Bill Belichick’s arrival in college football has been anything but smooth. The legendary coach, who built the NFL’s greatest dynasty and won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, is now facing an offseason clouded by off-field controversies. At 73 years old, stepping into the lead in North Carolina is uncharted territory, and the critics are already circling.
Why Is Julian Edelman Defending Bill Belichick’s Start As UNC’s Head Coach?
Belichick has always been a tough coach, but his approach is rooted in building a strong culture. The man who implemented a system that dominated the NFL for two decades, turning a franchise with no titles into the winningest team in Super Bowl history, is now navigating the new challenge of working with younger, non-professional players in college football.
Naturally, this new format has a learning curve and an adaptation period, which could delay immediate results. However, many critics seem unwilling to acknowledge that reality. Because Belichick is such a high-profile figure, there is already a target on his back regarding the team’s performance.
That is why Julian Edelman, who spent his entire NFL career under Belichick with the Patriots, came to his former coach’s defense. He stressed that patience is needed as Belichick adjusts to this new environment, a patience that much of the media is not affording him, especially at a program without the same storied tradition as others.
“This is going to be a process thing with Coach Belichick over there. I’ve been hearing like, ‘Urban Meyer came over to Ohio State, won 10 games. This guy went over here and won.’ Those are cornerstone programs in football. Going to Ohio State and winning is different than going to North Carolina,” Edelman told RG.
Belichick’s debut as North Carolina’s head coach was a 48-14 blowout loss at home to TCU, which drew heavy criticism. But in the two games that followed, UNC secured multi-possession wins, showing signs of improvement as Belichick’s system began to take hold, something Edelman also highlighted.
“This is not something that’s going to be done overnight. Everyone looked at that first drive and that first stop, like, ‘Is it there?’ And then they got blown out [vs. TCU]. I think that they’ll continue to get better. I felt prepared under Coach (Belichick),” Edelman explained. “I don’t know if he’s doing it different there, or how he’s doing it there. But if it’s the same way that he was doing it with guys like me, I was always prepared going into a game and felt like we were always going to win. Maybe that’ll take some time over there.”
Widely considered the greatest coach in NFL history, Belichick’s legacy is already set, and it isn’t easy to separate that from his current role. When you carry that kind of résumé, expectations inherited from an NFL career inevitably become disproportionate to the reality of the college program.
This is Belichick’s first experience coaching college players. The expectation is that North Carolina will continue to improve in the coming years if he remains in charge and successfully implements the philosophy that brought him so much success in the NFL. While expectations will always be high, patience is key to seeing results.
