The architect of six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots has agreed a deal with North Carolina to become the school’s new head coach. A year after his exit from the Patriots, he is leaving the pro game behind to dive into the wild west of college sports in the pay-for-play era.
Belichick’s move is unprecedented. In his 49-year coaching career, he has never worked outside the NFL. But Belichick has spent the last year traveling around college campuses to understand the sport’s new landscape. He will become the first Super Bowl-winning coach to drop down to the college level without any college coaching experience.
The question is: Why? (...)
[ed. The NFL wasn't too hot on him (for various good reasons), and...]
Beyond just his age, there is another hangup for NFL teams: Belichick is no ordinary coach. Wherever he landed, he would require full autonomy over a team’s roster, salary cap and draft, the kind of singular power that ownership groups are shying away from – and the sort of power they would be unlikely to hand to someone approaching their mid-70s.
The dynastic Patriots were not built on the “Patriot Way”. It was the “Belichick Way”. That will carry over to North Carolina. But in the NFL, there are few overlords. The era of Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh or Belichick running every department is gone. In 2024, franchises are siloed. There is overlap between departments, but the coaching ranks have become so transitory that the head coach no longer controls huge swaths of the building. That is left to a team president or general manager. A coaching staff may come and go, but more often than not key members of the personnel and analytics departments, nutrition staff and back office remain the same.
That is not Belichick’s vision. In New England, he was the all-seeing, all-commanding emperor. He ran the front office, coaching staff and signed off on all football decisions. Only a handful of franchises would cede that control to one individual in the modern game, and they’re not handing those keys to a 73-year-old who may only stick around for four or five seasons. Those odds were even longer given Belichick’s recent poor track record as a general manager. After presiding over six Super Bowls with the Patriots, Belichick’s magic touch wore off once Tom Brady moved on to Tampa Bay. By the end of his time in New England, Belichick the general manager had essentially kneecapped Belichick the coach. The source of his contentious departure from the Patriots was New England’s owner, Robert Kraft, looking to wrestle back some power.
In college, Belichick will have free rein. The head coach remains omnipotent in college football, even as it inches toward a pro model. They are a CEO, general manager, head coach and play-caller wrapped into one. If Belichick was willing to relinquish control, then an NFL franchise may have come calling on Belichick the coach. But by prioritizing his authority over an organization, college was the only option.
Even at one of college football’s upper-tier institutions, it’s unlikely Belichick would have been able to amass total control. Alabama, Texas or Ohio State are not turning their programs over to a first-time college coach in his 70s. But North Carolina is a second-tier program in a second-tier conference. The school’s only shot at landing a coaching legend was to agree to Belichick’s demands, allowing him to an organization in his image.
by Oliver Connolly, The Guardian | Read more:
Image:David Butler II/USA Today Sports
Beyond just his age, there is another hangup for NFL teams: Belichick is no ordinary coach. Wherever he landed, he would require full autonomy over a team’s roster, salary cap and draft, the kind of singular power that ownership groups are shying away from – and the sort of power they would be unlikely to hand to someone approaching their mid-70s.
The dynastic Patriots were not built on the “Patriot Way”. It was the “Belichick Way”. That will carry over to North Carolina. But in the NFL, there are few overlords. The era of Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh or Belichick running every department is gone. In 2024, franchises are siloed. There is overlap between departments, but the coaching ranks have become so transitory that the head coach no longer controls huge swaths of the building. That is left to a team president or general manager. A coaching staff may come and go, but more often than not key members of the personnel and analytics departments, nutrition staff and back office remain the same.
That is not Belichick’s vision. In New England, he was the all-seeing, all-commanding emperor. He ran the front office, coaching staff and signed off on all football decisions. Only a handful of franchises would cede that control to one individual in the modern game, and they’re not handing those keys to a 73-year-old who may only stick around for four or five seasons. Those odds were even longer given Belichick’s recent poor track record as a general manager. After presiding over six Super Bowls with the Patriots, Belichick’s magic touch wore off once Tom Brady moved on to Tampa Bay. By the end of his time in New England, Belichick the general manager had essentially kneecapped Belichick the coach. The source of his contentious departure from the Patriots was New England’s owner, Robert Kraft, looking to wrestle back some power.
In college, Belichick will have free rein. The head coach remains omnipotent in college football, even as it inches toward a pro model. They are a CEO, general manager, head coach and play-caller wrapped into one. If Belichick was willing to relinquish control, then an NFL franchise may have come calling on Belichick the coach. But by prioritizing his authority over an organization, college was the only option.
Even at one of college football’s upper-tier institutions, it’s unlikely Belichick would have been able to amass total control. Alabama, Texas or Ohio State are not turning their programs over to a first-time college coach in his 70s. But North Carolina is a second-tier program in a second-tier conference. The school’s only shot at landing a coaching legend was to agree to Belichick’s demands, allowing him to an organization in his image.
by Oliver Connolly, The Guardian | Read more:
Image:David Butler II/USA Today Sports
