'Hell of a Job!' Commanders Coach Eric Bieniemy Praises QB Sam Howell
It's been something of a controversial week for Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, with news breaking of some of the team's players complaining about him to coach Ron Rivera.
But not to be lost in the drama is that Bieniemy is focused on installing his offense in his first season with the Commanders after a highly successful decade with the Kansas City Chiefs.
There, Bieniemy worked with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes - and now, he's trying to help second-year signal caller Sam Howell follow a similar path, turning a late-rookie season start into a phenomenal second year.
And thus far, Bieniemy has been quite impressed with Howell, who's handled the offense well and developed at a steady clip throughout training camp.
"Sam's actually doing a hell of a job," Bieniemy said. "I think sometimes early in camp you could see where he was overthinking. But we've been putting a lot on our players, been putting a lot on his plate because I want him to understand there's a thing that you got to do.
"You got to process everything and the thing that I love, I've seen the growth."
Bieniemy, in his own words, is tough and hard-nosed, but also quick to support his own guys - and really, he shares a lot of similarities with Howell in that regard.
The two have an evolving relationship off the field, but on the field, Bieniemy has already seen plenty of encouraging traits - starting with arm talent, which, when paired with his mental growth, is quite the positive sign for Washington.
"You can see when he's confident, he's coming off the mound releasing that ball - it's a thing of beauty," Bieniemy said. "It's been fun watching this growth process and I think the sky can be the limit for this kid.”
Bieniemy saw Mahomes' special arm up close the past six seasons - he knows what a good signal caller looks like and appears confident that Howell is on his way to becoming exactly that.
The next step for the 22-year-old Howell is proving Bieniemy right, a journey that starts with this Friday's preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns. Kickoff in Cleveland is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
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