Bill Belichick's quest to turn the University of North Carolina into a hub of football excellence (and professionalism) was always going to be a long-term goal rather than a short-term boon. That's why ... well, how do we put this nicely ... his personal "timeline" doesn't totally match up with his preference for sustainable greatness. Maybe head coach Steve Belichick (or Jordon Hudson?) will eventually reap the rewards.
As for the first edition of Belichick's Boys? It'll be a tough row to hoe. There's an absurd amount of turnover on this particular roster, including 70 newbies from the transfer portal and incoming freshman class.
Belichick's debut was always going to look a little sloppy, and it sure has, including a Gio Lopez looping lefty turnover moments after the moment in question that dented and uglified the scoreboard. But doubt the greatest coach in football history at your own peril, and anyone accusing Belichick of not being invested in his new venture got a reminder of his can't-be-dimmed obsession midway through the second quarter of the action.
Most UNC fans had their eyes on a tip drill interception by a Steve Belichick transfer DB at the edges of the red zone, which gave Carolina defense renewed hope. No, no. Not Bill. He celebrated momentarily, but then immediately refocused on the referees, trying desperately to track somebody down to discuss the two uncalled holds on TCU's offensive line and demand retribution.
Love him or hate him (most hate him, probably!), you have to admit that's classic Bill.
UNC head football coach Bill Belichick blasted referees over uncalled TCU holding penalties instead of celebrating key interception. He's still got it, y'all.
And now, for a second piece of evidence, Belichick is going to spend the entirety of halftime flaming the punt team after a short one early and a fumbled snap just before the whistle.
Will Chapel Bill become an empire before he's ready to hand over the reins to a worthy heir? Eh. So far, it seems like they scripted out exactly one special possession and couldn't adjust to the speed of TCU's defense.
But if there were any doubts about how much energy Belichick would be able to feed back into the program before his eventual departure, those should be laid to rest. It's the same old, same old from old reliable. We're on to Charlotte next week.