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.”
