Some Commanders players 'concerned' by Eric Bieniemy's intensity, Ron Rivera says - ESPN

Eric Bieniemy's level of intensity has some Washington Commanders players «a little concerned,» according to head coach Ron Rivera.

Rivera told reporters Tuesday that some players have approached him to discuss their issues with Bieniemy, who is entering his first season as Washington's offensive coordinator after a successful five-year stint in the same role with the Kansas City Chiefs.

When asked whether players feel Bieniemy's style has been too intense during training camp, Rivera said: «They were just a little concerned.»

Rivera said he also told those players to «just go talk to [Bieniemy]» and to try to «understand what he's trying to get across to you.»

Rivera said he doesn't expect the fiery Bieniemy to tone down his level of intensity because he had success with his coaching style with championship results with the Chiefs.

«It's not going to change because he believes in it,» Rivera said. "[Defensive coordinator] Jack [Del Rio] has his approach. Having been a head coach, I think Jack has a tendency to try to figure guys out a little bit more as opposed to, 'Hey, this is it, this is the way it's going to be.' That type of stuff. Eric hasn't had that experience yet."

Bieniemy was a candidate for multiple head coaching positions in recent years but didn't land of the NFL's top 32 jobs.

Rivera said the other side of the equation with coach-player relationships is «young guys — they do struggle with certain things and a lot of it… is from where they've been.»

Information from Reuters was used in this report.