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It’s an early Thursday morning and Michael Lombardi is focused on breaking down tight end tape.
He knows what his boss, Bill Belichick, wants at the position but it is still an arduous challenge. The former NFL general manager has been breaking down tape for more than 40 years but there are considerably more prospects to evaluate at the high school level than what NFL personnel folks like Lombardi dealt with for NFL Draft preparation. That’s a blessing and a curse.
Later that day, he’ll appear on the popular Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. Lombardi is billed as a “Progrum Paisan” on McAfee’s eponymous show and it’s been a successful partnership for both sides. Lombardi has used McAfee’s large pulpit to dispute false reports about Belichick, talk about their efforts to build UNC football and tap into his NFL expertise to discuss hot button league-wide topics.
Publicly, Lombardi has long been Belichick’s biggest defender, using his experience working with the eight-time Super Bowl winner at multiple spots to give a peek behind the scenes on the success and motivations behind the NFL’s greatest coach. After last working in the NFL with Belichick and the New England Patriots in 2016, Lombardi leaned into building a media career, writing books, working with VSiN and The Ringer and frequently appearing on Ringer founder Bill Simmons’ podcast.
Lombardi hadn’t worked in college football in 40 years when Belichick made him his first hire in December after shocking the football world and becoming the University of North Carolina head football coach. His official title is general manager, a fitting one given his NFL experience, but he wears a number of hats as a Belichick-run UNC program gets up and running in the face of industry skepticism…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-consigliere-how-michael-lombardi-became-the-top-adviser-behind-bill-belichicks-north-carolina-takeover/
Author : John Talty
Publish date : 2025-02-11 16:14:00
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