In the stunner of all stunners, Bill Belichick has officially accepted the head coaching position at the University of North Carolina.
The decision, which marks a dramatic shift for the best coach in NFL history appears to have roots in Belichick’s growing discontent with the professional game.
According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Belichick was “disgusted” with the direction of the NFL, particularly with what he perceived as a lack of commitment from owners to his philosophies.
Wickersham’s sources told him that Belichick had grown “tired of the stupidness” surrounding the league.
This sentiment pushed him to view the college football landscape as a cleaner slate, described by one source as “more transactional and less relational.”
Wickersham added that Belichick’s departure from the NFL is widely viewed as a pointed message. “It’s a big f*ck you to the NFL,” a confidant was quoted as saying.
Belichick’s decision to take on the college ranks was calculated.
He, along with his circle of trust (Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, and Michael Lombardi) had been monitoring and projecting which NFL teams would potentially be in the market for a new head coach.
At the end of the day, Belichick saw flaws with every potential opening and shockingly decided to take the college route.
Rob Gronkowski, considered by many as the greatest tight end in NFL history, was one of Belichick’s most beloved players.
Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Gronkowski expressed skepticism about how the legendary coach would handle the unique demands of college football, particularly recruiting.
“I can’t see Coach Belichick, you know, being all in in that situation,” Gronk said. “Coaching wise, 100%. On the field, getting these players ready for the NFL, that’s what he would do.
“But hey, when it comes to recruiting, I think that’s the question mark, and that’s really up to him, if he can see himself doing that, which me, personally, I can see him getting tired and old with with all that transfer portal and NIL stuff going on.”
Despite this concern, Gronkowski had nothing but praise for Belichick’s coaching acumen.
“Here’s the thing, if you show up and you ball out and you perform, and you’re consistent with balling out and performing, Coach Belichick is going to let you do whatever you want to do,” Gronk continued.
“As long as you ain’t getting in trouble and all that, like, if you’re having fun, but you’re balling out, he lets you do what you do, but if you’re doing all that other nonsense, tweeting, non stop being a causing controversy, and not balling and having all this extra activity going on, yeah, he’s gonna get on your case.”
Gronkowski shared a lighthearted anecdote about Belichick occasionally chastising him in a way that got the whole team laughing.
“It was a good thing that he was barely on my case, because I was balling, Dan,” he said with a smile. “I was balling my second year in the league. I was balling my rookie year, my third year, all that good stuff.
“But every once in a while, he would get on my case. And it was just funny though, he would get the whole team laughing and he’s yelling at me about something that I did stupid.
“But it would straighten me up and it would bite me up till, you know, he was just letting me know, hey, you better clean up the act before it gets out of control, just along those lines. But nothing too serious.”
Despite feeling that Belichick could struggle to adjust to the unique world of college football, Gronkowski made it clear that Belichick is second-to-none when it comes to pure coaching genius.
“I can tell you this, Coach Belichick is the best coach hands down in the game of football, he has more knowledge than anyone I’ve ever talked to, and just more knowledge of the game, just inside and out,” Gronk said.
“He knows everything, the playbook, rule book, you name it. Special teams, offense, defense, this guy knows it all, and he would be a great coach at the University of North Carolina.
“My only question is, how would he do? Because when you’re a head coach in college, it’s kind of like not really being a head coach. It’s not about all football, from my understanding and meeting head coaches in college and seeing what they do, it’s more about managing the program and also managing these kids and recruiting them.”
It should be noted that Gronkowski’s comments came just prior to Belichick accepting UNC’s offer.
Since then, it’s become apparent that Belichick will have a unique structure in place to help him avoid the majority of the off-field headaches that come with being a college football coach.
He’s named Michael Lombardi as the program’s general manager. He, along with others, will help take plenty of weight off Belichick’s shoulders when it comes to recruiting, NIL, and the transfer portal.
Only time will tell how everything ends up working for Belichick and company in Chapel (B)ill – but keep in mind, it’s always been a foolish play to bet against him.
Getting back to Gronk – What are your thoughts on his comments?
Will the college football world and everything it entails end up sinking Belichick? … Or will he turn out to be a major success???
