Colts considering Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy for HC vacancy

The 45-year-old seemed a shoo-in for a head coaching gig only a few years, though a job hasn't materialized for one reason or another despite countless interviews. 

Colts general manager Chris Ballard worked with Bieniemy in Kansas City for four seasons as the Chiefs' director of player personnel and then director of football operations. In a 2019 interview with Ballard with Pro Football Talk (h/t Ben Fennell, CBS Sports), he named Bieniemy among the "special" coaches he's worked with during his career. 

"Bieniemy is demanding and tough on his players, but he also cares about them," Ballard said. "I really believe that is why he can coach his players to the max and get the most out of them." 

Bieniemy has been with the Chiefs since 2013, first as running backs coach before the team promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2018. 

Of course, having Patrick Mahomes lead the charge on the field doesn't hurt, but this season the Chiefs offense was a machine, even without electric wideout Tyreek Hill. Kansas City ranked first in the NFL in total yards (7,032), passing yards (5,062), and points (496) en route to a 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 

Going even deeper, the Chiefs led the league in EPA, or Expected Points Added, per drive, which helps tell how often a team scores on average given certain factors like field position and down and distance. The Chiefs not only finished No. 1 in the NFL in EPA, but they also did so by a wide margin. As Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer points out, the difference between the Chiefs at the top and the second-ranked team was the same as the difference between the second-ranked Buffalo Bills and the Seattle Seahawks, ranked 18th. 

With those numbers alone, Bieniemy should be a hot name again on the coaching market, and the Colts were probably wise to get to him early.