Some news that Falcons fans are sure to be over the moon about, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com said in his recent mailbag that Arthur Blank is focusing on Former Chiefs & Browns GM John Dorsey for General Manager and Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy for Head Coach.
Have you heard any NFL rumors around who the Falcons might be interested in as their next head coach?
Right now, the belief is that owner Arthur Blank is going to make a big push for the combination of Eric Bieniemy and John Dorsey to accept the roles of head coach and general manager.
This is just a report, but what an exciting nugget of news this is. Eric Bieniemy is the probably the most coveted option in Football, and if (when) Anthony Lynn gets fired by the Chargers, he could see that as a more attractive job. On the reverse, he could be very eager to avoid his former juggernaut of a team twice every season. I profiled Bieniemy earlier in the season, and the Chiefs are absolutely rolling again. From that article:
EB got his start coaching at his Alma Mater as a running backs coach for the Buffs from 2000-2001. He bounced around some college jobs before taking the position as the Minnesota Vikings RB coach from 2006-2010. Just like now in Kansas City, he had an exceptional talent to work with — possibly the greatest RB of this generation in Adrian Peterson. Bieniemy then returned to Colorado from 2011-2012 to work as their offensive coordinator. The Buffs were absolutely terrible during his time, and the entire staff was relieved of their duties. That firing turned out to be one of the best things that could have ever happened to him, however.
It can’t be easy to be fired by your school, but Bieniemy became the running backs coach for the lowly 2012 Kansas City Chiefs. After a 2-14 finish, Andy Reid was named the new head coach. Expectations were mile high (pun intended) after their rival Denver Broncos went 13-3 with soon to be MVP Peyton Manning. The Chiefs did manage to go 11-5 that season, and while things were looking up, they had a massive hump to get over.
Once again, Bieniemy had an exceptional talent to work with in Jamaal Charles. His rushing numbers were down, but he still earned a Pro Bowl nod after running for 1,287 yards and 12 scores. Injuries held Charles back, but even when he was injured — Bieniemy & Reid had guys like Knile Davis, Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware, and Kareem Hunt at their best. Bieniemy has always been a running backs guy, but something amazing happened when he took over as offensive coordinator.
He helped revolutionize the NFL.
After 2017, Bieniemy was promoted to offensive coordinator to replace Chicago Bears HC Matt Nagy. In the 2018 season, the Chiefs led the NFL in points and yards per game, scoring the third-most points in NFL History while Patrick Mahomes established himself as the best quarterback in the NFL on his way to the MVP award. He became the 2nd QB (alongside the aforementioned Manning) to throw for 50 TDs and 5,000 Yards in NFL history… at 23 years old.
There’s no doubt Andy Reid‘s fingerprints are all over this team, but Bieniemy deserves his share of the credit. They’ve set a blueprint for a gadget “burner” WR in the mold of Tyreek Hill, and the already elite Travis Kelce has been moved around like a chess piece that is almost impossible to cover. Guys like Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson have transformed from college vertical burners to smooth route runners and threats in the run game. Sammy Watkins finally realized his full potential after loads of inconsistency. All of these ingredients — even with an average defense — resulted in a Super Bowl against Kyle Shanahan‘s mighty 49ers.
The RB whisperer took a Miami Dolphins castaway, Damien Williams, and rode him for over 100 yards in that game. 2020 has been more of the same for the Chiefs. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is outstanding as a rookie… and Le’Veon Bell will be in the fold soon. It will be fascinating to see how EB utilizes him. I still think the Chiefs are the team to beat, and even though they have shown signs of a hangover — they have dominated 2019 playoff teams like the Bills, Ravens, and Patriots.
Questions linger on how much Bieniemy actually has to do with Kansas City’s success (See Nagy, Matt), but you won’t hear a complaint out of me if he’s Atlanta’s next Head Coach. He would bring insane levels of excitement to this franchise.
John Dorsey is a name that hasn’t come up a lot, but I can get behind the hiring as well. Dorsey spent 12 years as part of the Packers organization. He was director of scouting beginning in 2000 when Aaron Rodgers was drafted and was promoted to director of football operations in 2012. He saw one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL History when he was named GM of the Chiefs in 2013. Dorsey drafted many of the key contributors to Kansas City’s Super Bowl Team & Current Juggernaut including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Dorsey went to the lowly Browns in at the end of 2017 and drafted many of their players key to their turnaround including Nick Chubb, Baker Mayfield, and Denzel Ward. He also orchestrated the Odell Beckham Jr trade and signed Superstar Guard Wyatt Teller. Dorsey was fired after 2019 when he rolled the dice with Freddie Kitchens, but he clearly has an eye for talent.
Dorsey has CLEARLY done a good job of evaluating quarterbacks, and he’s drafted or signed difference makers all over the field. He would be an excellent choice for GM, and he’s familiar with EB. There’s questions of how he clashes with his staff, but he’s built and been a part of winners.
This is still a report, but boy is it an exciting one.
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