Later, Bieniemy sat down with Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus and Senior Team Reporter Matt McMullen on the latest episode of the Chiefs’ YouTube show, “Defending the Kingdom.”
Throughout Bieniemy’s answers, it became clear this felt like a homecoming to him, even if he was born in New Orleans, Lousiana and
raised in Southern California.
“It’s great being back,” Bieniemy began. “Just being in an element where I was here for 10 years, my family has called this place home, and now we have an opportunity to reunite and get with some good people that you miss.”
“To reunite with friends and family members, that has been a great aspect of this,” Bieniemy continued. “In this profession, we spend more time with coaches than our own families, so these guys have been a part of my family for a number of years, and I know I haven’t been in here in a couple years, but they never left. They have just been distant relatives, now we’re back reunited.”
As the conversation moved along, Bieniemy began to reveal more details of what he’s looking for in members of the Chiefs’ offense moving forward. At the running back position, he detailed the keys for a back to play in Kansas City.
“You want guys that are smart enough that can handle the capacity of what we’re going to put onto them as far as the game planning,” Bieniemy noted. “On top of that, they have to have the intestinal fortitude to pick up a blitz any chance that we have because our quarterback is going to drop back and throw it a lot.”
Bieniemy’s classic line — “intestinal fortitude” — was said with a chuckle, but he was entirely serious about the premise of protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is currently rehabilitating a severe knee injury.
“We also need guys that can run between the tackles and create plays,” Bieniemy elaborated. “Not only with their legs, but also too, understanding ‘I have to run through somebody to make something happen.’ When it’s all said and done with, we also have to be creative enough to get those guys out of the backfield and create one-on-one matchups.”
Reflecting on his time with the Chicago Bears, Bieniemy made the point of playing to the strengths of a team’s roster. In Chicago, he believed that was the offensive line, and he sees that as a key factor in succeeding as a unit moving forward.
“One thing that has not changed: you still have to do it with the guys up front,” Bieniemy acknowledged. “The only way you’re going to build success, those guys have to be the staple in what you do. If you have the right guys up front, we have a chance… we have one of the best o-line coaches in the business, and coach [Andy] Heck has done a tremendous job in this whole tenure while he’s been here. We expect that to continue.”
Holthus and McMullen then poked fun at Bieniemy by looking forward to hearing him yell the word “finish” plenty at training camp. Bieniemy’s laugh was followed by a serious statement that he will use as a pillar of his coaching mentality in Kansas City.
“Guys need to learn how to finish,” Bieniemy declared. “Everyone claims to be a great player.”
He then shared an anecdote to drive the point home.
“When I was playing in the league, I thought I was a great finisher,” Bieniemy shared. “Until 1994, when we went out to practice against the San Francisco 49ers… I had the opportunity to watch Jerry Rice… I remember the seven-on-seven period, he catches a slant, takes it 80 yards and jogs back… two plays later, he may catch a pass, he scores, finishes and jogs back.”
“That’s when it hit me,” Bieniemy continued. “It was one of those moments when you realize ‘wow, this isn’t by chance that you see Jerry Rice making all these great plays on Sunday.‘ He learned how to make second effort a habit, because he rehearsed everything throughout the course of practice… he was finishing everything in the end zone, that’s why he’s one of the best. I learned that, and that has carried me throughout my career, not only as a player but also as a coach.”
The Chiefs struggled to finish plays, possessions and games throughout the 2025 season, despite basic statistics being comparable to those of prior championship campaigns. Bieniemy made it clear that the ability to finish is not given; it’s earned.
“There are a lot of great players in this league, but there are not a lot of great finishers,” Bieniemy emphasized. “So you teach guys, they have to learn how to finish the process… You have to rehearse what you’re going to do in practice so you can put it on display come game day.”
