super Bowl ring.  He is qualified, he is ready.  Lets hope an NFL team takes a chance and lets this guy show us what he is capable of doing.  I wish him well.