New England Patriots - NESN.com
Mike Vrabel did not shy away when asked about Bill Belichick’s first night on the sidelines at North Carolina.
Appearing on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Tuesday, the New England Patriots coach was pressed about whether Belichick deserved patience as he begins building a college program. Vrabel pointed to his own time at Ohio State under Urban Meyer for perspective.
“I don’t know. Urban Meyer won 12 of the first 12 games at Ohio State, so it didn’t take him long. That’s my experience in college football,” Vrabel said.
Vrabel had been part of Meyer’s inaugural Buckeyes staff, coaching the defensive line in 2012 when the program went unbeaten despite postseason ineligibility. His comment came one day after Belichick’s Tar Heels were thumped 48-14 by TCU in Chapel Hill, a loss that saw UNC surrender 41 unanswered points.
Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports noted the 48 points allowed were the most Belichick had ever given up in any game across his 512-game coaching career.
Though the response might have sounded sharp, Vrabel has longstanding ties to his former coach. He played eight seasons in New England, winning three Super Bowls, and later earned 2021 NFL Coach of the Year honors.
On the radio appearance, he also acknowledged how today’s college game differs from his own stint in the NCAA. With transfer rules and NIL deals reshaping rosters, Belichick overhauled his squad by adding roughly 70 players, creating challenges far different from Meyer’s Ohio State tenure.
“I can only imagine the landscape of college football now,” Vrabel said. “I’m sure it’s probably not as easy outside of the top few programs.”
For Vrabel, his own debut looms this weekend, when the Patriots face Pete Carroll’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Tougher tests are ahead for both coaches.
