After some Commanders players complained to Ron Rivera about Eric Bieniemy's coaching style, Rivera unsurprisingly backed his offensive coordinator.
The Washington Commanders may be entering the 2023 season with one clear motto: Show no weakness.
In a cutthroat division with their rivals who are having more favorably reviewed training camps, the Commanders have found themselves at the center of another controversy.
It was bad enough that the franchise's dirty laundry had been so publicly aired in the waning months of Dan Snyder's tenure. Now, apparently, there's a coaching problem on the field: the players aren't fans of new OC Eric Bieniemy.
In response to his players' complaints about Bieniemy's "harsh" coaching style, Ron Rivera reportedly had a chat with Bieniemy himself in which Rivera backed the ex-Chiefs coach.
Rivera also compared Bieniemy's approach with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio's approach and said that "we all have our own way of doing things." He specifically characterized Bieniemy's coaching style as similar to that of former Bears coaches Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan, a little bit of a throwback to the gritty, nose-to-the-ground era of football.
Ron Rivera stands on Eric Bieniemy's side in camp
Rivera's mollifying comments may have calmed the Commanders' preseason storm for now, but the fact that Bieniemy is already getting pushback months into his new position shouldn't be written off.
Is Bieniemy consumed by his own expectations and standards and pushing the Commanders to evolve too quickly? Going from coaching the Chiefs to the worst team in the NFC East can't be a totally smooth-sailing process.
Or are the Commanders used to a certain mediocrity and attitude of complacency under former OC Scott Turner and unable to reach Bieniemy's reasonably set bar? In Turner's three years in Washington, the Commanders never finished above 20th place in total offense in a season.
In any case, the sounds of discontent and frustration coming out of Commanders camp suggest Bieniemy still has a ways to go to earn the trust and faith of his players. He already has Rivera's vote of confidence, but if he wants to succeed in his first stint out of Kansas City, he'll have to get the whole team on board.
