Samuel praises Commanders' offense under 'tough' Bieniemy
Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel likes what he's seen from the offense under Eric Bieniemy despite the criticism regarding the team's new offensive coordinator.
"He's a tough coach, but nothing I'm not used to. It's like a college environment," Samuel recently told JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports. "When you've got a coach that's being tough and hard on you, he wants the best out of you. He's not doing it for ego purpose or his own benefit, he wants the best out of you. And I feel like doing that kind of stuff brings the best out of players. I love it."
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday that multiple Washington players were a "little concerned" with Bieniemy's intensity at practice. Rivera added that those players asked him to talk to Bieniemy about it.
Rivera later said he met with Bieniemy to clear the air, saying, "I basically told him I put my foot in my mouth."
The Commanders hired Bieniemy as offensive coordinator this offseason after he spent several seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Bieniemy didn't call offensive plays under Andy Reid's coaching staff in Kansas City but is expected to do so in Washington this year with the inexperienced Sam Howell at quarterback.
"I love the new offense. There's a lot of different things, a lot of moving parts, a lot of moving pieces," said Samuel, who spent his college career at Ohio State during the Urban Meyer era.
He added: "We have to lock into the playbook and understand that coach is going to give us a lot of tools and opportunities to go out and be the best we can be."
Samuel is in his third season with Washington. The 27-year-old caught 64 passes for 656 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games last year after an injury-plagued 2021 campaign.
The Commanders, who ranked only 24th in points scored in 2022, kick off their 2023 regular season at home against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 10.