Bielema lands new gig with Patriots … doing something

News broke Tuesday afternoon that former Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has a new job, but a job title that is basically wide open.

Be honest, “consultant to the head coach” really doesn’t say much of anything, does it?

Christopher Price, a reporter with BostonSportsJournal.com caught it in the New England Patriots media guide that came out Tuesday:

One other thing? Every other coach gets a bio in the media guide. Not Bielema. That's the only mention of him in the media guide–one line. https://t.co/Xt5rxA2U3G

— Christopher Price (@cpriceglobe) July 24, 2018

Bielema has spent much of the spring already working with the team. ESPN reported that he spent time working with New England’s special-teams unit this spring.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who talks to the media only as required by the NFL office, dodged the whole issue when , which probably doesn’t surprise anyone.

There’s a reason the Patriots are the most button-down, secretive team in the NFL and it’s because that’s how Belichick likes it.

“We have a good staff. We have a lot of great people,” Belichick  “I’m very fortunate to be working with a lot of talented people and they all help me a lot. They all do a great job — our support people, our coaching staff, scouting staff, all the other people in video, training, equipment and so forth, operations. We have a real good support staff and they all do a critical job as part of our success. Glad we have them.”

That’s about as artful of a dodge as one can have to a direct question about what Bielema was doing with the team in the off-season workouts.

So, after firing Jeff Long and Bielema last year, Arkansas has seen one buyout eliminated (Long actually got considerably more as the athletics director at Kansas) and the other will be reduced (unless Bret is working for free).

It may be awhile before we know how much the buyout to Bielema has been reduced.