Cameras and microphones were everywhere inside the Kenan Football Center earlier this week, with reporters from across the Triangle and the country eager to see the next move for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels.
The program has become both a punchline and a 24/7 news story. Even during the bye week, when things are theoretically supposed to quiet down, the Tar Heel stayed in the headlines. Though numerous sources reported Belichick could be on his way out, local insiders eventually debunked those rumors. That same week, the head coach and the university administration did the same.
What can’t be debunked is the product the Tar Heels have put on the field. UNC has not been remotely competitive in any of its three games against power conference competition. TCU, UCF and Clemson have combined to outscore Carolina 120-33. And yet, Belichick continued to express confidence in his methods. He referenced championship football coaches of years past in Alabama’s Nick Saban and the San Francisco 49ers’ Bill Walsh, all but guaranteeing the Tar Heels would turn things around in due time.
“Coach Saban’s talked about it, Bill Walsh has talked about it, I’ve talked about it: you build a culture, you build a program, and eventually the results will come,” Belichick said Monday. “When will that happen? Hopefully as soon as possible. I saw that in Cleveland, I saw that with the [New York] Giants, I saw it in New England. That’s what it was. So when we’re in that position, and we’re working hard to get there, then we’ll all know it.”
Among the crowd taking in Belichick’s comments were UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, Athletic Director-in-waiting Steve Newmark and General Manager Michael Lombardi, the quartet presenting a united front in support of Belichick.
The Tar Heel players spoke in favor of their head coach as well.
“I’ve never seen anybody so committed to winning,” said offensive lineman Christo Kelly. “It’s like, ‘What can we do better? How’s this? How’s that?’ Actively seeking feedback from us. His commitment to winning is unparalleled, and it’s extraordinarily impressive.”
(It’s worth noting that Kelly has played in only two games this season as he works to overcome a lower-body injury suffered during preseason camp. But Kelly is good in front of a microphone, and that’s exactly why Carolina paraded him out Monday.)
Linebacker Andrew Simpson, who has been a consistent presence on the Tar Heel defense, also threw his support behind Belichick.
“Every single day I step on the field, I’m pleased,” Simpson said. “I thank God every single day I’m able to play this game. Coach Belichick does everything in his power to get me to where I’ve gotta go, my teammates included. That’s all you can ask from him, is just consistently to be here every single day and pour into us as much we pour into the game. And that’s what he’s doing.”
It was easy to forget, amid the media circus, that the Tar Heels do indeed have a game tonight against a capable team. While Cal has dropped two of its last three games, the Bears, like Clemson two weeks prior, would love nothing more than a feel-good win against a vulnerable opponent. Head coach Justin Wilcox’s program played a role in sealing the fate of former UNC head coach Larry Fedora when it swept a two-game series against Carolina in 2017 and 2018. It’s worth wondering if another Cal victory, especially in blowout fashion, could be the anvil that broke the ram’s back.
Regardless of the result, though, Tar Heel fans can take solace in one thing: at least for one night, UNC will make headlines for what it’s doing on the field, rather than off it.
Featured image via Associated Press/Phelan M. Ebenhack
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