It might seem natural to rail against the flawed process – which almost seems rigged for certain candidates each year – and get caught up in the hypocrisy of it all.
Many a column has been written about the NFL’s hiring processes for coaches and general managers, which continue to lead to one outcome – those of color largely on the outside despite the game’s locker rooms being composed largely of Black players.
Bieniemy has become one of the men most synonymous with this struggle – unfairly, frankly, but not surprisingly – as he has been left without an offer while so many other of Andy Reid’s top lieutenants over the years have been scooped up despite them lacking the breadth of Bieniemy’s playing or coaching experience.
“At the end of the day like I always tell folks, I don’t allow anything to dictate my outcome or my future,” Bieniemy told me recently on Inside Access, the afternoon drive show I cohost on 1057 The Fan in Baltimore.
“I am blessed and fortunate to be working with a Hall of Fame head coach.
Last week Bieniemy took part in the NFL’s inaugural Ozzie Newsome GM Forum, which leads into the annual QB Summit, where NFL VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent spearheads the effort to get the brightest diverse minds in football at all levels in front of the NFL’s movers and shakers.
“We’ve had a variety of people who have joined in,” Bieniemy said, “and obviously we would love to have all 32 owners to be a part of it.
Prominent players were actively campaigning for Bieniemy last year based on what Mahomes had told them about his coaching acumen, there is going to be ample turnover, again, and this team will be on national TV and in the headlines quite a bit.
And one hopes those who pull the strings and make these decisions do so in a more inclusionary manner come January.
But I have had something that can occupy my time through that whole entire process – I had to get up and go to work the next day to make sure that we are continuing to pursue our dream of winning a Super Bowl.
It is less than efficient and screaming for change in more ways than one, with Bieniemy’s exclusion to this point just one of the many puzzling aspects of it all.