Ben Johnson knew what he wanted to do regarding his coaching staff. It would’ve been so easy just to pinpoint several names he was familiar with and bring them in. Chemistry would never be an issue. However, the Chicago Bears head coach also understood it would limit the chance of this team reaching the highest peak of achievement. Johnson had to be willing to bring in guys he didn’t know, guys with strong reputations elsewhere, even at the potential cost of somewhat difficult relationships. That is what led him to Eric Bieniemy.
Johnson knew the man’s track record, which dates back two decades. He made his name as a running backs coach in Minnesota and Kansas City before winning two Super Bowls as an offensive coordinator. The Bears recognized an opportunity after things didn’t pan out at UCLA. Johnson wanted to bring Bieniemy in at his position of expertise. The meeting went well, and the two sides reached a deal. Johnson revealed exactly how strong Bieniemy’s reputation was at the NFL Owners Meetings based on the reactions around the league after the hire went public.
“He’s going to coach the piss out of these running backs now. That’s what he does. Everybody that texted me after we hired him, I had probably half a dozen people that have worked with him in the past and they said, you just hired the best running backs coach in the NFL.”
Eric Bieniemy is willing to do things some modern coaches aren’t.
He isn’t afraid to demand more from players. Some have called him a hardass for his approach, unwilling to give guys any wiggle room on their duties. They either do it the right way, or they don’t play. Several modern players hate that because it makes them feel unnecessarily abused. Eric Bieniemy doesn’t care. He understands the fundamental truth.
Football is hard.
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If you want to win championships, you must be prepared to make many sacrifices. Every detail matters. There are no cutting corners in this league. Not if you want to win. Johnson is of that same mind, which makes it easy to understand why he wanted Bieniemy on the staff. He famously told Caleb Williams and others that they better get comfortable being uncomfortable. The new running backs coach is the epitome of this.
