New North Carolina coach Invoice Belichick is getting used to school soccer whereas his gamers are getting used to him.
“Man protection is man protection. Double-team blocks are double-team blocks,” Belichick mentioned Wednesday in his first information convention since being employed in December. “The hash marks are a giant change, and I’d say the general talent degree. Within the NFL, there are some fairly elite gamers, particularly within the passing recreation.”
UNC basic supervisor Michael Lombardi mentioned final month that Belichick will run his squad as “the thirty third NFL group.” For gamers, a part of adjusting to their new coach throughout spring follow, which began earlier this week, means practising with out numbers.
“That’s simply what we do. We go on the market and earn it. The numbers and what coloration gloves we put on and all that’s not as essential as doing all of your job and being accountable and accountable to your teammates,” Belichick mentioned.
Belichick’s program was in discussions to seem on the offseason version of “Exhausting Knocks,” which historically chronicles NFL groups. However UNC and NFL Movies, which produces the present, couldn’t come to a ultimate settlement, so cameras received’t be peering inside Belichick’s first offseason as a school head coach. Belichick wasn’t requested in regards to the deal falling by in his 16 minutes with reporters on Wednesday.
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He arrived at UNC after being out of teaching final season, although he remained seen, making frequent appearances on ESPN’s “ManningCast” alongside Peyton and Eli Manning. He’d received six Tremendous Bowls in 24 seasons as the pinnacle coach of the New England Patriots earlier than mutually agreeing to half methods after going 4-13 in 2024, his third shedding season in 4 years.
Belichick mentioned he’ll emphasize welcoming again former UNC gamers to campus and to practices. He additionally mentioned the Tar Heels will run a “professional system” on each side of the ball and within the kicking recreation, calling it the “basis” of his program. For now, he’s nonetheless studying his roster, which incorporates 18 incoming transfers to a group that went 6-7 underneath Mack Brown final season.
“We need to play to the strengths of our gamers and it most likely takes awhile to determine that out,” he mentioned.
Belichick mentioned he doesn’t have any expectations for his first group in Chapel Hill.“We’ll see. I don’t know. We’ll go on the market and do what we do and see what occurs. See the way it goes,” he mentioned.
Monday, the Tar Heels formally introduced Belichick’s teaching workers, which options his sons Steve as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach and Brian as defensive backs/safeties coach. Former FBS head coaches Bob Diaco and Garrick McGee are additionally on workers, together with former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens, who was retained from final 12 months’s workers and can function offensive coordinator. Mike Priefer, a longtime NFL particular groups coordinator, will do the identical job for the Tar Heels.
“Steve, Freddie and Mike have a ton of expertise. They’ve carried out effectively in a number of conditions. Steve’s coached our protection for a very long time. No matter his years as a coach have been, he was concerned approach earlier than that,” he mentioned.
Belichick mentioned he received’t concentrate on any explicit place as head coach.
“That’s the wonderful thing about being a head coach. I can coach anyone I need. I can coach the road, I can yell on the tight ends. I can yell on the DBs. I can yell on the kickers. I can go to any group I need and coach ‘em,” he mentioned. “And actually, that’s the enjoyable half. You see one thing you need to tackle and discuss to a participant about, you may go discuss to ‘em.”
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(Photograph: Grant Halverson / Getty Photos)
