It’s not what Ron Rivera meant to say.
The Commanders’ head coach, 61, walked back on comments he made Tuesday, saying his players were “a little concerned” with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s intensity during practice.
“I basically told him I put my foot in my mouth,” Rivera told the media on Wednesday. “I think what I said wasn’t as clear as it needed to be. I think the understanding of it is just the fact that I think everybody’s making, in my opinion, a little bit more than needs to be made of this.
“I think Eric has done a great job of communicating his message now that guys have opened up, talked with him, he’s opened up to them. It’s been a great bit of growth the last couple of days that guys are starting to have the a-ha moments.”
Bieniemy, 53, was brought in by Washington in February after spending 10 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He spent the last five seasons as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator and won two Super Bowl titles with the team.
Bieniemy is replacing Scott Turner — who was let go after three seasons — and his style of coaching is not something he’s going to change.
“I’m always going to be loud, always going to be vocal, always going to demand from my leaders,” Bieniemy said, according to ESPN.
“If I ain’t doing my job, my a–– gets fired. It’s my job and my responsibility to make sure I’m getting our guys to do what I’m expecting them to do.”
Bieniemy knows what it takes to win and that process may be an adjustment for a Commanders squad that hasn’t ranked above 20th in points or yards per game since 2017 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2006.
“There’s been a lot of change, and the entire way of doing things has changed on the offensive side. Change is hard, and I’ve always encouraged our players to have great dialogue and build relationships with our staff,” Rivera said.
“Since those conversations took place with Eric and the players, I’ve seen the improvements, and I can honestly say the last couple of practices probably have been the best of training camp, which I think is great.”
Washington opens the 2023 NFL season on Sept. 10 against Arizona.
