Is Belichick’s pursuit of UNC job ‘shortsighted’? Curran and Perry discuss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
NFL enthusiasts have pondered the possible landing spots for Bill Belichick since his legendary New England Patriots tenure came to an end last winter. It turns out the attempts to predict the six-time Super Bowl champion’s next destination could prove futile.
Belichick shockingly interviewed for the University of North Carolina head coach position and according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, there’s a “better than 50-50 chance” he takes the job. That’s especially surprising given that the he’s only 15 NFL head-coaching wins away from tying Don Shula’s all-time record.
As we await more Belichick-UNC updates, Curran and fellow NBC Sports Boston Pats insider Phil Perry discussed the possibility of Belichick leading a collegiate program on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast. Perry suggested pursuing the gig could be a shortsighted move by the 72-year-old.
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“Do you think this is shortsighted by Bill Belichick?” Perry asked. “Should he not be willing to play ball a little bit based on how things ended in New England? I understand if you want things run your way in New England after winning six Super Bowls here. Well within your right to demand that. But for another team that doesn’t have that experience with you — they understand what your résumé is of course, but they don’t necessarily have that experience with you and quite frankly, that experience and that résumé that you’ve posted over the last several years in New England wasn’t all that great when it came to the breadth of your program.
“So in my opinion, the best thing for him would be to stay in the pro game. That’s what you know. They generally speaking pay better. To me, it would just be way more fascinating. … That to me would be the better move, and just be willing to play with the presidents and the CEOs and whoever is in the way between you and ownership, as opposed to going to UNC — which nobody really cares about, quite frankly — just so you can run your own program.”
Curran believes there’s a disconnect between Belichick and NFL owners, who may be looking at the longtime head coach the same way he looked at talented players who were past their prime.
“I think that he’s misunderstanding the fact that just like how much money he would have offered to a Reggie Wayne or a Torry Holt or anybody else that he picked up at the end of their career, and his expectations for that individual, he has to answer to the same diminishing skills, diminishing performance that he’s shown,” Curran said.
“And that’s why I think the NFL looks at him with a little bit of a jaundiced eye. That’s why his own owners in New England looked at him with a bit of a jaundiced eye.”
Also in this episode:
