It was a big day Thursday in Ashburn, Virginia. The Washington Commanders introduced new offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Eric Bieniemy to great fanfare. Bieniemy crushed his introductory presser, answering every question with confidence, and genuinely appeared happy to land in Washington.
In addition to some Washington coaches in attendance, several players also attended. Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Sam Howell, Antonio Gibson, Logan Thomas, Brian Robinson Jr. and Kam Curl were some of the players who attended Thursday. Afterward, some players talked to the media and also met their new offensive coordinator in person for the first time.
McLaurin’s interaction with Bieniemy was the most notable and is another example of why the Commanders are extremely lucky to have McLaurin in the fold.
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Scary Terry pic.twitter.com/MXm0hLuRpA
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) February 24, 2023
Not only did McLaurin go up to Bieniemy, but he sold his teammates to their coach. He praised his teammates and didn’t put himself above the team. In addition, McLaurin let Bieniemy know he wanted to be coached hard. Before ending his conversation with Bieniemy, McLaurin again praised his teammates by saying, “I think we have some great guys here.”
It’s fair to criticize head coach Ron Rivera for Washington’s record and some personnel moves, but he absolutely deserves credit for locking up the two most important players on the team, McLaurin and Jonathan Allen.