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‘UNC has a talent deficit’: College football analyst’s blunt take on Bill Belichick’s North Carolina roster
TCU trolled Belichick and UNC after its Monday win.
It could be a steep climb for Bill Belichick at UNC: Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s tenure as a college football coach began on Monday night, with the University of North Carolina being blown out 48-14 at home by TCU.
It showcased the now-obvious fact that Belichick’s Tar Heels have a long way to go to become relevant in discussion circles at the highest levels of college football. One of the major issues, as ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel pointed out, is a simple question of ability.
“UNC has a talent deficit,” Thamel noted. “There are more than 20 NFL scouts from 14 teams here, but not many Heels for them to watch.”
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As the longtime college sports reporter noted, Belichick’s inaugural North Carolina roster has probably only two NFL-worthy prospects (both cornerbacks).
Yet because of his trademark secrecy with the media — Belichick provided a blank roster of his team’s official depth chart on Monday prior to kickoff — scouts were forced to put more effort into evaluating UNC.
“Part of the reason there are so many here is Bill Belichick has been really restrictive to NFL scouts, and the games have continued on the sideline tonight,” Thamel explained during a sideline interview, showing the blank roster.
“So a lot of [the scouts] are walking around with big smiles on their faces as they’re trying to decode who to look at. I’ve been told there are really only two UNC players who likely to be drafted this year,” he added, pointing out that corners Thaddeus Dixon and Marcus Allen could become NFL draft picks.
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Yet the underlining takeaway from Thamel’s report, especially given the ensuing context of TCU’s lopsided win over UNC, is that Belichick needs to recruit a lot more to build his program up to becoming a powerhouse.
“If Bill Belichick wants to build UNC into the 33rd team, as he stated, they have a long way to go from a pure talent perspective,” Thamel concluded.
The “33rd team” is a callback to a line that has mostly been used by UNC general manager Mike Lombardi, who referenced after being hired that, “Everything we do [at UNC] is predicated on building a pro team.”
“We consider ourselves the 33rd [NFL] team, because everybody who’s involved in our program has had some form of aspect in pro football,” Lombardi added (as there are 32 NFL teams).
Of course following the season-opening debacle on Monday, UNC’s opposing conference had another reference for it.
“A 34-point win over the 33rd team,” the Big 12 Conference tweeted out after defeating Belichick. Clearly, the Tar Heels have more work to do both on and off the field.
Trivia: Bill Belichick also lost his Patriots debut in 2000, losing to the Bucs 21-16. Who was the Buccaneers’ head coach that day?
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(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He won two Super Bowls: One as a defensive back for the Steelers, the other as head coach of an AFC South team.
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox defeated the Guardians 6-4 on Monday, with Trevor Story going 3-for-4 while hitting one of the more bizarre home runs in recent Fenway Park history.
The two teams play again this evening at Fenway Park, with first pitch set for 6:45 p.m.
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- Here’s how fast Jarren Duran ran the bases on his inside-the-park home run vs. Pirates
- What to know about this weekend’s Essence HBCU Classic at Harvard Stadium
From the weekend: Jarren Duran’s inside-the-park home run from Sunday’s Red Sox win.
The Patriots’ 2025 captains: Mike Vrabel announced New England’s team captains for the upcoming season.
On this day: In 2001, Carl Everett broke up Yankees starter Mike Mussina’s bid for a perfect game at Fenway Park against the Red Sox with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Though the Yankees won the game 1-0 — with Mussina striking out 13 in a masterful pitcher’s duel against Davie Cone — Everett’s single prevented Boston from suffering a major milestone against their rivals while playing in their own ballpark.
Daily highlight: Dejon Brissett made a tremendous catch in double-coverage to help the Toronto Argonauts get into field goal range for the eventual winning kick.
Trivia answer: Tony Dungy
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