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By Robert Read
Life & Trends Reporter
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Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera opened his Wednesday press conference by saying, "I put my foot in my mouth," when discussing first-year assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on Tuesday.
Rivera said a day earlier that a number of Commanders offensive players had come to him since Bieniemy was hired this offseason "a little concerned" about their new coach's intensity and coaching style. The fourth-year Washington head coach said his comments took on a "different life" than he anticipated and that he will "own that."
"As I've said many times since I hired Eric, I loved the overall message that he gave to the team his first day," Rivera said on Wednesday while reading from a prepared statement. "And that was basically that we've got to learn to be comfortable when we're uncomfortable. And I think what's happened for those guys on that side of the ball—they're uncomfortable. There's been a lot of change.
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"Change is hard and I've always encouraged our players to have great dialogue and build relationships with our staff."
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Bieniemy has done a great job, Rivera said, of communicating his message now that players have opened up to him. Rivera said the Commanders have seen a lot of growth in the last couple days and that players are starting to have "a-ha moments."
Later in his statement, Rivera also clarified a comparison he made between Bieniemy and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio (a former NFL head coach). Rivera said Tuesday that "Jack has a tendency to try to figure guys out a little bit more" compared to Bieniemy's approach.
"I did not communicate that correctly and I met with Eric," Rivera said. "We had a great conversation and that was cool. I think the biggest thing is we're all on the same page....I'm fortunate to have an experienced staff, guys like Eric and Jack, and a roster of players who want to take this franchise to the next step. We're all working to build a culture where players and staff respect each other's views."
The Commanders hired Biemiemy to replace offensive coordinator Scott Turner after finishing 24th in the NFL in scoring in 2022. Biemiemy spent the last five seasons as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, winning two Super Bowls.
Former Chiefs All-Pros Jamaal Charles and Tyreek Hill were among the players to publicly defend Bieniemy's approach.
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Bieniemy explained his coaching style to reporters on Tuesday.
"I'm always going to be loud, always going to be vocal, always going to demand from my leaders," Bieniemy said. "...If I ain't doing my job, my ass gets fired. It's my job and my responsibility to make sure I'm getting our guys to do what I'm expecting to do."
Rivera's comments this week added to the drama provided by NFL coaches this offseason. Last week, former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett responded to new coach Sean Payton's public criticism of his coaching job last season.
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