Commanders’Coach Ron Rivera: ‘I put my foot in my mouth’ with Eric Bieniemy comments

When asked about his initial thoughts on Eric Bieniemy, his new offensive coordinator, Ron Rivera grinned. Bieniemy joined Rivera’s staff in Washington following a very successful tenure with the Chiefs after failing to land one of the empty head coaching positions this past summer.

Commanders’Coach Ron Rivera: ‘I put my foot in my mouth’ with Eric Bieniemy comments

The Commanders’ head coach Ron Rivera said on Tuesday morning that some players had approached him to voice concerns about Bieniemy’s ferocity.

Multiple players battled with Bieniemy’s ferocity, Rivera told reporters. During their conversations, some even used the word “concerning” to characterize it.

“He’s loud,” Rivera said with a smile. “The beauty of Eric is the perspective he has. He’s been with an organization that does some things differently. He’s very staunch about the way that he does things. That’s something that’s been different. I appreciate it, because we’re out of our comfort zone. We’re doing things a little bit differently. I’ve been doing things, for the most part, the same way for 12 years”

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“They were a little concerned,” Rivera said. “I’ve said, ‘Just go talk to him. Understand what he’s trying to get across to you.’ I think as they go and talk and listen to him, it’s been enlightening for a lot of these guys. It’s a whole different approach. You’re getting a different kind of player from the players back in the past, especially in light of how things are coming out of college football.

When discussing player complaints about new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on Wednesday morning, Commanders coach Ron Rivera went back to his earlier remarks from Tuesday.

“I realized my comments yesterday took on a different life than I intended,” Rivera said. “And that’s on me for not being as clear as I needed to be. I’ll own that.”

“I did not communicate that correctly,” he said Wednesday.

Rivera continued by saying that the offence has had a lot of “uncomfortable” players and that there has “been a lot of change,” but that the squad has improved as a consequence. He clarified his remarks equating defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio to Bieniemy and stated that they had since talked.

In his remarks on Tuesday, Rivera contrasted Bieniemy’s method with the way that Jack Del Rio, the defensive coordinator, manages his side of the field. Rivera was not attempting to put the two against one another, he said.

“I was just trying to convey that we all have our own way of doing things,” he said Wednesday, “and neither one’s better than the other.”

 

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