The rumor mill gained extra fuel on Wednesday during the Kansas City Chiefs’ latest round of Super Bowl media scrums. The focus is on Sunday’s game, but a reveal about their former offensive coordinator had everyone talking.
Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who was in attendance in Baltimore for the AFC Championship game, spoke with players in an unofficial support role. During his conversation with reporters on Wednesday, Patrick Mahomes shared his thoughts on Bieniemy in the locker room before the AFC Championship game.
“It’s always great to have EB (Bieniemy) in the building, just being there and the energy he brings, and the mentality he brings because he has that intensity, but he loves it,” Mahomes explained. “He loves being there. He loves being a part of the team and being a part of that culture. And so just having him back in the building was really cool.
“Listening to him talk with his energy. I mean, it just got everybody guys going. I think the guys had a little bit of chill bumps today. Like, Hey, we got EB’s back here, and obviously, he didn’t get that head coaching opportunity. But I’m excited for him to continue to coach football and continue to make his impact on the game.”
Mahomes wasn’t the only current Chiefs star with plenty to say about Bieniemy as Travis Kelce opened up about his former offensive coordinator during his media scrum on Wednesday.
“Man, EB was a special coach here for a long, long time, man, and he’s like my uncle or a father figure in the football world for me,” Kelce said. “Everybody knows how fired up he can get, and I definitely share that same passion for coming to work every single day to play this game.
[He is] one of my favorite coaches of all time, so I think the biggest thing that we could take away from who he was as a player and as a coach is just his passion and his desire to be ready for every single scenario out there on the field. His football awareness and his understanding of the game was second to none when it comes to football, and you know I’m hoping for the best for him coming up in his near coaching career, but I think who he is as a person is always going to go with me in life.”
Bieniemy’s legacy remains strong in the Chiefs facility as the players continue to sing his praise. A reunion is always possible, but the focus is on Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII.
