Eric Bieniemy couldn’t help but smile. He laughed almost as soon as he delivered the line.

He may be in his first year as Washington’s offensive coordinator. And he might be preparing to face first-year Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph on Sunday.

These guys, though, go way back. They’ve been friends for 20-plus years. They’ve been coaching against each other for more than a decade.

They’re tight. And, more to the point, they know the score.

Bieniemy is well aware it’s been a while since a Joseph team left the field victorious against one of his.

“I know we’ve had the best of him for a few years now, so I know he’s licking his chops,” Bieniemy told reporters in Washington.

Indeed, a Joseph team hasn’t beaten a Bieniemy team since 2015, when Joseph was the defensive backs coach for Cincinnati in a 36-21 win over the Chiefs. Bieniemy at the time served as Andy Reid’s running backs coach.

The former Colorado teammates faced each other last year with different teams — Joseph in Arizona and Bieniemy in Kansas City — and before that hadn’t crossed paths here since Joseph was Denver’s head coach in 2018.

But they’ve kept in touch. How could they not?

“Me and ‘VJ’ grew up together. That’s my guy. That’s my friend. That’s one of my best friends,” Bieniemy said.

He’s four years older than Joseph, but both grew up in New Orleans and then attended Colorado. When Joseph showed up in 1990, Bieniemy rushed for 1,628 yards as a senior and led CU to a national championship.

They’ve been friends ever since, though they haven’t talked the past two weeks.

“We have a mutual respect for each other and we know that we’ll say hello to each other,” Bieniemy said. “We’ll probably even see each other the night before the game just to say hello to each other. But other than that, when we’re on that field, we’re going against each other.”

Joseph, walking to a podium to speak with reporters here Thursday, was apprised his old teammate had been saying nice things about him earlier in the day on the East Coast.

“Good, he’d better,” Joseph responded with a smile.

The Broncos coordinator said when he reviewed Bieniemy’s Week 1 work calling plays for Washington in a win over Arizona, it looked familiar.

“Obviously, he’s been with (head coach Andy Reid) in Kansas City for a long time,” Joseph said. “The system hasn’t changed with what they are running in Washington. He calls it from what his experience has been. … Last week watching their game, it looked like the Chiefs.

“Obviously, it won’t be in the second or third stage like those guys are, but it’s the offense.”

Commanders quarterback Sam Howell started Week 18 against Dallas last year and now is Washington’s full-time starter at 22 years old. Sunday marks his first road start as a professional.

“Last week, didn’t have enough pressure on the quarterback,” Joseph said. “The third-down win percentage showed that. Obviously, getting pressure on the quarterback and getting him off his spot and winning third downs are going to be critical in this game.”

It’s up to Bieniemy to prepare his young signal-caller for as many of Joseph’s looks and tricks as possible.

“There’s always going to be coordinators that check and see if your young quarterback has everything in order,” Bieniemy said. “So it’s our job as a coaching staff to make sure we’re getting him ready for all the stuff that possibly could take place. Now the beauty of playing against this defensive coordinator, I’ve known this defensive coordinator since I was a freshman in college, so he’s a personal good friend of mine.

“We’ve had an opportunity to work together for years. Hell, we trained together in college and when we played in the league. I know VJ. I’m not going to say I know his entire defensive scheme, but he has a heck of a scheme.”

His message for Howell: Get ready. And don’t get fooled.”

“The thing I know about VJ because VJ played in the secondary, he’s always going to give a quarterback, especially a young quarterback, an un-scouted look to where he can cause confusion,” Bieniemy said. “Our job is to make sure each and every week that we’re preparing our guys for all those un-scouted looks. Always expect the unexpected. Apply your rules and go play.”

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