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Bill Belichick steps in a rapidly changing world in college football. Photograph: David Butler II/USA Today Sports
Bill Belichick, the most successful coach in NFL history, is off to college.
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.
When you first heard the news, you probably shrugged your shoulders. It looked like a vintage case of an out-of-work coach sending a message to NFL owners: I’m ready to work. But Belichick’s interest in the college game is sincere. He sat down with North Carolina’s decision-makers for multiple interviews last week, and confirmed his interest in the job on the Pat McAfee Show.
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?
1) A lack of interest from the NFL
Belichick spent his coaching sabbatical doing the media rounds. And he’s everywhere: Belichick has seven different media gigs. At one point, two of his shows aired at the same time. His move into the media was a chance to show he was a normal, football-loving coach who wanted to get back into the NFL if someone gave him a call.
But, based on all reports, the interest from the NFL side was not there. The Bears, Saints and Jets all have head coach vacancies. Any of those franchises could have talked to him – although the Jets were a longshot given their history with Belichick – after dismissing their coaches. If not those franchises, Belichick is so intertwined with the league that he can put out feelers about…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bill-belichick-nothing-left-prove-123743079.html
Author : The Guardian
Publish date : 2024-12-12 12:37:00
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