Ben Johnson knew what he wanted when he put together his new coaching staff for the Chicago Bears: grinders like him. Guys had to be sticklers for details and never cut corners when developing players. This mentality led him to bring in Eric Bieniemy. The football lifer has enjoyed success for most of his life. He won a national championship with Colorado in college. Then, after becoming a coach, he rose to become offensive coordinator in Kansas City, where he won two Super Bowls between 2018 and 2022.
After two brief stints in Washington and UCLA, he returns to the NFL to take over the Bears’ running back position, his bread and butter. His first job is assessing what the team already has on the roster and if it’s workable within Johnson’s offense. That starts with D’Andre Swift. The 26-year-old posted over 1300 total yards last season. While Bieniemy praised the veteran for his outstanding work ethic, he couldn’t resist pointing out a persistent issue he sees already on the Bears, etc. Podcast with Jeff Joniak.
Eric Bieniemy already sees the problem with Swift.
The most persistent complaint with the running back last year was his unwillingness to take running lanes between the tackles when they were there. He seemed too in love with bouncing it outside, looking to hit big plays with his obvious speed. Of his 253 carries last season, 103 of them went off the left or right ends of the line outside the tackles. For context, Saquon Barkley had 117 runs outside the tackles despite 433 attempts. He was much better about taking the easy 4-5 yards behind the guards and center when available.
It is for this reason that the Bears are expected to be in the market for another running back in this draft. They will target somebody who can fill the role David Montgomery did for Johnson in Detroit. He will handle the heavier workload and grind defenses down between the tackles. Then when they’re getting worn out, in goes the speed back to change it up. Names like Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, and Quinshon Judkins are all possibilities. It depends on what Eric Bieniemy sees during evaluations. Swift better take his advice in the meantime.
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@Dr. Melhus Ironically, I agree with both you AND TGena. I look at Poles, Eberflus, Getsy, Waldron, Thomas Brown the same way. As long as they’re on contract, hope they do the job they are given. Coach them, criticize them, encourage and praise them, but none without merit about their CURRENT actions and behaviors. We all have histories that can be pointed to. We can’t erase our history, nor deny it. We might explain it, but it doesn’t get rid of it. In retrospect, Poles BIGGEST mistake, was not asking Matt Eberflus, “what is going on with your offense?” six… Read more »
I really hope that Eric Bieniemy can prove himself to be a good hire and revives his career. From what I can tell, he’s an intense guy, hard worker and smart, but needs to work on his “people” skills to communicate and motivate people effectively. Maybe working with Johnson can help that.
The both seem to be intense and smart and hard-working, but rubbing people the wrong way in a team sport isn’t good. (On the other hand Shane Waldron’s and Eberflus’ “nice guy” attempts are disastrous.
Should be interesting.
@TGena: Each of us has opinions, of course. But those of us who are thoughtful try to discern what’s happening behind the superficial data and use that to form opinions. My opinion is that Ryan Poles is a collaborative GM, and works with the coaching staff and scouts to find the best players he can. If a coach wants a specific player, or a specific type of player, Poles prioritizes that. So, in that light, if Eberflus and Waldron wanted Swift, Poles got him. If Johnson, Doyle, and Bienemy don’t want Swift, Poles will try to find a way to… Read more »
Sounds like nurse silly wants all top draft choices on the team and never mind how to keep under the salary cap just fire everyone and start over there is only 2 years left before Williams gets traded for a 6th round pick anyway