The New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl, again, but this year they've done it without a full-time defensive coordinator on staff. Last offseason, coordinator Matt Patricia left the post to take over as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
While linebacker coach Brian Flores did take on a larger role with the defense, he is expected to become the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins, conveying the need for the franchise to add a new head defensive mind.
Earlier in the week, the NFL Network reported that Greg Schiano was set to take a top defensive position with the Patriots, but that might not be the coordinator job. That's because Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports that Bret Bielema has been saying he'll become the team's next defensive coordinator.
“Per a league source,” Volin wrote. “Bret Bielema, who joined the Patriots’ staff this season as a ‘consultant to the head coach,' has been telling people that he is going to become the Patriots’ defensive coordinator.”
As Volin notes, it's a bit unusual for Bill Belichick to make an outside hire a coordinator so quickly. This would be especially curious for Bielema, who had had no NFL coaching experience prior to joining the Pats.
Before joining New England, Bielema led the Arkansas Razorbacks from 2013-2017. He also coached the Wisconsin Badgers from 2006-2012 prior to that stop.
Football Outsiders ranked the Patriots defense as 16th in defensive efficiency. However, Belichick was able to piece enough together to take that middle-of-the-road defense and lead them to their ninth Super Bowl since 2001.
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