New England Patriots - NESN.com
Bill Belichick made his much-anticipated NCAA coaching debut for UNC on Monday, and it was a complete disaster.
Belichick’s Tar Heels got blown out by TCU on national television, suffering a 48-14 beatdown in their home stadium in Chapel Hill. It was a sloppy game all around for UNC, which surrendered a whopping 542 yards and committed three turnovers — two of which the Horned Frogs recovered for touchdowns.
The 48 points were the most ever allowed by a Belichick-coached team. Granted, college football games are higher-scoring than NFL games, but it was nevertheless a bad look for a former defensive coordinator whose main strength lies on that side of the ball.
The ugly loss was just the latest chapter in Belichick’s fall from grace and the latest blow to his legacy, providing more proof that he can’t succeed without Tom Brady and that the modern game has passed him by.
The former New England Patriots legend is now 83-105 (.441 winning percentage) as a head coach without the greatest quarterback in NFL history under center. While Belichick’s had some sporadic success without Brady (1994, 2008, 2021), he’s never had consecutive winning seasons without him.
The 73-year-old has only worsened with age, seemingly unable or unwilling to adapt to modern football. He’s 6-19 over his last 25 games and hasn’t won a playoff game since early 2019. His draft record is abysmal, and his recent teams have looked unprepared and poorly coached.
With six Super Bowl rings as a head coach and two more as an assistant, Belichick’s legacy as one of the best coaches in NFL history is secure no matter what happens. By continuing to coach and embarrass himself (both on the field and off) rather than simply retiring, however, he’s needlessly damaging his once-great reputation.
