Bill Belichick gives surprising update on QB battle for UNC football

Bill Belichick does not guarantee anything. Spots on the field must be earned, not given. And that includes the starting quarterback position. 

So when the six-time Super Bowl champion coach says there's no set date for when he will announce the starting QB for the Week 1 opener against TCU, we really shouldn't be surprised.  

"In my experience as a coach it has been, at that position, where you want to define who that is and what you generally don't want to do is pick player 'A' and end up going with player 'B'. Let 'em compete and once you're sure it's player 'B' make it player 'B' or player 'A' or whatever."

Gio Lopez looks like the starter, but Belichick wants him pushed

By all accounts, Gio Lopez is going to be the starter. He was hand-picked by the staff, and they invested a lot of time (and money) in making sure that Lopez is ready for September 1. And to his credit, Lopez has carried himself like the top guy and appears to have won over his new teammates.

But Belichick doesn't want Lopez to get comfortable during the first week of camp, nor does he want Max Johnson and true freshman Bryce Baker to stop pushing him. This game is about responding to challenges and pressure and right now Belichick wants to see how Lopez responds to in-house challenges. 

"Once we're confident that we know who has earned that spot, because that's what it will be, it's not us picking them, it'll be that player earning it," Belichick continued. "If it's clear-cut, then that player will be the player, if it's not clear-cut maybe the competition will continue on early in the season. Again, whoever earns it is going to be who gets it."

And the coach is always sending a message. Even in a long answer about Freddie Kitchens' offense, Belichick slipped in this line, certainly not by accident. 

"We've got good depth at quarterback, so we'll see how it all plays out."

There's a reason why this guy is the master.