Eric Bieniemy would bring instant success to a franchise as head coach, says Jacksonville Jaguars great Maurice Jones-Drew.
Bieniemy, the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator since 2018, has been linked with several jobs in the past.
But despite his high-scoring, high-octane tandem with head coach Andy Reid, Bieniemy has so far been overlooked for top jobs with NFL teams.
Eric Bieniemy has continually been overlooked for head coaching jobs in the last three years
Maurice Jones-Drew has backed Bieniemy to succeed, should he finally get his chance
Following Jon Gruden’s resignation, the Las Vegas Raiders are the first franchise with a vacancy in 2022 - but there will be more.
‘I think once someone gives Eric Bieniemy an opportunity, and they look past kind of the way he coaches and his style, you'll see success right away,’ says Jones-Drew, who was coached by Bieniemy at UCLA.
‘Before he coached me he coached Chris Brown, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Then he coached myself at UCLA, then he went to Minnesota where he helped Chester Taylor. Then he made Adrian Peterson an All Pro - even though he was really good, don't get me wrong - but Adrian Peterson hasn't been the same since Bieniemy left Minnesota, right?
‘Then he goes to Kansas City where he coaches Jamaal Charles who has the highest yards per rush.
‘And then he becomes an OC there. Patrick Mahomes in his first year there he wins MVP, the second year they win the Super Bowl. Third year, they go back, right! So it's just like success follows him!’
Alongside head ocach Andy Reid, Bieniemy has forged an unstoppable offense in Kansas City
Jones-Drew described Bieniemy’s coaching style as ‘my way or the highway’, but says it’s a surefire way to success.
‘Now, his style of coaching isn't like for everyone to like - it's not to be liked, it's to make sure that you're the best player that you can be. And so I think sometimes in NFL and again you we have people who run organisations, right, that we've seen over the last couple of days that aren't the, you know, right stuff…’
And Jones-Drew revealed Bieniemy has approached him about joining his staff, should the day come.
“He's actually told me: “Maybe you can come on”. I'm like: “Bro, I love my job! I love coming over to the UK, I love speaking to the Brits here and having a good time. I don't know if I want to go into being a coach and then possibly getting fired. Fired! I don’t want to do that anymore, I'm OK. But I know when he does get a job, he'll be phenomenal.’
Jones-Drew had an elite coaching staff in his three years at UCLA. Current San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was a
