Bill Belichick’s big break came thanks to an unheralded, sixth-round NFL Draft pick who began his professional career several rungs down the quarterback ladder with the New England Patriots.
Tom Brady’s internal fire and undying work ethic made him an all-time legend. Now, Belichick is looking to stoke that same fire with the Tar Heels.
“Through the course of my career, we’ve had many free agents and low-round draft choices who not only competed and earned playing time, but became some of our best players,” Belichick told reporters before UNC’s first day of fall training camp Saturday. “Players that want to come in and compete and have shown enough skill, we’ll take those guys and we’ve taken plenty of them.”
Belichick is perhaps underselling the magnitude of the project he and general manager Michael Lombardi have undertaken during the offseason. Between freshmen and incoming transfers, the Tar Heels have 70 new players in total – well over half of the roster. Some transfers, like defensive lineman Smith Vilbert or linebacker Mikai Gbayor, are looking for another shot at big-time college football after failing to make a lasting impact at their former schools. Others, like edge rusher Melkart Abou-Jaoude or offensive lineman Christo Kelly, are former standouts at FCS schools hoping to test their mettle by taking a step up in competition. Even UNC’s potential starting quarterback, Gio Lopez, comes from the relatively small-time operation at South Alabama in the Sun Belt.
Belichick’s grand experiment in Chapel Hill resembles something of an island of misfit toys. But this is the same man who turned a seventh-round quarterback from Kent State into a Super Bowl MVP wide receiver, and paired him with another receiver who was just as keen on lacrosse as football. Those stories abound from Belichick’s time with the Patriots: a youth rugby star turned special teams ace; an undersized, Division 2 cornerback turned Super Bowl hero; a wide receiver moonlighting as a defensive back out of necessity.
A lack of flashy credentials is no problem to Bill Belichick. In fact, the eight-time Super Bowl champion seemed insulted by the very thought of a player coasting into his program on laurels alone.
“Anybody who’s walking in here feeling like, ‘I’m gonna be starting this or that, I’m entitled to this,’ that’s not really the way it’s gonna work,” Belichick said. “They’re gonna have to earn it. If they want to come in and earn playing time and earn a roster spot and play at Carolina and play in the ACC and get that kind of profile, then we’ll give it to them and see what they can do. Whatever they get, they’re gonna earn.”
In fact, the famously gruff Belichick seemed happier to talk about the bottom of his team’s roster than projected starters. His roster decisions have taken on a whole new dimension with his move to college; the new NCAA scholarship limit of 105 nearly doubles the NFL roster limit of 53. Belichick admitted the Tar Heels had to cut players during the spring, but said the team is stable entering fall camp.
“I love those bottom-of-the-roster questions,” Belichick said, unprompted, interrupting another reporter who was about to ask an unrelated question. “A lot of people let that stuff go, but those are important decisions. Some of those players are gonna end up helping us. I just know that’s the way it’s gonna work out.”
Spoken like someone who called upon a backup after his $100 million starting quarterback exited with an injury, then hoisted the Lombardi Trophy five months later. As August wears on and kickoff against TCU draws ever nearer, Belichick will doubtless have a better sense of which Tar Heels are those mythical diamonds in the rough.
He hit the jackpot of all jackpots a quarter-century ago, and in the process transformed a woeful franchise into the most powerful force the NFL has ever seen. The Tar Heels can only hope Bill Belichick hasn’t lost his touch.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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