“Surprise, surprise — I don’t think it is that big of a deal.”
Those were the words of former Washington tight end Logan Paulsen, who was a guest Wednesday with Craig Hoffman on the “Take Command” podcast and commented on this week’s Ron Rivera-Eric Bieniemy storyline.
Rivera clarified via a written statement Wednesday what he had sloppily (and unnecessarily) communicated Tuesday to the press regarding a number of players coming to him with concerns about Bieniemy’s coaching style.
Paulsen pointed to the college game as a comparison. If players are unhappy, they can simply transfer elsewhere. However, Paulsen reminded his listeners that is not a luxury present in the NFL.
“There were coaches in the NFL that coached me very hard,” said Paulsen. “And I had to adjust to that. But so many college players today, it is like it is sunshine and daisies all of the time. That is just not true of the NFL.”
Paulsen, who played for Bieniemy at UCLA, said coaches and players all have different personalities, and everyone has to learn how to adjust and work with other individuals.
“That’s life, man. You have to learn to adapt to different personalities, different leadership styles,” Paulsen said. “You talk to EB for like five minutes and you learn he is a very uncompromising dude. That is something I respected about him when I played for him, and it is something I respect in him now.”
“To me, Ron basically said just a bunch of facts, and everyone is freaking out about it. It doesn’t mean the locker room is screwed up, nor that everyone hates EB. It’s learning to deal with different types of people.”
Paulsen spoke of meeting various Commanders coaches but then separated the rest from Bieniemy.
“Then EB came in there, and his passion was evident from the time he came in and sat in the chair. His motivation, his love … I haven’t played in like five years, and I was ready to run through the wall.”
“So, I am 100 percent positive that the guys understand who he is and understand what he is doing. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the right guy for the position (offensive coordinator).”
There is much more; here is the link if you would like to listen.