Giants Head Coaching Candidate Preview: Eric Bieniemy

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will be one of two candidates the Giants’ brass is scheduled to interview Saturday for their head coaching vacancy.

Bieniemy is a former NFL running back who possesses an in-depth and intricate knowledge of the game and a quest for accountability and perfection.

Those most familiar with Bieniemy’s work praise him for his teaching style and his no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is communication style.

“I love him — he’s the best coach that I’ve ever been around,” Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman told Yahoo! Sports. “He believes in you, and it helps you believe in yourself, and he’s not a B’Ser — he’s straight-forward. He’s going to tell you how it is, like it or not.

“You might score a touchdown, but if you did three things wrong before you got there, he’s gonna let you know those three things, then give you that, ‘Hey, attaboy!’”

Why He’s an Appealing Candidate

There’s something to be said for having a former NFL player as a coach. Those guys have been there, done that, and often they bring a different perspective to the game that their non-NFL brethren counterparts don’t.

In Bieniemy’s case, he’s done wonders working with running backs like Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, Chester Taylor, and Kareem Hunt. Coming from a Chiefs team that has one of the best screen games in the NFL, how nice would it be to finally see the Giants able to run perfectly executed screens that get Saquon Barkley out in space?

But it’s more than just about Barkley. There is a matter of continuing Daniel Jones’ development, and again, Bieniemy has experience in such projects.

Bieniemy was instrumental in helping develop Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a fantastic second season in which he threw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns just by helping Mahomes with his footwork and some fundamentals.

Why the Giants Should Look Elsewhere

Experience. Bieniemy, who served as an offensive coordinator at Colorado, his alma mater, has only been an NFL offensive coordinator since 2018.

But it’s still Andy Reid who calls the plays in Kansas City, which means Bieniemy’s role on the staff probably is similar to the position that Mike Shula held on the Giants staff in that he contributes input into the big picture and serves as an advisor on game-day.

Granted, that didn’t stop Matt Nagy or Doug Pederson, both of whom held the offensive coordinator’s role on Reid’s staff before Bieniemy, from becoming somewhat successful head coaches. In fact, even Reid himself didn’t call plays before he became an NFL head coach.

”It seems like play-calling is always the issue,” Reid told reporters recently. “[Bieniemy] called during the preseason. He helps me with all of the set-ups. The only reason I do it is because I enjoy doing it. I don’t enjoy this (talking to the media), but I enjoy that. It’s one of those things. If that’s the issue, that shouldn’t be an issue.”

But the Giants’ situation is a bit different than that of the Eagles and the Bears, who hired Pederson and Nagy respectively as their head coaches.

The Giants have swung and missed on their last two head coaches, including Ben McAdoo, who rose up the ranks to offensive coordinator, a role he served for two seasons under Tom Coughlin with the Giants. When he was promoted to head coach, the role suddenly became much too big for him.

Can the Giants, who have been bottom dwellers for most of the last six or so seasons, really afford to gamble on another head coach who candidate who has no prior head coaching experience at any level and would be cutting his teeth?

Key Interview Question to Ask

What are your plans for the defense?

While he has a solid understanding of NFL defenses, his choice of defensive coordinator is going to be a critical decision.

The Giant defense has not been very good the last three seasons, but this year, general manager Dave Gettleman added a lot of young talent to the unit that the previous coaching staff wasn’t able to harvest.

The next defensive coordinator is going to need to be able to do that, which includes playing the talents to their strengths rather than trying to force a square peg into round holes within a system.

On the Beat

Nate Taylor, Chiefs beat writer for The Athletic – Kansas City, had a lot of information to share about Bieniemy, from the type of person he is to how well he’s received in the locker room and so much more.

Also, don’t forget to check out our special edition of the LockedOn Giants podcast in which LockedOn Chiefs podcast host Ryan Tracy offers his takes on Bieniemy.

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