Armed with new responsibilties, Eric Bieniemy makes strong first impression on Commanders

ASHBURN, Va. — At Washington Commanders voluntary organized team activities over the past two weeks, Eric Bieniemy had a first opportunity for his new team to watch how he works.

What players didn't realize is that they'd sooner become more familiar with how he sounds.

"I'm pretty loud at practice," Bieniemy said Thursday, "but it's fun."

After 10 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs – the last five as offensive coordinator under head coach Andy Reid – Bieniemy became the Commanders' coordinator shortly after winning his second Super Bowl with the Chiefs in February, later saying it was "time to move on."

Head coach Ron Rivera also made Bieniemy the assistant head coach and was adamant it would not be a perfunctory title. For training camp, Bieniemy will be responsible for the finer scheduling points of practices and workouts, with Rivera simply supplying an outline, continuing a process that was established during OTAs.

"I just appreciate him allowing me to have some input, and he's given me a little flexibility to help and adjust the schedules because he feels that certain things we needed to change, and I'm enjoying it because it allows me to have input," Bieniemy said.

Occasionally, Rivera will check in to see if Bieniemy needs a hand. If Bieniemy has a question, he can always go to Rivera or director of football operations Bryan Porter. One example of his thoroughness, Rivera said, was Bieniemy making sure his plans were in accordance with the ramp-up periods teams go through at the start of training camp.

"I think it's all part of the growth and giving him an idea as to what to expect and how to do things," Rivera said.

Rivera assigned similar duties to former offensive coordinator Scott Turner, who held the job for three seasons prior to Bieniemy, and would also work with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio to map out practices so both sides of the ball could address what they needed.

Bieniemy said that Kansas City's recent success provided him with the currency to make the necessary changes he wanted to under Rivera.

"It's just given me a little bit more responsibilities as far as being the assistant head coach," Bieniemy said. "So it’s been great and I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying all the challenges and the responsibilities."

After six OTA practices, the players – who often refer to Bieniemy by his initials, "EB" – have been receptive.

"He’s going to bring that intensity," wide receiver Terry McLaurin said.

McLaurin added that Bieniemy is detail-oriented and often encourages players to study on their own time before applying it to the field.

“When you come out here, and you have that kind of energy from your coach, you have no choice but to come out here and put the work in," McLaurin said. "I think it’s great that he set the tempo and tone like that.”

Bieniemy is the same way in the meeting rooms, according to running back Antonio Gibson. Everything from the way players run out of the huddle to the snap count are coachable aspects of the game.

“EB is everything they said he would be," Gibson said. "He expects perfection from us.”

The offense is still in the "intro stage" of installing Bieniemy's scheme. And while perfection is indeed the goal, he said, it's "about creating a culture of accountability."

"I also got to look in the mirror and make sure I'm doing the right thing," Bieniemy said.

As head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Rivera gave Steve Wilks (now the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator) the assistant head coach title and many of the same responsibilities Bieniemy now carries for the first time in his career. Asked if it was all part of helping Bieniemy take the next step in his pursuit of becoming a NFL head coach, Rivera replied: "Well, I think it's part of what this is about."

"I think he relishes it," Rivera continued. "I mean, he's one of those guys that very few people are gonna outwork, and he works very hard at what he's doing and he's developing his way of doing it."

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eric Bieniemy gives Washington Commanders strong first impression