{"id":153146,"date":"2026-02-16T07:44:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T07:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146"},"modified":"2026-02-16T07:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T07:45:10","slug":"153146","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Eric-Bieniemy-Andy-Reid.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Eric-Bieniemy-Andy-Reid.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Eric-Bieniemy-Andy-Reid.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Eric-Bieniemy-Andy-Reid.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Eric Bieniemy Reveals the 1 Chiefs Tradition He Never Let Go Of\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Eric Bieniemy is back with the Kansas City Chiefs, and one of the first things he says he is looking forward to has nothing to do with play calling.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent appearance on the podcast \u201cDefending the Kingdom,\u201d Bieniemy said he is excited to once again hear fans shout \u201chome of the Chieeeeeefs\u201d at the end of the national anthem. The tradition, which started at Arrowhead Stadium, now follows the team everywhere, including road games and Super Bowls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know what I\u2019m excited about?\u201d Bieniemy said. \u201cAnd this has nothing to do with me going out there and providing anything for the team. I\u2019m looking forward to the national anthem, where we can say, \u2018the home of the Chiefs.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause for the past few years, I\u2019ve been mumbling it to myself, covering up my face like, \u2018Chiefs,\u2019 you know? So, that\u2019s what I\u2019m excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Eric Bieniemy Returns as Chiefs Offensive Coordinator<\/h2>\n<p>Bieniemy officially returns to Kansas City as offensive coordinator after previously holding the role from 2018 to 2022. During that span, the Chiefs led the NFL in plays of 20 or more yards, points per game, yards per game, and yards per play.<\/p>\n<p>The production dipped in 2025. Kansas City ranked tied for 19th in explosive plays, 21st in points per game, 20th in total yards, and 23rd in yards per play.<\/p>\n<p>Bieniemy said his focus will be on restoring consistency, discipline, and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll say this,\u201d Bieniemy said. \u201cMy whole point is just making sure that we can always make sure that our guys are committed, okay? They got to be willing to sacrifice. On top of that, understanding the importance of being accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cIt\u2019s about making sure we can become consistent with our work ethic. And so, those are the things that I\u2019m looking forward to, and instilling, and hoping that these guys will buy into.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I know, because of the leadership of Pat Mahomes and some of the other guys, I know that\u2019s going to become an infectious behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Andy Reid\u2019s Phone Call Brought Him Home<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRgGg-fUdzr8M1ERpfbJg8ni8-jtbV8fTitrw&amp;s\" alt=\"Chiefs news: Eric Bieniemy officially returns as Kansas City OC\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Bieniemy said his return started with a phone call from head coach Andy Reid. The call came the day after the Chicago Bears\u2019 season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an opportunity to come home,\u201d Bieniemy said during his introductory news conference. \u201cWhenever Big Red picks up the phone, that\u2019s the only person you\u2019ll say, \u2018Hey, you know what? It may be time to return home because he\u2019s giving me this opportunity.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving this opportunity to come back, that was just something that is tough to pass up on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before returning to Kansas City, Bieniemy served as offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders in 2023 and UCLA in 2024, and then as running backs coach for the Bears in 2025. In Chicago, he helped D\u2019Andre Swift post a career-high 1,087 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns. Rookie Kyle Monangai added 947 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve had an opportunity to learn a few things and open up my mind just to how to view things from a different point of view,\u201d Bieniemy said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnybody can call plays, but you\u2019ve got to make sure you\u2019re doing what is best for those players. There\u2019s some things about me that have changed. But more than anything, E.B. is E.B. We will still be disciplined and detailed in everything and how we handle our business. There\u2019s a standard of excellence that\u2019ll be expected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reid praised his longtime assistant\u2019s return.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all know the energy that Eric brings and what he gives to a team,\u201d Reid said. \u201cHe\u2019s coming off a heck of a season with the Chicago Bears. We\u2019re glad E.B. was able to come back in and jump into that position and bring all the knowledge he has to the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s nobody like E.B. on the field with the players. He does a great job there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perry Miller Carpenter Perry Carpenter is a writer and editor with 20 years of experience covering entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. She is also a standout contributor at Heavy.com\u2019s sister site Entertainment Now. More about Perry Miller Carpenter<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Eric Bieniemy is back with the Kansas City Chiefs, and one of the first things he says he is looking forward to has nothing to do&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":153151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty Eric Bieniemy is back with the Kansas City Chiefs, and one of the first things he says he is looking forward to has nothing to do...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-16T07:44:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-16T07:45:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146\",\"name\":\"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-16T07:44:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-16T07:45:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\",\"name\":\"MrLuu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrLuu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","og_description":"Getty Eric Bieniemy is back with the Kansas City Chiefs, and one of the first things he says he is looking forward to has nothing to do...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-02-16T07:44:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-16T07:45:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrLuu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrLuu","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146","name":"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-16T07:44:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-16T07:45:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-142.jpg","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=153146#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\ud83d\udea8 CONFIRM KINGDOM TIES STILL RUN DEEP As Eric Bieniemy Reveals The One Kansas City Tradition He Never Let Go Of, Proving That Some Locker Room Rituals Outlast Contracts, Headlines, And Even Departures From The Sideline While Fans Across Social Media Erupt Over What This Means For The Chiefs Brotherhood And The Legacy He Quietly Carries With Him..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69","name":"MrLuu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrLuu"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=153146"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":153153,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153146\/revisions\/153153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/153151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=153146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=153146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=153146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}