Tag: Bret Bielema

Illinois hires Giants assistant Bret Bielema as head coach

The University of Illinois has named Giants assistant Bret Bielema as its head football coach

The University of Illinois dipped into the NFL for its head coach after firing former Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith.

Bret Bielema was named head coach of the Fighting Illini on Saturday. He was the outside linebackers coach and senior assistant for the New York Giants during the 2020 season.

“Illinois and the Big Ten is home for me, and I can’t be any more excited about the opportunity in front of me with the Fighting Illini,” Bielema said. “We want to build a program that makes Illini Nation proud and regain the passion that I’ve seen when Illinois wins. We want the young men playing football in the state of Illinois from Freeport to Cairo and from Quincy to Danville dreaming of wearing the Orange and Blue and playing at Memorial Stadium. I look forward to re-connecting with the high school coaches around the state making it clear we intend to keep our players home.

“We will build an outstanding staff for both player development and recruiting. The University of Illinois has incredible facilities and is known as one of the world’s outstanding academic institutions. We will hold the young men on our team responsible both on and off the field while coaching them to be champions in life. Jen and I, along with our girls, are excited to get to Champaign-Urbana and get started on the journey. Go Illini!”

Bielema has head coaching experience on the college level. From 2006-12 Bielema was the head coach at Wisconsin, where he led the Badgers to three Big Ten championships (2010-12), six consecutive bowl games and a 68-24 record (.739). Bielema then spent five seasons as head coach at Arkansas from 2013-17.

Overall, the native of Prophetstown, Illinois, Bielema compiled a 12-year record of 97-58 (.626) as head coach at Wisconsin and Arkansas.

Smith, 62, went 17-39 (10-33 in the Big Ten) in five seasons at Illinois, his first stop in college football since 1995, when he coached defensive backs at Ohio State. The Illini were 2-5 in 2020.

The Bret Bielema File

Hometown: Prophetstown, Illinois
Birthdate: January 13, 1970
Family: Wife: Jen; Children: Briella (born in 2017) and Brexli (born in 2018)
Twitter: @BretBielema
Education: B.S. in Marketing, Iowa, 1992
Playing Experience:
Iowa, 1989-92
Signed free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks, 1993
Milwaukee Mustangs, Arena Football League, 1994

Coaching Career

Years University/Organization Position
2021 Illinois Head Coach
2020 New York Giants Outside Linebackers, Senior Assistant Coach
2019 New England Patriots Defensive Line
2018 New England Patriots Consultant to the Head Coach
2013-17 Arkansas Head Coach (29-34)
2006-12 Wisconsin Head Coach (68-24)
2004-05 Wisconsin Defensive Coordinator
2002-03 Kansas State Co-Defensive Coordinator
1996-2001 Iowa Linebackers
1994-95 Iowa Graduate Assistant

Head Coaching Record

Years School W-L Postseason
2006 Wisconsin 12-1 (.923) Capital One Bowl
2007 Wisconsin 9-4 (.692) Outback Bowl
2008 Wisconsin 7-6 (.538) Champs Sports Bowl
2009 Wisconsin 10-3 (.769) Champs Sports Bowl
2010 Wisconsin 11-2 (.846) Rose Bowl
2011 Wisconsin 11-3 (.786) Rose Bowl
2012 Wisconsin 8-5 (.615) (Did not coach Rose Bowl)
2013 Arkansas 3-9 (.250)
2014 Arkansas 7-6 (.538) Texas Bowl
2015 Arkansas 8-5 (.615) Liberty Bowl
2016 Arkansas 7-6 (.538) Belk Bowl
2017 Arkansas 4-8 (.333)
TOTAL 12 Years Overall: 97-58 (.626)  Big Ten: 37-19 (.661)

 

Giants lose Bret Bielema, who takes over as Illinois head coach

New York Giants assistant coach Bret Bielema is leaving the team effectively immediately and joining Illinois as their next head coach.

The tenure of New York Giants outside linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant Bret Bielema has come to an end.

From the moment Bielema was hired by the Giants, he had drawn interest from and expressed interest in various college programs looking for a new head coach. And over the past several hours, he and Illinois hammered out a six-year deal that became official on Saturday morning.

“Illinois and the Big Ten is home for me, and I can’t be any more excited about the opportunity in front of me with the Fighting Illini,” Bielema said through the University. “We want to build a program that makes Illini Nation proud and regain the passion that I’ve seen when Illinois wins. We want the young men playing football in the state of Illinois from Freeport to Cairo and from Quincy to Danville dreaming of wearing the Orange and Blue and playing at Memorial Stadium. I look forward to re-connecting with the high school coaches around the state making it clear we intend to keep our players home.

“We will build an outstanding staff for both player development and recruiting. The University of Illinois has incredible facilities and is known as one of the world’s outstanding academic institutions. We will hold the young men on our team responsible both on and off the field while coaching them to be champions in life. Jen and I, along with our girls, are excited to get to Champaign-Urbana and get started on the journey. Go Illini!”

Illinois will pay Bielema an annual salary of $4.2 and he takes over effective immediately. He will leave East Rutherford on Saturday morning to join his new team as they take on the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that inside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer and defensive assistant Jody Wright will take over Bielema’s duties for the remainder of the season.

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Logan Ryan wants to know what kind of bubble gum Brandon Allen chews

Giants safety Logan Ryan is so invested in winning that he needs to know every detail Bengals QB Brandon Allen, including gum preference.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor isn’t ready to name his starting quarterback for Week 12 just yet, but media reports suggest it will be Brandon Allen, who was elevated from the practice squad earlier this week.

For now, the Giants are preparing for Allen with an eye on both he and Ryan Finley. And for some, that means a whole lot of sleuthing.

Veteran Giants defensive back Logan Ryan is one of those guys. He wants to know literally everything about his opponents and that now includes Allen.

“I want to know what type of bubble gum he likes, you know? I’m just one of those guys. Tell me something to go out there to trash talk with that day,” Ryan told reporters, adding that he’s aware of the Bret Bielema-Arkansas connection.

“I definitely want to know as much as I can about the opponent, it’s kind of how I am as a player. It might let me know how he handles pressure, how he handles adversity, is he a fighter, how does he handle when things are going well or when they’re not going well. That might help the game plan a little bit.”

Ultimately, Ryan says, he needs to know what makes Allen tick — he needs to know how to get into his head and conversely, what not to do that might fire the young quarterback up.

“Some information some players can’t handle, some can. I like to get it all and see what works,” Ryan added. “There’s some players I don’t talk trash to because I know it turns them up – like don’t talk trash to that guy, that’s going to get him going to the next level, you know? I’m going to take everything I can from it and try and give us the best game plan and the best opportunity to win.”

With all the focus and effort being put into Allen, both Ryan and the Giants had better hope that’s who Zac Taylor starts on Sunday bubble gum or not.

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Bill Belichick accused of conspiracy in Bret Bielema contract dispute with Arkansas

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been accused of conspiracy in Bret Bielema’s contract dispute with Arkansas.

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New England Patriots legendary head coach Bill Belichick is once again being accused of underhanded activity. This time it is surrounding his alleged role in the Bret Bielema-University of Arkansas (Razorback Foundation) contract dispute.

For those who have not been following, Bielema, now a defensive assistant with the Giants, is in a dispute over a $12 million dollar buyout from his former employer, the University of Arkansas, where he served as head coach from 2013 through 2017. He was dismissed in a controversial manner but the matter of the buyout remained in the balance.

In an article by the the New York Post, it states that Bielema was contractually obligated to “make reasonable efforts to find employment that would mitigate or offset” the remaining buyout money owed to the coach.”

Bielema then found employment as a consultant and assistant to Belichick in New England in 2018 and 2019 at a salary of $125,000, “which was less than the minimum number to trigger a buyout reduction.” His salary with the Giants is not publicly known.

The Razorback Foundation claims Belichick conspired with Bielema — the coaches share an agent, Neil Cornrich — to ensure the latter received a low enough salary to ensure the full buyout amount, alleging Bielema made no effort to find a better paying job elsewhere. In Jan. 2019, the Foundation ceased the payment to Bielema, who was still owed $7 million. Bielema filed suit this June, with the Foundation filing a countersuit.

The case has some merit. Bielema appears to be head coaching material and could easily find more gainful employment as head man in college or potentially even in professional ranks. But then again, that is strictly speculation.

Before his tenure at Arkansas, Bielema was the head coach at Wisconsin for seven seasons, leading the Badgers to three consecutive Big Ten titles from 2010-2012 and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2006.

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Giants’ Bret Bielema thankful for the presence of Markus Golden

New York Giants outside linebacker coach Bret Bielema is thankful for the return of Markus Golden.

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One of the key moves the New York Giants made this year was to apply the rarely-used unrestricted free agent tender on veteran outside linebacker Markus Golden.

Golden entered free agency seeking a deal that would pay him in the neighborhood of $10 million per year. In late April, he was still on the market. That is when the Giants adroitly slapped the UFA tender on him, meaning that if he didn’t find a suitor by July 22, his rights would revert back to the Giants.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Golden, the Giants’ 2019 sack leader (10), was re-signed to a one-year, $5.1 million contract on August 5 and is now back in the fold. He joins free agent addition Kyler Fackrell and last year’s third round pick Oshane Ximines as the key cogs in the Giants’ pass rushing unit.

First year outside linebacker coach Bret Bielema is also thankful for the Giants bringing Golden back. His job got a bit easier upon Golden’s return.

Bielema has known of Golden since his their college days, when Bielema was the head coach at Arkansas and Golden a star defender at Missouri.

“First, it’s been awesome for me. I’ve been a fan of Markus for a long time,” said Bielema. “Unfortunately, I had to play against him in college, and then saw his career grow and got to know a little bit about him over the last few months. He’s been awesome in the room. His voice, he’s got that personality. He’s been a really nice addition to our room. I think because nobody was allowed on the field, it really wasn’t that far of a catch-up factor.

“MG, really, the thing I appreciate about him, he just wants more and more and more and more. So, I kept feeding it to him. I’ve been able to have some individual meetings as well, so he’s been a real pleasure to be around.”

The Giants have gone from having few options at edge rusher to having several. They are expecting Golden to be retake the lead, but Fackrell is a very capable player as well. Then there is Ximines, who the team sees as a potential breakout player this season.

Bielema has been working with each player individually to hone their skills further.

“You see Markus on film, what he brings to the table,” Bielema said. “But each one of these guys has been really good for me to now be around them for a couple of weeks and see what their strengths are.

“All I try to do, we have a giant tool box sitting there. Everybody’s tool box is different. The more tools we can add for them, the more things we can do. Maybe it’s how they do a certain look, how they place their hands, a countermove. Most natural pass rushers, it’s not their first move, it’s their second move. To build a little bit of a repertoire with each one of those guys on what their strengths, minimize their weaknesses then hopefully having great results on game days.”

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Bret Bielema: Giants don’t have any true all-stars at OLB

Bret Bielema says the New York Giants don’t have any true all-stars at outside linebacker, but leaves the door open for that to change.

Bret Bielema, the New York Giants first-year outside linebackers coach, is well-known to football junkies around the country. He was a defensive lineman at Iowa under coach Hayden Fry before going into the coaching profession.

Bielema is widely known as the former head coach of both Wisconsin and Arkansas and a well-connected figure among the coaching ranks. He lands with the Giants here in 2020 as a ‘senior defensive assistant’ who will also handle the outside linebackers.

Bielema has a connection to new Giants head coach Joe Judge via their time in New England the last two seasons working on Bill Belichick’s staff.  Judge served as the Patriots’ special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach, while the more seasoned Bielema held the title of “special consultant to the head coach” and also ran the defensive line. He is a big proponent of Judge’s leadership abilities.

“I knew Joe Judge’s name before I went to New England and then obviously during my time there over two years,” Bielema told reporters this week.”The first meeting I sat in front and he was going over details that Coach Belichick would give him, just very impressive to realize the football presentation awareness. His voice, his demeanor, it was very intriguing to me. I know he has a special teams background and interests.

“To hear that firsthand and then get around him and see the general football knowledge that existed. On a personal note and the way he is as a father and the way he interacts with his colleagues and coaches and players, you know he had big things in front of him. I’m very excited to be here with him.”

Bielema, who led the Badgers to three Big Ten titles brings his advanced experience and knowledge to East Rutherford to take on the task of rounding out a very diverse and talented group that consists of Markus Golden, Kyler Fackrell, Lorenzo Carter, and Oshane Ximines plus two rookies in Cam Brown and Carter Coughlin.

“They are all very impressive,” Bielema said of his charges. “I think as a group we always talk about ‘OLBDNA.’ What we are and what we represent, when we’re there, when we’re not there. They have been a good group do work with. There isn’t any true all-stars, just guys who show up to work every day. They have a blue-collar mentality. They represent the New York Giant blue really, really well. They are hard workers.

“I’m not saying they aren’t going to be stars or superstars, but they are guys that are working the process. We have two rookies, that’s probably why my voice is the way it is. Trying to bring them along on a daily basis. Joe and the personnel department have done an outstanding job of giving us a good group of people to work with. It’s just fun to come to work every day.”

Bielema is also pleased to work with two former Big Ten players in Brown (Penn State) and Coughlin (Minnesota).

“Yeah, they have been a lot of fun. Two different kinds of guys,” said Bielema. “Carter played on the line of scrimmage, did a lot of things on the edge at Minnesota. Cam was an edge to air player, he was in space a lot. A very long player, Carter is a little bit more of an on the line of scrimmage linebacker. It’s been fun. Both uniquely different but both great to work with on a daily basis.

“What’s impressive to me is the way the vets have responded to them. You knew they were going to respond to the vets, but sometimes the vets aren’t as reciprocal. All four of our veteran players do everything they can to make them better. It really makes our room pretty cool.”

Just another example of how the Giants’ culture is changing under the guidance of Judge and his staff.

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Giants assistant Bret Bielema suing Arkansas over payout dispute

New York Giants assistant coach Bret Bielema has filed a $7M federal lawsuit against the University of Arkansas over a payout dispute.

New York Giants outside linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant Bret Bielema filed a $7 million federal lawsuit against the Razorback Foundation on Friday, alleging breach of contract by the University of Arkansas fundraising arm, reports USA TODAY.

Bielema is seeking $7.025 million in compensatory damages plus punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney fees and court costs as a result of Arkansas’ decision not to pay the full amount of $11.935 million that had been negotiated and agreed upon Jan. 30, 2018.

At issue is whether Bielema satisfied his obligations under the terms of the agreement to seek other coaching jobs that would have reduced at least part of what he was owed. Such offset language, where the salary of any job taken within the term of the contract is subtracted from the remaining cost of the buyout, is common in college coaching contracts.

After being fired by Arkansas in 2017, Bielema went on to become the defensive consultant for the New England Patriots in 2018. In 2019, he was promoted to defensive line coach and then followed head coach Joe Judge to New York earlier this year.

The Razorback Foundation stopped monthly payments to Bielema in December of 2018 when it was reported that his salary in New England was far below market value for an NFL assistant. At the time, Bielema was reportedly earning $100,000 annually, but that was bumped to $250,000 in 2019 and then $400,000 with the Giants.

The lawsuit claims the Razorback Foundation’s stop in payments represents “calculated, bad faith effort to renege on its contractual obligations.”

Marshall Ney, an attorney representing the Arkansas fundraising arm, claims Bielema was going to be sued for the portion of the payout he previously received and that the federal lawsuit was an attempt to stop that form happening.

“We just received a copy of the complaint at 2:50 CDT from Bret Bielema’s counsel. It appears that the complaint was provided to the media several hours ago – even before the complaint was accessible on the court’s website. What I can share at this point before digesting the entire document is that the Foundation previously demanded that Bret Bielema return the $4,555,833.29 that had been paid to him prior to the Foundation’s discovery of his multiple material breaches of the agreement. It appears that Bielema filed suit in order to avoid being sued,” Ney said.

Bielema, who was a candidate for head coaching vacancies at Michigan State and Colorado this offseason, has not commented publicly.

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2020 NFL Combine: 9 takeaways from Giants coach Joe Judge

Here are nine very interesting takeaways from New York Giants head coach Joe Judge, who held an NFL Combine press conference on Tuesday.

The New York Giants took center stage early on Tuesday morning at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana with head coach Joe Judge making the media rounds — first NFL Network, then Sirius XM Radio and lastly, his official press conference.

Although many of the questions asked of Judge were similar in nature, he was forthcoming enough to provide the NFL world with some insight into his coaching decisions, as well as some tidbits on his roster, the 2020 NFL Draft and various other odds and ends.

Here are nine takeaways from Judge’s media blitz.

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Familiar faces won’t get preferential treatment

When the Giants begin sifting through the hundreds of available players come free agency, do not expect former members of the New England Patriots or anyone who played their college ball at Alabama to get special treatment.

This means players like safety Devin McCourty will not get bumped to the front of the line, but it also doesn’t preclude the Giants from signing players Judge and his staff are familiar with.

Giants fans should still expect to see some ex-Patriots and ex-Crimson Tide players added when all is said and done.

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Bret Bielema passed over for Colorado job, remains with Giants for now

Bret Bielema has been passed over for the Colorado head coaching job, meaning he will remain with the New York Giants for now.

For the second time in the span of a month, the New York Giants are breathing a sigh of relief after outside linebackers coach/senior defensive assistant Bret Bielema was passed over for a head coaching job at the college level.

Previously, Bielema was very much in play for the head coaching job at Michigan State where a “mutual interest” was shared. However, MSU eventually decided to hire Mel Tucker instead.

Almost immediately, Bielema’s name popped up again, this time in connection with Colorado and their vacant head coaching job. And while Bielema did meet with officials at Colorado, he was once again passed over, this time in favor of Miami Dolphins assistant coach Karl Dorrell.

At this point, it’s clear that Bielema has a strong desire to return to the NCAA ranks as a head coach, but that may not happen this year. That, of course, is good news for first-year Giants head coach Joe Judge, who has repeatedly praised Bielema and gushed about what he brings to the table.

“There’s a lot of things (to like) about Bret,” Judge said upon Bielema’s hire. “I think Bret brings a great personality to the group, brings a great perspective on how he sees the game, he’s coached the front for some time, he’s coordinated defenses at a high level. Players respond to Bret in a positive way. He has a great way of teaching, he has a great way of getting the guys motivated, and he gets the most out of his players.

“He brings experience from the NFL, as well as college, so not only does he understand what’s going on in the league now, he understands what the players coming from college are used to and how to better translate the trends they’re going to see.”

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Former Wisconsin, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema a candidate for Colorado job

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says Bret Bielema is in the running for Colorado’s head coach, reporting Monday that Bielema is interviewing for the job.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says Bret Bielema is in the running for Colorado’s head coach, reporting Monday that Bielema is interviewing for the job.