Eric Bieniemy - Focus on Commanders, not head-coach jobs

ASHBURN, Va. — New Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy made it clear during his opening news conference that he's not focused on using this position to land a head-coaching job.

Washington hired Bieniemy last week to rejuvenate an offense that has struggled in coach Ron Rivera's first three seasons.

«Being a head coach right now is not in my thought process,» Bieniemy said Thursday. «What I'm focused on is being the best coach today; everything else will take care of itself. I live in the moment. Right now my feet are planted here.»

Bieniemy was part of two Super Bowl championships during his five seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator. During that time, he interviewed with 15 different teams for head-coaching positions and failed to land a job.

«It hasn't happened. It's not anything that's going to impact me moving forward,» Bieniemy said. «All that stuff about being the head coach, we can talk about that next year sometime. I'm focused on the job at hand.»

His inability to land a head-coaching job has become a focal point of offseason discussions for several years. «Everybody's entitled to their own stance and their own positioning,» Bieniemy said. «My job is to eliminate all the distractions. I can't worry about the things I can't control.

»I don't get down. I don't let any opportunity take me down. My job is to create the necessary energy."

In Washington, he'll have full control over the offense — something he did not have in Kansas City where coach Andy Reid was the primary playcaller. Bieniemy, whose contract was up with the Chiefs after this season, likely could have returned to Kansas City in the same role. But he opted to take the job with Washington, a team that has not