Disgraced Arkansas coach Bret Bielema looks like he might be on the verge of being hired by the New England Patriots.
Speculation has been pushed about the move by Busted Coverage and The Spun. There have also been plenty of people in the know who have pointed out that Bielema is acting as a representative for the Pats at the combine and Alabama’s pro day.
Interesting note from Indianapolis: Former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema is at the NFL Scouting Combine as a representative of the Patriots, per source.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) March 4, 2018
Butch Jones chats with Bill Belichick at Alabama’s Pro Day pic.twitter.com/cNOnO6CWwQ
— Nic Gulas (@Nic_Gulas) March 7, 2018
Belichick walked in with former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema pic.twitter.com/imsPRCn1KG
— Nic Gulas (@Nic_Gulas) March 7, 2018
Bill Belichick on the scouting trail. Bielema was at combine with Patriots, per @DougKyed. https://t.co/Y9yYmPzngp
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 7, 2018
Bielema is a ‘representative’ for the New England Patriots at Bama’s Pro Day. https://t.co/rDN8SNq00l
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) March 7, 2018
It’s unclear what role Bielema would have with the Patriots once/if this move becomes official. Bielema is a defensive-minded coach, which would seem to indicate that’s where his focus would be. Plus, ex-Pats defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is now the head coach of the Lions. There’s a gap to be filled, even if there won’t be an official defensive coordinator this year.
This move absolutely shocks me and makes no sense at all. Bielema got burned down in Arkansas. He was run out of town after he just lost game after game for the Razorbacks. His inability to move the needle in the SEC was laughable. I almost felt bad for him and all the failure.
Almost, but not quite.
It just doesn’t end there. Let’s not forget that his entire tenure at Wisconsin has been viewed in a much less positive light after the team got better after he left. I’m not Bill Belichick and I’ve never won a Super Bowl. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, but I do know Bielema. I know him well enough to have predicted years before exactly what would happen at Arkansas. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.