CNN’s Jake Tapper thinks that he’s uncovered the rationale why Kansas Metropolis Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy isn’t at present a head coach.

Tapper believes that as a result of Bieniemy is black, NFL franchises don’t need him accountable for their groups. He mentioned as a lot in an interview on Tuesday with lefty sports activities yacker and TBS baseball commentator Bob Costas.

“Soccer followers … might need been stunned it was the Eagles defensive coach Jonathan Gannon who was simply requested to be the pinnacle coach of the Arizona Cardinals, passing over, as soon as once more, the fantastically gifted Kansas Metropolis Chiefs offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, who helped his workforce get to 3 Tremendous Bowls and win two Vince Lombardi trophies simply since 2018,” Tapper mentioned in his monologue.

Tapper based mostly his argument on the truth that the Arizona Cardinals stuffed their head teaching emptiness by hiring Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as an alternative of Bieniemy. 

In Tapper’s thoughts, the actual fact the Eagles let up 31 of the 38 factors the Chiefs scored of their Tremendous Bowl LVII win is sufficient proof for him to be disqualified from being thought of for a head teaching gig. On the flip facet, he views Bieniemy’s half within the Chiefs’ victory — and his function in serving to his workforce get to 3 Tremendous Bowl appearances previously 4 years — as proof sufficient that he ought to be a head coach as soon as the 2023 season kicks off (he hasn’t gotten any head coach provides, however he’s at present within the interview course of to be the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator).

Tapper then level clean requested Costas if he believes the ethnicity of the coaches performed a job in figuring out who obtained a head teaching job and who didn’t.

“So, let’s simply ask the query on the desk. Would Eric Bieniemy be a head coach at present if he have been white?” he requested.

“I feel you would need to conclude that as doubtless,” Costas mentioned, in fact.

Each of those males couldn’t be farther from the reality.

First, as an Eagles fan, Tapper ought to notice Gannon’s physique of labor as defensive coordinator in Philadelphia was glorious, particularly this previous season. In 2022, the Eagles have been prime 10 within the league in factors allowed, yards allowed, and turnovers pressured, serving to propel them to a 14-3 common season file and the number-1 seed within the NFC playoffs. This unit was fearsome, and Gannon proved he might run an elite protection — an space the Cardinals desperately want to enhance.

The truth that the Eagles had a subpar efficiency within the Tremendous Bowl doesn’t take away from what they achieved within the common season, or of their two playoff video games through which they let up a mixed 14 factors (I do know the competitors they performed in these rounds wasn’t nice, however nonetheless). 

Plus, within the closing sport, they bumped into an offense the place Andy Reid calls the performs and is quarterbacked by some man named Patrick Mahomes, who occurs to be fairly good at what he does.

Talking of Reid, his involvement within the Chief’s offense additionally helps clarify why Bieniemy has stayed an offensive coordinator. It’s well-known that Reid — one of the crucial good offensive minds ever — does a majority of the play calling for the Chiefs, or any workforce he coaches. So Bieniemy’s prowess would not loom as giant as it might underneath a special head coach.

However maybe the obvious purpose for why Bieniemy isn’t a head coach is as a result of he doesn’t relate to gamers nicely.

LeSean McCoy, who performed as a operating again for the Chiefs underneath Bieniemy in 2019, mentioned that the offensive coordinator talks to gamers “a sure means” (which McCoy insinuated was largely destructive) and that his pores and skin colour has nothing to do with why he’s not a head coach.

Shady McCoy sounds OFF about #Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy: “there’s a purpose why yearly they hype him as much as get a job after which when the time comes no person hires him as a result of they know the kind of coach he actually is.”

🎥 – @IAMATHLETEpod pic.twitter.com/aNjN85kHhE

— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) Could 26, 2022

“There’s a purpose why yearly they hype him as much as get a job after which when the time comes, no person hires him as a result of they know the kind of coach he actually is,” McCoy mentioned in an interview in 2022.

For those who can’t get buy-in from the vast majority of the gamers you coach, and if a number of individuals persistently don’t have lots of good issues to say about you, that would additionally clarify why you haven’t gone to the subsequent degree but.

The underside line is Bieniemy doesn’t get consideration for a head-coaching gig as a result of he isn’t the principle contributor to the unit he oversees, and since participant’s don’t like him. Tapper and Costas could be smart to contemplate that earlier than they peddle a drained and overused narrative about this man.