December 12, 2024 • 35 mins
Dan reacts to the news that Bill Belichick is headed to Chapel Hill to be the new head football coach for the Tar Heels. Former NFL CB, Domonique Foxworth discusses the friction within the Eagles organization. The ACC Network's Mark Packer explains how things could go wrong for Belichick at UNC. And The Athletic's Stewart Mandel explains why he thinks hiring Belichick is a big mistake.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox
Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
North Carolina has hired Bill Belichick. After winning six Super
Bowls in the NFL, Belichick is onto his next challenge,
and that's coaching in college, which is something he's never
done before. And I think that the surprise is well,
he was going to be the NFL's all time victory holder,
he would surpass Don Shula. But over the last year
(00:26):
and a half, the league's interest in Belichick hasn't has
been as robust as he probably thought and certainly we
thought as well. So he turned his attention to college,
or maybe college turned its attention to him. But as
I said, for the last couple of days, I think
he realized he was not going to get a job
in the NFL. Plenty of other NFL head coaches have
(00:47):
found success going to college. Jim Harball with Michigan, Pete
Carroll usc Nick Saban, who didn't coach well with the Dolphins,
went to Alabama, although he did well at LSU. So
the transition from Belichick NFL to college football acc football
a football program at a basketball school, and there are
(01:11):
a lot of people. I think there's a surprising amount
of people maybe more people who have a negative reaction
to Bill succeeding than a positive reaction because we hear
the same things. His age, relatability with an eighteen or
nineteen year old, nil transfer portal, what's he know about
(01:31):
the college game? So these are all the things that
and it's fair to question this or at least observe
this and give a reasonable answer of yes or no.
He's going to be able to do this. He's the
most prepared coach of all time. The fact that he
had a four hundred page dossier. He went in there
(01:53):
and said, hey, here, I'll give you everything about your program,
what I want, what I need, assessing the acc So
he's going in prepared. It's not like he's going to
go in and go, hey, what's this nil? That's name,
image and likeness. Oh now the transfer portal? Where is
that on campus? Where do the kids come in from
(02:13):
on the portal? No? No, it's just kind of a name.
It's the transfer portal. Wait, they're getting paid. He's going
to be prepared when he goes in. Hey, Plus, what
is success for Bill Belichick in college? Nine wins?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Ten wins?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
And you're also buying into Bill Belichick you're buying into Carolina.
You're buying into Yes, they are a basketball school. You
got the Jordan brand there as well. It's still powerful
with Bill Belichick on the sidelines. He still knows how
it's coaching football. Whether it's high school, college, pro, you're
coaching football. Nobody is better at adapting quarter to quarter
(02:59):
half to have game the game than Bill Belichick in
the history of the sport. I have to believe you're
going to take this job. He'll be all in on
this job, and he knows his son is going to
be there with him. He's probably going to bring in
a lot of his coaches he had in New England.
You're getting Mike Lombardi, who's been around the NFL for decades.
He'll be his GM. He's going to bring in experience people,
(03:24):
just like Dion did. Remember when Dion got to Colorado,
I said, Dion will be successful if he brings in
really good coaches because he'll be the CEO. And what
do you have after one and a half years, two years,
Dion has his team at least knocking on the door
to be a playoff team next year, and they certainly
were this year. Now, do I think that is what
(03:46):
Bill's going to do. Well, He's not going to bring
in his son doesn't play quarterback. Is he going to
be able to bring in a player like Travis Hunter,
who everybody wanted and was going to go to Florida State.
I think the key will be does he get his quarterback?
It's like he had in New England and they kept
Tom there. You can't keep your quarterback in college. They'll stay,
(04:07):
but maybe they'll stay for four years. Can you get
a franchise type quarterback? Because if you go back and
listen to what Bill Belichick said on the Pat McAfee
show on Monday, he's looking at college football the way
he did the NFL.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
It seems like college football is more like pro football.
I've talked to a lot of college coaches about things
like the salary cap and putting value on players and
negotiating and kind of mixing all that together. So I
think there are some similarities from what I've heard. I
have an experience at first hand.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Okay, what's the down sign? He fails? If you're Carolina,
you took a shot. Can you imagine that conversation with
Mac Brown? Hey, Mac, we're going to go with somebody younger.
He's a year younger than you. So you bring in
Belichick the relatability. I don't know how much he has
(05:01):
to relate. Oh is he going to go on the
road and recruit. No, he's not. They have something called zoom.
All of a sudden, Mom and Dad, Hey, coach Belichick
is on the zoom wants to talk to you. I
think that's probably pretty powerful. How many other college coaches
(05:22):
Dion Belichick? Who else would you put in there? And
you go, hey, stop everything coaches on the phone with
me or on a zoom. It's still a powerful brand there.
Now is he going to want to put up with
all the smaller things? I don't think he's going to
be dealing with the smaller things. He doesn't deal with nil.
(05:46):
He probably won't deal with transfer portal. Now everything is
going to be run by him. There's no salary camp.
You're playing in the ACC feels like it's up for grabs.
If Carolina is getting money together, they're collective. Okay, if
I just say to Bill Belichick, just coach. We have
(06:08):
everybody else who would take care of other things. Dion
doesn't do everything. Dion is a CEO. That's what Bill
will be. But Bill is obviously a better coach than Dion.
He's not as good as CEO, but he'll be a
better coach. Now, the people you put around you, who
do you recruit? And does this matter to these kids
(06:32):
who are eighteen or nineteen, Because if I'm eighteen or nineteen,
I may not really care about Bill Belichick. My dad
or mom may care. My high school coach may care.
I want to get ready to go to the NFL.
That's what this is about. And I think Bill going there.
Bill is Bill's got a chip on his shoulder. I
(06:53):
truly believe that, Hey, Tom did this and Tom went
to Tampa and meanwhile I held on for four more
years and we were terrible. And yeah I did make
the playoffs with mac Jones, but it didn't end well Tom.
It feels weird though, just like Tom had something to prove.
At least he felt, hey, I can do this without Bill.
Bill wants to prove that he can still be a
(07:15):
great coach no matter where he's going. I thought he
was going to stay in the NFL, if he was
going to coach again. But I didn't think he was
going and said this. I didn't think he was coaching
in the NFL. Again, I just didn't think he was
coaching in college because I didn't know if he I
just want to coach, and that's what it feels like,
and you set your son up. He obviously wants to
(07:36):
kind of put in place a system that his son
will then inherit in let's say three years, and it'll
be successful. And I'm sure Bill will stay on with
the program. But I see, you know far more positives
than I do negative. But this whole out of touch thing,
(07:57):
I don't know if Bill was ever in touch with
the Paget's. You know, it's not like they were like, Man,
I really know him, and yeah, he's got a great
sense of humor, Okay, relatability an eighteen nineteen year old.
I don't know what they're going to be asking from Bill.
I don't know what Bill is going to be giving
(08:19):
them other than hey, I want to make you a
player ready to play in the NFL. That's what they
want to hear. How much do I get paid? And
am I going to play? And hopefully I get a
chance to play in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Yeah, I'm curious what kind of player, positionally is most
interested in going to North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Now, cause if I was a.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
Player like say, like a Jaden Daniels type or somebody like,
I don't know if that's the way I want to go.
But if I'm a you know, defensive lineman or not
an offensive lineman, even you know, a linebacker, or somebody like,
hell yeah, this is exactly what's going to get me
to the NFL. So I'm curious how the team will
take sheep based on that.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, and I you know, Bill's whole thing is next
guy up. Let's say you have somebody who wants eight
million dollars and Bill might say, no, we'll find somebody else.
I don't think he'll have the patience for that that
He always was next man up with the Patriots and
will probably be that way with North Carolina. But who
(09:23):
cared about North Carolina prior to this? You know, the
last time we talked about him is when they lost
to a school named after a founding father. They lost.
They gave up seventy points to Jimmy Madison. What do
you That's when we go, oh my god, they could
have scored one hundred on North Carolina. Mac Brown's gonna.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Go like that's it.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Nobody else cares he put him on He at least
put him on the football map. Yes, it's a basketball school,
just like Kentucky football. Now, Georgia basketball. Arkansas. You to
be a football school now it feels like it's a
basketball school. It does happen, it does. But is it
(10:07):
going to change there? In North Carolina? It won't. Well,
if they win, people are still gonna, you know, ask
you know, Hubert Davis, how's the team gonna be? Now?
Do you introduce Bill Belichick at a North Carolina basketball game? Right?
You got to bring him out? Just don't have him
(10:28):
do the Uh Brian Kelly haven't even won all my game.
If he comes up with a Southern accent, I'm gonna
call bs on Belichick.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
And what he says is and he's gonna pull a trestle.
And when we play Duke on October twelve, where wine's.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
The rivalry, he gets us, he gets us.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
You know what matters.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
It's just when he's as you know, I saw an
article it's like, hey, he's going to win the press conference. Really,
when does Bill want a press conference? I get it.
Maybe Pat mcavee unlocked the personality chest that he has
the cabinet there, it's like, hey, man, he that dude
is a he is a talking hairdoo.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
There.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
No Bill will talk to football people. He doesn't want
to talk to us. He doesn't want to talk to
you know, the media. But I think Bill, we're talking
about North Carolina football. That's a win, Dog, that's a win. Yes, Marvin.
Speaker 6 (11:37):
The most important thing regarding this entire situation is what
color sweatshirt is Belichick going to wear? Because I'm not
sure if he's going to rock the powder blue.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
He can't go that's too that's too blue for him.
I think he's got to go dark blue with maybe
maybe some light blue on the on the sleeves.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yes, Pauline, No, you go, it's hot down there in September.
You're gonna go sleeveless gun show. Let's do it.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yes one.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
I think the beginning of the year, since it's going
to be eighty five ninety degrees their first couple of games,
he's going to have a polo on navy blue polo
with the North Carolina on the side.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Maybe tank top.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
You know, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk
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Speaker 2 (12:34):
Dominique Foxworth, the ESPN writer commentator for Ndscape in season
football podcast The Dominic Foxworth Show, and that's three times
a week, also on Get Up and a contributor to ESPN.
Your reaction when you heard the Bill was actually taking
the Carolina job was yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Mean, I think it.
Speaker 7 (12:55):
The first thing that it drove home was the NFL
didn't really want him, and that's a shocking thing. I
understand why people may not want to give up the power.
And I read in Seth Wikershram's piece this morning about
how Bill obviously said he was flexible, But the thing
about that is.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Even if he were flexible, he's still Bill.
Speaker 7 (13:13):
Belichick, and I feel like you drop him in any situation,
it changes the alchemy in the room.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
And while he said he'd be.
Speaker 7 (13:20):
Willing to work with existing gms, he's still Bill Belichick,
and it's like having a tiger that you've trained. He's like,
you still know at some point he's going to be
breathing over your shoulder and something's gonna happen. I can't
imagine that anyone who listened to him say, oh yeah,
I like your GM.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
It's fine. Oh no, the president of operations, he's good
with me.
Speaker 7 (13:42):
No one felt fully comfortable while bringing that tiger into
their building.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
What's the downside for Carolina?
Speaker 7 (13:48):
At a downside for Carolina, it sounds like the four
hundred page of manifesto about how he's going to control
the whole organization. And I think the downside is the
risk of giving yourself over to someone who has not
proven that they can do it at this level.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
And I understand.
Speaker 7 (14:03):
I heard you guys coming in about how it is
professional on this level.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
You're right.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
I think the biggest vote of confidence I would have
for Bill Belichick is he's just really smart.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
And really good and works really hard.
Speaker 7 (14:14):
And I think that most of the time we like
to find all these other characteristics for why people are
successful in different industries, and that's normally what it comes
down to. Are you smart, are you willing to work hard?
And you are committed to this. I think Bill Belichick is,
and he'll figure out all the other stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yeah, Carolina already won. We're talking Carolina football. They already won.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Yeah. I mean, I think you're right.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
It makes them relevantly immediately It feels a little bit
like the Deon Sanders effect in Colorado, where they went
from being an irrelevant franchise or irrelevant kind of program
to one that top people are going to consider and
that we in the general public are going to care
about week one. We're going to care what the hell's
going on in Carolina in a way that we haven't
in a long time.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I don't know how important the personality of your head
coach was when you played, because this is being brought
back with Bill Belichick. Is he relatable to somebody eighteen
through twenty two years of age? And I said, well,
I don't know. Is it about your personality or how
you like? Can you coach? Can you get me ready
for the pros? How much money? I mean, these are
(15:17):
the questions that these kids are asking nowadays. So back
to my original question, how important was the personality of
your coach?
Speaker 7 (15:24):
Yeah, I mean I think mine was different, but now
times are very different. I think the obvious challenges of
it are obvious, so I don't think we need to
go to that. But I think if you want to
look at the positive side of it is it's going
to be a self selecting process. Like no one is
going to be surprised by who Bill Belichick is. So
the type of players that want to play for a
coach like Bill Belichick, they're going to show up there
(15:45):
at Chapel Hill, and the guys who will be put
off by Bill Belichick like he's not gonna change no
matter what we think, and we are imagining him dancing
in the back like Brian Kelly dancing on spinning flat
form platforms and recruit coaches. I mean, excuse me, the
recruit kids. Hell no, that's not Bill Belichick. That's not
who he's ever going to be. And I think that's
a good thing because we know who he is. And
the players that show up there are going to be
(16:07):
players that want to be coached the same way Tom
Brady was coached, that want to be treated the way
that they're going to be treated. And I imagine he's
going to have a separate staff to go out and
smooth the kids and figure out money. I don't think
Bill Belichick is going to have a situation where players
are going to walk into this office after a good
game and say my nil needs to go up while
I'm going elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Those guys aren't going to go to Chapel Hill.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
The team that loses tonight between the Rams and Niners.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Done, Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 7 (16:35):
I mean, I think the Rams are one of the
scarier teams the Niners have kind of I think the wind.
They had a good week last week, but I think
the windows kind of closed on this particular rum run.
So I think the question is can the Rams pull
off this win because we saw what they did last week.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
They have an offense that's.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
So impressive and the defense with Jared Versus and some
young pass rushers that I think could make big plays
that could give a scare to the top two teams
or scuse me, the top three. I guess if you
put Green Bay in there, the top four teams in
the NFC. I don't see the Rams as a real
Super Bowl contender, but they can knock somebody off in
the first or second round and really piss off some
(17:11):
fan base.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Matthew Stafford has had this renaissance. Like to me, there'd
be no reason to want to retire if I got
Sean McVay and I got Cooper and I got Nikua.
I kind of like, you know, as long as they
have a good offensive line. I kind of like it LA.
I mean, I think it's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (17:30):
And Williams in the backfield, I think his body holding
up is the big question. His arm is still as
incredible as it's ever been. And I think that's a reminder.
As much as we want to spend an eye as
like an analyst who played, I want to show all
my knowledge by getting deep into how important these schematic
adjustments are, and how important the D line is and
(17:51):
O line and coverages and disguise.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
You got a good ass coach and you got a
great quarterback.
Speaker 7 (17:58):
You're never too far away. Like remember after they won
a Super Bowl, we're like, they're done. Maybe McVeigh should
go to the media. They find a good player in
the draft and the coup, and they're right back near
the top. With some adjustments on defense, they could be
a competitor in NFC.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Real thing the.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Eagles with the infighting that you're winning. But then you
have a J. Brown speak up about we kind of
have to fix the passing game here I'm paraphrasing here,
but you covered diva wide receivers. We still kind of
allow them to be divas. Why so all right?
Speaker 7 (18:35):
I think my first reaction was much like yours, and
I've since tried my best to view it from a
different perspective because that's not the Aj Brown I've heard about.
You remember when Saquon was signed there, AJ's first comments were,
we're gonna make sure Saquon gets his And if you
watch the games, AJ Brown is not a.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Typical diva wide receiver.
Speaker 7 (18:53):
He's blocking the hell out of people like he's a
big physical guy. He's playing hard and fixing the passing game.
To me, if I'm giving it, the most charitable reading,
is AJ Brown understanding what we all understand is that
Jalen Hurts is the limiting factor on this offense, and
they're not going to be able to.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Steamroll everybody through the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (19:12):
There's going to come a time where they're going to
have to outscore somebody. They're going to have to attack
down the field. So while I do agree that the
wide receiver probably thinks the answer to every problem is
thrown me the damn ball, I think in this case
he might be right that the real answer to the
problem is their passing game is a little bit rudimentary
compared to some of the other teams that they're gonna
(19:32):
have match up against.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
But we've said this about Jalen Hurts. He doesn't feel
like he's a finished product. When he's in the pocket.
He's a good quarterback. He makes plays. I just think
if a game comes down to his passing, than Philadelphia
is in trouble.
Speaker 7 (19:49):
I think so in Philadelphia's offense is pretty simple and
part because they're more talented everyone else. They're going to
run the ball until you compromise yourself in order to
stop it. Then Jalen is going to run the all
on the edge until you compromise yourself to stop that.
And then they want to attack downfield. And I think
other teams that are built like that they do it
the other way. I think in some games we go
into what the Lions were, very similar to them. The
(20:11):
Lions will attack downfield first, and I think that's what
aj Brown wants and to have a more sophisticated passing
offense because some games they're going to need it. But yeah,
you're not going to change who Jalen Hurts is, Like,
this is who he is.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Dominique Foxworth, ESPN writer commentator, you know this, Brett Farv
Mark Gastone play is resurfaced now with the thirty for
thirty coming out? Would you have a problem though, Like, well,
let me just ask you your reaction when you saw
gas Too approaching Brett Farv and saying, I want my shack,
(20:44):
I want my shack back.
Speaker 7 (20:45):
I imagine if my reaction was like everyone else's was,
like I cringe a little bit and it was uncomfortable.
But I also recognize that for athletes like you put
so much into it, like it becomes the peak of
your life at such a young age. And it wasn't
for me, in part because I wasn't that great of
an athlete. But I can't imagine if I was as
great as Mark Gastino and that was what I was
(21:06):
known for. You feel like there's some integrity to the
things that you accomplished, Like I get while he's upset,
and I get why you want to hold onto that,
and you feel like your record like I completely understand it.
It's something that I don't think I would ever do.
But I don't feel.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Say Jerry Rice, Let's say Jerry Rice is opposite you.
Jerry Rice needs six more yards to set the single
season record. How would you feel I would?
Speaker 7 (21:33):
So, Jerry Rice was at the Broncos My rookie year,
and he was one of my favorite players growing up.
My brother and I looked up to Jerry Rice and
Barry Sanders, and he was in our camp in training camp,
and my first one on one was against Jerry Rice,
my idol, and I pushed his ass out of bounds
like I was. I was fighting for my life and
I took that forty year old man and I put
(21:54):
my hands on him. And so I imagine that I would
have been the same way. I think there's a different
understanding when you're Brett Favre. You're in a different fraternity.
Where you're Brett favor you're Jerry Rice, and you're Michael
Strah Michael Strahan, they're in a different fraternity. Guys like me,
Hell no, you can't have nothing from what I nothing for.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
I'm not giving you a yard.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Good to talk to you as always, Dominique, Thank you,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
There be sure to catch the live edition of The
Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Wapp Let's bring in Mark Packer. He's been covering the
ACC a long time. See these are the questions that
we have Mark what do you think Belichick with a
tie on campus today?
Speaker 8 (22:39):
I think at North Carolina he starts with the tie,
but maybe by the end we go with the hoodie. Right,
we just do the cut off Argyll hoodie and one
word answers and down the read and listen. He's gotta
go get some players, Dan. I mean, this is a
cool story and he's the all time greatest coach, but man,
you better get some players if you expect to win.
That's true, whether it's high school, college or pro.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
All right, let's go back a couple of weeks ago
when you first heard this was a possibility, and you
said what.
Speaker 8 (23:08):
I said, You got to be crazy, right, what's he thinking?
I mean, is he that board? I mean, you mean
you got you got a coach in college football, given
everything is accomplished, and he's that close to Don Shulis Mark,
and you know, maybe somebody will wake up and say,
guess what, let's give him a gig and listen, I'm
in Charlotte, North Carolina. You think we could use a coach.
We've seen bad football from an NFL perspective for god
(23:30):
knows how long, but nobody in the right mind really
thought this could happen, but it is an amazing story
and to see how this whole thing unfolds is going
to be fascinated.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
I feel like Carolina has already won. Is that fair
to say? Yeah? I mean the fact you're on on
my show today we're talking Carolina football and.
Speaker 8 (23:50):
Perspective and again, well obviously cover the a SEC, but
cover college sports. Last night, the Southeastern Conference, which is
the best conference in college football in the Big Ten,
which is number two, could arguably be number one this year.
They announced their twenty twenty five college football schedules last night.
Nobody cared, you know why, because everybody was talking about
the acc North Carolina and Bill Belichick. So in some respects,
(24:14):
after just twenty four hours, you've already seen the impact
he can have. Now, like I said, we'll have the
press conference today, that'll be great, But at some point
in time, North Carolina expects to win yesterday. And this
is a program that's kind of been a sleeping giant.
We've been talking about that for decades. Now, he's got to.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Go prove it.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
What's the downside? Now?
Speaker 8 (24:33):
The downside is that North Caroline pushes all their chips in.
There's been a misalignment from the board of trustees, the
athletic director that's got to get on the same page.
The guy's seventy two. He sits here and says, hey,
I got all the answers. I pull a Charlie Weiss
who said, listen, I got all the schematic advantages. Also,
he goes out and realizes, you know what, team coming
(24:55):
through the under tunnel's got better players In no matter
how many Super Bowls I can talk about, they wear
my out. And that's the worst thing that can happen.
Were guess what you expect to win asap and you
fall fat on your face.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
But if he gets nine or ten wins, he's a savior,
isn't he.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
Well, I think that's been the problem.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Dan.
Speaker 8 (25:15):
North Carolina has been able to get to that number,
and I know Mac around this year got to six.
But they've been on the doorstep multiple times. They've been
to two ACC Championship games, lost to Clemson in both
of them. Max's first run, he had a great team.
He left North Carolina the first time as a top
ten team. The problem was was god By named of
Bobby Baalden at Florida State. That was just that good.
(25:36):
So North Carolina has always produced players. You go back
through history, they always put guys in the National Football League.
I think their expectations are, Hey, we haven't won an
ACC championship since nineteen eighty when a got by the
name of Lawrence Taylor was a linebacker. Why not Now
let's put all chips in. Got this whole name, image
and likeness thing.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
We got the.
Speaker 8 (25:56):
Coach, Let's let it rip and see where it goes.
I expect him to figure that, Hey, go into bowls
a piece of cake. Listen, here in the ACC, we
saw SMU join the league for the first time. Tell
the league to keep all their TV money. They win
eleven games in the ACC Championship game and now their
college football playoff. Why can't that happen at North Carolina?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Okay, the over under, according to Vegas is six and
a half wins.
Speaker 8 (26:18):
You over or take the over, and I'll tell you
why again. I just looked at their schedule last night.
Next year, in the ACC, they don't see Miami, they
don't see Louisville, they don't see SMU, they don't see
Virginia Tech. Say whatever you want about Florida State. They
won't be too intent they miss all those teams. They
get Clemson and then go to the rival NC State.
They've lost four straight non conference schedule TCU as their opener.
(26:41):
I would again, I'm not a betting man, but I
think they obliterate six and a half.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Good to talk to you, Mark, you got something to
talk about. Certainly listen.
Speaker 8 (26:50):
The biggest winner of all this was the ACC network
in the conference and hopefully Bill Belichick at North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Thank you, Mark, you got it. That's Mark Packer.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Fox Sports This Radio has the best sports talk lineup
in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports
Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR
to listen live.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Stuart Mandel, senior college football writer for The Athletic co
host of the Honible podcast. Your column was on fire.
In fact, I'm picking it up. It's a little warm here, Stuart,
from what you had to say about Bill Belichick. You
start up by saying, congratulations, North Carolina. You managed to
hire somebody completely unqualified to be your next football coach.
(27:32):
You did that thing so many schools do when they
try to win the press conference instead of win football games.
It rarely works. All right, fill in the details of
how you came to this conclusion.
Speaker 9 (27:43):
Well, Dan, I've been covering college football for twenty five years.
I have seen time and again NFL coaches come into
college pledging to kind of reinvent the wheel run an
NFL program at the college level. It's never worked. The
only guy that I've seen, and he was wildly successful,
was Pete Carroll. That was not because of anything he
(28:03):
had done in the NFL. He was a miniocre recruiter
who surrounded himself with other maniacal recruiters. Bill Belichick has
never recruited a day in his life, So I think
that he's right. I think he said college is more
like the NFL than it ever has been, and he's
right about that in terms of the portal and nil
and these teams are hiring salary cap experts now, but
(28:24):
recruiting is still the lifeblood of the sport. And then
I think another key element the two things Nick Saban
was so good at recruiting and motivation, and you know
in the NFL that's not really a part of it.
Their motivation is their livelihood. You're talking about eighteen to
twenty two year old kids who, if you know you've
seen it all this season, right, guys who just don't
show up for a game sometimes, And you know, I
(28:47):
think those are skills that are very unique to college.
I don't know that, you know, for all the great
things he's done as a football coach, he hasn't had
to do those things before.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
But is in free agency transfer portal?
Speaker 9 (28:59):
Yeah, free agency is the transfer portal, But we've yet
to see a program build itself entirely off the transfer portal.
You can do it, you know, Dion did it to
basically purge the roster for a year. But now even
he is, you know, building it with high school kids
for the long term. So I don't doubt he could
come come in. There's gonna be a lot of buzz.
There's gonna be guys who absolutely want to come play
(29:21):
for the six time Super Bowl champion. And that can
work for a year, But how do you build a
long term program. I just don't think you can build
a long term program solely off We're going to do
the salary cap. We're going to get the best free agents.
At the end of the day, you still have to
you know, ask a college coach what they spend a
lot of time doing. It's dming high school kids with
(29:41):
little smiley face emojis, come check out our campus, like
that's a big part of it.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah, but a lot of these coaches will pass that
on to their assistant coaches. So if you have your
offensive coordinator, your quarterbacks coach, they're going to be dming
the quarterback. Bill Belichick can get on a zoom call
talk to the kid and his family. I think we're
underestimating Belichick's desire to prove that he can do this,
(30:07):
that he is as researched as any coach in the
history of sports has ever. He just doesn't walk into
something and go, oh my gosh, wait a minute, I've
got to do this, or the collective is going to
have money there. I think he's going to defer. Lombardy
is going to be his GM, He'll bring in some
of his other assistant coaches. It just feels like this
(30:32):
is you know, Belichick loves getting into the weeds and
doing this stuff, or at least that's the feeling I get.
I never underestimate him, even in a situation like this.
Speaker 9 (30:42):
I definitely got the sense he has spent the year
preparing for this. We've heard about this three hundred page
bible that he sends. His Pat McFee interview, he came
off very prepared, There's no question about it. And I'll
be curious to see who he hires. I mean, you
mentioned Lombardi also not a college guy. If he brings
(31:04):
in some really good, you know, experienced college recruiters, that
will definitely help. But if the idea is we're going
to just move the New England NFL franchise to Chapel Hill, yeah,
I don't I don't know if that. You definitely need
to have some guys who have a lot of experience
at the college level.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Well, this is what Dion needed to do. I said,
Dion's not a great coach. Dion is a great CEO.
He's a great brand. He brought in and a pretty
impressive staff, and I think that was important because and
this may be, you know, Belichick's going to just coach.
He goes into every game having an advantage of being
a better coach than the guy across from the field.
(31:40):
The question is what kind of talent level can you
bring in? And that will be the big challenge. I mean,
the over under six and a half wins next season,
and that doesn't look.
Speaker 9 (31:48):
Like Eon Dion's biggest thing, well not his biggest thing,
but one of the biggest things is he got to
bring in his son. Yeah, it might be the first
quarterback drafted and Travis Hunter, who might be the number
one pick.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Well, if I gave you Belichick, we should do Sanders
and Travis Hunter. I would be a great you would
have that would be ten wins or would be a disappointment.
Is Deon staying at Colorado no matter what happened? If
Shador is now the number one pick, the Raiders have
the number one pick, is de I'm going to stay
at Colorado.
Speaker 9 (32:18):
I get the sense he's committed to stay Colorado next year.
He loves it there. He feels like he's building something.
But college football now is year to year. You know,
is he nobody could predict? Is he going to be
there for five years? I think he'll be there coach
in twenty twenty five and we'll see beyond that.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
You look at this format here, Stuart, then it's twelve teams. Now.
I didn't like where Arizona State and Boise State were
automatically placed in with these first round buys. What is
your solution if you think there should be a solution
to the twelve team playoff next year.
Speaker 9 (32:49):
I think it's a good format in general, and I'm
fine with rewarding conference champions with an automatic berth. But
to your point, I don't think you should be manipulating
the seedings so that the Arizona State's the number twelve
team in the country and they're getting the number four seed,
and Texas is the number three team in the country
and they're getting the five seed. I mean, I think
(33:10):
just you know, Arizona State would not have gone in
without winning its conference championship.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
To me, that's reward enough.
Speaker 9 (33:16):
Now, well, I don't think anything will change for next season,
but the year after that is a tirely new contract
where the Big ten and SEC can basically dictate the terms.
And I'm sure we will see at the very least
the end of the buys for everybody.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
I would love to see the rankings are going to
determine that. It's just like March Madness. You get in,
that doesn't mean you get a first round buy. So
this would be the top twelve teams. You get in,
you win your conference, you're in. Now we look at
the top twelve with rankings and imagine that reveal show
on the Mothership that we're looking at the rankings, we're
(33:54):
you know, it's not hey, that team's in, but where
is Boise State playing or Arizona State playing the first
there's four teams get you know, first round bys. Then
it could be a lot more interesting here and more
of a TV show. So I think that's where we're headed.
I don't know if it'll be next year, maybe you know,
a year after that. If Ryan Day loses to Tennessee
(34:15):
finish that sentence.
Speaker 9 (34:18):
He might he might not make it back to his
house that night. I mean, that's the one scenario everybody, Oh,
they're going to fire him, not only the only time.
The only way that becomes into play in my mind
is if he loses that first round game, because think
about that, his last two games home games will have
been an inexcusable lost to Michigan. Any first round loss
(34:38):
with a team that was expected to at least play
for the national championship, that's, you know, that's going to
be a very if that's the case, a very miserable offseason.
I don't you know whether they fire him or not.
I just can't imagine Ryan Day would want to come
back into that environment.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Before I let you go, we just had a member
of the audience ask about Pete Carroll. Any he reached
out to Pete Carroll If they're reaching out to Bill Belichick,
is Pete does he have any interest in coaching again?
Speaker 9 (35:07):
They should reach out to him because he was an
amazing college football coach, right And frankly, I don't think
it's enough appreciation for the fact that he's really the
only guy I've seen to win at a high level
in both at both college and the NFL. Is he
interested in coming back to college. I've not heard anything
to indicate that. There's also not really jobs open right
now that I would think would interest him. We're going
(35:30):
to see probably next cycle next year, a bunch of
SEC jobs open, possibly Big ten. You know, it's amazing
to me that Belichick's going to have all places North Carolina.
You know, you would think it would have had to
be one of the blue bloods that would get him.
And that's really what I think intrigues everybody so much
about this that of all places U n C UNC Football.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Good to talk to you again, Thank you, Stuart. Thanks Dan,
You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox
Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
North Carolina has hired Bill Belichick. After winning six Super
Bowls in the NFL, Belichick is onto his next challenge,
and that's coaching in college, which is something he's never
done before. And I think that the surprise is well,
he was going to be the NFL's all time victory holder,
he would surpass Don Shula. But over the last year
(00:26):
and a half, the league's interest in Belichick hasn't has
been as robust as he probably thought and certainly we
thought as well. So he turned his attention to college,
or maybe college turned its attention to him. But as
I said, for the last couple of days, I think
he realized he was not going to get a job
in the NFL. Plenty of other NFL head coaches have
(00:47):
found success going to college. Jim Harball with Michigan, Pete
Carroll usc Nick Saban, who didn't coach well with the Dolphins,
went to Alabama, although he did well at LSU. So
the transition from Belichick NFL to college football acc football
a football program at a basketball school, and there are
(01:11):
a lot of people. I think there's a surprising amount
of people maybe more people who have a negative reaction
to Bill succeeding than a positive reaction because we hear
the same things. His age, relatability with an eighteen or
nineteen year old, nil transfer portal, what's he know about
(01:31):
the college game? So these are all the things that
and it's fair to question this or at least observe
this and give a reasonable answer of yes or no.
He's going to be able to do this. He's the
most prepared coach of all time. The fact that he
had a four hundred page dossier. He went in there
(01:53):
and said, hey, here, I'll give you everything about your program,
what I want, what I need, assessing the acc So
he's going in prepared. It's not like he's going to
go in and go, hey, what's this nil? That's name,
image and likeness. Oh now the transfer portal? Where is
that on campus? Where do the kids come in from
(02:13):
on the portal? No? No, it's just kind of a name.
It's the transfer portal. Wait, they're getting paid. He's going
to be prepared when he goes in. Hey, Plus, what
is success for Bill Belichick in college? Nine wins?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Ten wins?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
And you're also buying into Bill Belichick you're buying into Carolina.
You're buying into Yes, they are a basketball school. You
got the Jordan brand there as well. It's still powerful
with Bill Belichick on the sidelines. He still knows how
it's coaching football. Whether it's high school, college, pro, you're
coaching football. Nobody is better at adapting quarter to quarter
(02:59):
half to have game the game than Bill Belichick in
the history of the sport. I have to believe you're
going to take this job. He'll be all in on
this job, and he knows his son is going to
be there with him. He's probably going to bring in
a lot of his coaches he had in New England.
You're getting Mike Lombardi, who's been around the NFL for decades.
He'll be his GM. He's going to bring in experience people,
(03:24):
just like Dion did. Remember when Dion got to Colorado,
I said, Dion will be successful if he brings in
really good coaches because he'll be the CEO. And what
do you have after one and a half years, two years,
Dion has his team at least knocking on the door
to be a playoff team next year, and they certainly
were this year. Now, do I think that is what
(03:46):
Bill's going to do. Well, He's not going to bring
in his son doesn't play quarterback. Is he going to
be able to bring in a player like Travis Hunter,
who everybody wanted and was going to go to Florida State.
I think the key will be does he get his quarterback?
It's like he had in New England and they kept
Tom there. You can't keep your quarterback in college. They'll stay,
(04:07):
but maybe they'll stay for four years. Can you get
a franchise type quarterback? Because if you go back and
listen to what Bill Belichick said on the Pat McAfee
show on Monday, he's looking at college football the way
he did the NFL.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
It seems like college football is more like pro football.
I've talked to a lot of college coaches about things
like the salary cap and putting value on players and
negotiating and kind of mixing all that together. So I
think there are some similarities from what I've heard. I
have an experience at first hand.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Okay, what's the down sign? He fails? If you're Carolina,
you took a shot. Can you imagine that conversation with
Mac Brown? Hey, Mac, we're going to go with somebody younger.
He's a year younger than you. So you bring in
Belichick the relatability. I don't know how much he has
(05:01):
to relate. Oh is he going to go on the
road and recruit. No, he's not. They have something called zoom.
All of a sudden, Mom and Dad, Hey, coach Belichick
is on the zoom wants to talk to you. I
think that's probably pretty powerful. How many other college coaches
(05:22):
Dion Belichick? Who else would you put in there? And
you go, hey, stop everything coaches on the phone with
me or on a zoom. It's still a powerful brand there.
Now is he going to want to put up with
all the smaller things? I don't think he's going to
be dealing with the smaller things. He doesn't deal with nil.
(05:46):
He probably won't deal with transfer portal. Now everything is
going to be run by him. There's no salary camp.
You're playing in the ACC feels like it's up for grabs.
If Carolina is getting money together, they're collective. Okay, if
I just say to Bill Belichick, just coach. We have
(06:08):
everybody else who would take care of other things. Dion
doesn't do everything. Dion is a CEO. That's what Bill
will be. But Bill is obviously a better coach than Dion.
He's not as good as CEO, but he'll be a
better coach. Now, the people you put around you, who
do you recruit? And does this matter to these kids
(06:32):
who are eighteen or nineteen, Because if I'm eighteen or nineteen,
I may not really care about Bill Belichick. My dad
or mom may care. My high school coach may care.
I want to get ready to go to the NFL.
That's what this is about. And I think Bill going there.
Bill is Bill's got a chip on his shoulder. I
(06:53):
truly believe that, Hey, Tom did this and Tom went
to Tampa and meanwhile I held on for four more
years and we were terrible. And yeah I did make
the playoffs with mac Jones, but it didn't end well Tom.
It feels weird though, just like Tom had something to prove.
At least he felt, hey, I can do this without Bill.
Bill wants to prove that he can still be a
(07:15):
great coach no matter where he's going. I thought he
was going to stay in the NFL, if he was
going to coach again. But I didn't think he was
going and said this. I didn't think he was coaching
in the NFL. Again, I just didn't think he was
coaching in college because I didn't know if he I
just want to coach, and that's what it feels like,
and you set your son up. He obviously wants to
(07:36):
kind of put in place a system that his son
will then inherit in let's say three years, and it'll
be successful. And I'm sure Bill will stay on with
the program. But I see, you know far more positives
than I do negative. But this whole out of touch thing,
(07:57):
I don't know if Bill was ever in touch with
the Paget's. You know, it's not like they were like, Man,
I really know him, and yeah, he's got a great
sense of humor, Okay, relatability an eighteen nineteen year old.
I don't know what they're going to be asking from Bill.
I don't know what Bill is going to be giving
(08:19):
them other than hey, I want to make you a
player ready to play in the NFL. That's what they
want to hear. How much do I get paid? And
am I going to play? And hopefully I get a
chance to play in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Yeah, I'm curious what kind of player, positionally is most
interested in going to North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Now, cause if I was a.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
Player like say, like a Jaden Daniels type or somebody like,
I don't know if that's the way I want to go.
But if I'm a you know, defensive lineman or not
an offensive lineman, even you know, a linebacker, or somebody like,
hell yeah, this is exactly what's going to get me
to the NFL. So I'm curious how the team will
take sheep based on that.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, and I you know, Bill's whole thing is next
guy up. Let's say you have somebody who wants eight
million dollars and Bill might say, no, we'll find somebody else.
I don't think he'll have the patience for that that
He always was next man up with the Patriots and
will probably be that way with North Carolina. But who
(09:23):
cared about North Carolina prior to this? You know, the
last time we talked about him is when they lost
to a school named after a founding father. They lost.
They gave up seventy points to Jimmy Madison. What do
you That's when we go, oh my god, they could
have scored one hundred on North Carolina. Mac Brown's gonna.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Go like that's it.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Nobody else cares he put him on He at least
put him on the football map. Yes, it's a basketball school,
just like Kentucky football. Now, Georgia basketball. Arkansas. You to
be a football school now it feels like it's a
basketball school. It does happen, it does. But is it
(10:07):
going to change there? In North Carolina? It won't. Well,
if they win, people are still gonna, you know, ask
you know, Hubert Davis, how's the team gonna be? Now?
Do you introduce Bill Belichick at a North Carolina basketball game? Right?
You got to bring him out? Just don't have him
(10:28):
do the Uh Brian Kelly haven't even won all my game.
If he comes up with a Southern accent, I'm gonna
call bs on Belichick.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
And what he says is and he's gonna pull a trestle.
And when we play Duke on October twelve, where wine's.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
The rivalry, he gets us, he gets us.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
You know what matters.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
It's just when he's as you know, I saw an
article it's like, hey, he's going to win the press conference. Really,
when does Bill want a press conference? I get it.
Maybe Pat mcavee unlocked the personality chest that he has
the cabinet there, it's like, hey, man, he that dude
is a he is a talking hairdoo.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
There.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
No Bill will talk to football people. He doesn't want
to talk to us. He doesn't want to talk to
you know, the media. But I think Bill, we're talking
about North Carolina football. That's a win, Dog, that's a win. Yes, Marvin.
Speaker 6 (11:37):
The most important thing regarding this entire situation is what
color sweatshirt is Belichick going to wear? Because I'm not
sure if he's going to rock the powder blue.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
He can't go that's too that's too blue for him.
I think he's got to go dark blue with maybe
maybe some light blue on the on the sleeves.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yes, Pauline, No, you go, it's hot down there in September.
You're gonna go sleeveless gun show. Let's do it.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yes one.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
I think the beginning of the year, since it's going
to be eighty five ninety degrees their first couple of games,
he's going to have a polo on navy blue polo
with the North Carolina on the side.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Maybe tank top.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
You know, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk
lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at
Foxsports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search
FSR to listen live.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Dominique Foxworth, the ESPN writer commentator for Ndscape in season
football podcast The Dominic Foxworth Show, and that's three times
a week, also on Get Up and a contributor to ESPN.
Your reaction when you heard the Bill was actually taking
the Carolina job was yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Mean, I think it.
Speaker 7 (12:55):
The first thing that it drove home was the NFL
didn't really want him, and that's a shocking thing. I
understand why people may not want to give up the power.
And I read in Seth Wikershram's piece this morning about
how Bill obviously said he was flexible, But the thing
about that is.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Even if he were flexible, he's still Bill.
Speaker 7 (13:13):
Belichick, and I feel like you drop him in any situation,
it changes the alchemy in the room.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
And while he said he'd be.
Speaker 7 (13:20):
Willing to work with existing gms, he's still Bill Belichick,
and it's like having a tiger that you've trained. He's like,
you still know at some point he's going to be
breathing over your shoulder and something's gonna happen. I can't
imagine that anyone who listened to him say, oh yeah,
I like your GM.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
It's fine. Oh no, the president of operations, he's good
with me.
Speaker 7 (13:42):
No one felt fully comfortable while bringing that tiger into
their building.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
What's the downside for Carolina?
Speaker 7 (13:48):
At a downside for Carolina, it sounds like the four
hundred page of manifesto about how he's going to control
the whole organization. And I think the downside is the
risk of giving yourself over to someone who has not
proven that they can do it at this level.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
And I understand.
Speaker 7 (14:03):
I heard you guys coming in about how it is
professional on this level.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
You're right.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
I think the biggest vote of confidence I would have
for Bill Belichick is he's just really smart.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
And really good and works really hard.
Speaker 7 (14:14):
And I think that most of the time we like
to find all these other characteristics for why people are
successful in different industries, and that's normally what it comes
down to. Are you smart, are you willing to work hard?
And you are committed to this. I think Bill Belichick is,
and he'll figure out all the other stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yeah, Carolina already won. We're talking Carolina football. They already won.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Yeah. I mean, I think you're right.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
It makes them relevantly immediately It feels a little bit
like the Deon Sanders effect in Colorado, where they went
from being an irrelevant franchise or irrelevant kind of program
to one that top people are going to consider and
that we in the general public are going to care
about week one. We're going to care what the hell's
going on in Carolina in a way that we haven't
in a long time.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I don't know how important the personality of your head
coach was when you played, because this is being brought
back with Bill Belichick. Is he relatable to somebody eighteen
through twenty two years of age? And I said, well,
I don't know. Is it about your personality or how
you like? Can you coach? Can you get me ready
for the pros? How much money? I mean, these are
(15:17):
the questions that these kids are asking nowadays. So back
to my original question, how important was the personality of
your coach?
Speaker 7 (15:24):
Yeah, I mean I think mine was different, but now
times are very different. I think the obvious challenges of
it are obvious, so I don't think we need to
go to that. But I think if you want to
look at the positive side of it is it's going
to be a self selecting process. Like no one is
going to be surprised by who Bill Belichick is. So
the type of players that want to play for a
coach like Bill Belichick, they're going to show up there
(15:45):
at Chapel Hill, and the guys who will be put
off by Bill Belichick like he's not gonna change no
matter what we think, and we are imagining him dancing
in the back like Brian Kelly dancing on spinning flat
form platforms and recruit coaches. I mean, excuse me, the
recruit kids. Hell no, that's not Bill Belichick. That's not
who he's ever going to be. And I think that's
a good thing because we know who he is. And
the players that show up there are going to be
(16:07):
players that want to be coached the same way Tom
Brady was coached, that want to be treated the way
that they're going to be treated. And I imagine he's
going to have a separate staff to go out and
smooth the kids and figure out money. I don't think
Bill Belichick is going to have a situation where players
are going to walk into this office after a good
game and say my nil needs to go up while
I'm going elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Those guys aren't going to go to Chapel Hill.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
The team that loses tonight between the Rams and Niners.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Done, Yeah, I think so.
Speaker 7 (16:35):
I mean, I think the Rams are one of the
scarier teams the Niners have kind of I think the wind.
They had a good week last week, but I think
the windows kind of closed on this particular rum run.
So I think the question is can the Rams pull
off this win because we saw what they did last week.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
They have an offense that's.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
So impressive and the defense with Jared Versus and some
young pass rushers that I think could make big plays
that could give a scare to the top two teams
or scuse me, the top three. I guess if you
put Green Bay in there, the top four teams in
the NFC. I don't see the Rams as a real
Super Bowl contender, but they can knock somebody off in
the first or second round and really piss off some
(17:11):
fan base.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Matthew Stafford has had this renaissance. Like to me, there'd
be no reason to want to retire if I got
Sean McVay and I got Cooper and I got Nikua.
I kind of like, you know, as long as they
have a good offensive line. I kind of like it LA.
I mean, I think it's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (17:30):
And Williams in the backfield, I think his body holding
up is the big question. His arm is still as
incredible as it's ever been. And I think that's a reminder.
As much as we want to spend an eye as
like an analyst who played, I want to show all
my knowledge by getting deep into how important these schematic
adjustments are, and how important the D line is and
(17:51):
O line and coverages and disguise.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
You got a good ass coach and you got a
great quarterback.
Speaker 7 (17:58):
You're never too far away. Like remember after they won
a Super Bowl, we're like, they're done. Maybe McVeigh should
go to the media. They find a good player in
the draft and the coup, and they're right back near
the top. With some adjustments on defense, they could be
a competitor in NFC.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Real thing the.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Eagles with the infighting that you're winning. But then you
have a J. Brown speak up about we kind of
have to fix the passing game here I'm paraphrasing here,
but you covered diva wide receivers. We still kind of
allow them to be divas. Why so all right?
Speaker 7 (18:35):
I think my first reaction was much like yours, and
I've since tried my best to view it from a
different perspective because that's not the Aj Brown I've heard about.
You remember when Saquon was signed there, AJ's first comments were,
we're gonna make sure Saquon gets his And if you
watch the games, AJ Brown is not a.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Typical diva wide receiver.
Speaker 7 (18:53):
He's blocking the hell out of people like he's a
big physical guy. He's playing hard and fixing the passing game.
To me, if I'm giving it, the most charitable reading,
is AJ Brown understanding what we all understand is that
Jalen Hurts is the limiting factor on this offense, and
they're not going to be able to.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Steamroll everybody through the playoffs.
Speaker 7 (19:12):
There's going to come a time where they're going to
have to outscore somebody. They're going to have to attack
down the field. So while I do agree that the
wide receiver probably thinks the answer to every problem is
thrown me the damn ball, I think in this case
he might be right that the real answer to the
problem is their passing game is a little bit rudimentary
compared to some of the other teams that they're gonna
(19:32):
have match up against.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
But we've said this about Jalen Hurts. He doesn't feel
like he's a finished product. When he's in the pocket.
He's a good quarterback. He makes plays. I just think
if a game comes down to his passing, than Philadelphia
is in trouble.
Speaker 7 (19:49):
I think so in Philadelphia's offense is pretty simple and
part because they're more talented everyone else. They're going to
run the ball until you compromise yourself in order to
stop it. Then Jalen is going to run the all
on the edge until you compromise yourself to stop that.
And then they want to attack downfield. And I think
other teams that are built like that they do it
the other way. I think in some games we go
into what the Lions were, very similar to them. The
(20:11):
Lions will attack downfield first, and I think that's what
aj Brown wants and to have a more sophisticated passing
offense because some games they're going to need it. But yeah,
you're not going to change who Jalen Hurts is, Like,
this is who he is.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Dominique Foxworth, ESPN writer commentator, you know this, Brett Farv
Mark Gastone play is resurfaced now with the thirty for
thirty coming out? Would you have a problem though, Like, well,
let me just ask you your reaction when you saw
gas Too approaching Brett Farv and saying, I want my shack,
(20:44):
I want my shack back.
Speaker 7 (20:45):
I imagine if my reaction was like everyone else's was,
like I cringe a little bit and it was uncomfortable.
But I also recognize that for athletes like you put
so much into it, like it becomes the peak of
your life at such a young age. And it wasn't
for me, in part because I wasn't that great of
an athlete. But I can't imagine if I was as
great as Mark Gastino and that was what I was
(21:06):
known for. You feel like there's some integrity to the
things that you accomplished, Like I get while he's upset,
and I get why you want to hold onto that,
and you feel like your record like I completely understand it.
It's something that I don't think I would ever do.
But I don't feel.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Say Jerry Rice, Let's say Jerry Rice is opposite you.
Jerry Rice needs six more yards to set the single
season record. How would you feel I would?
Speaker 7 (21:33):
So, Jerry Rice was at the Broncos My rookie year,
and he was one of my favorite players growing up.
My brother and I looked up to Jerry Rice and
Barry Sanders, and he was in our camp in training camp,
and my first one on one was against Jerry Rice,
my idol, and I pushed his ass out of bounds
like I was. I was fighting for my life and
I took that forty year old man and I put
(21:54):
my hands on him. And so I imagine that I would
have been the same way. I think there's a different
understanding when you're Brett Favre. You're in a different fraternity.
Where you're Brett favor you're Jerry Rice, and you're Michael
Strah Michael Strahan, they're in a different fraternity. Guys like me,
Hell no, you can't have nothing from what I nothing for.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
I'm not giving you a yard.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Good to talk to you as always, Dominique, Thank you,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
There be sure to catch the live edition of The
Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Wapp Let's bring in Mark Packer. He's been covering the
ACC a long time. See these are the questions that
we have Mark what do you think Belichick with a
tie on campus today?
Speaker 8 (22:39):
I think at North Carolina he starts with the tie,
but maybe by the end we go with the hoodie. Right,
we just do the cut off Argyll hoodie and one
word answers and down the read and listen. He's gotta
go get some players, Dan. I mean, this is a
cool story and he's the all time greatest coach, but man,
you better get some players if you expect to win.
That's true, whether it's high school, college or pro.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
All right, let's go back a couple of weeks ago
when you first heard this was a possibility, and you
said what.
Speaker 8 (23:08):
I said, You got to be crazy, right, what's he thinking?
I mean, is he that board? I mean, you mean
you got you got a coach in college football, given
everything is accomplished, and he's that close to Don Shulis Mark,
and you know, maybe somebody will wake up and say,
guess what, let's give him a gig and listen, I'm
in Charlotte, North Carolina. You think we could use a coach.
We've seen bad football from an NFL perspective for god
(23:30):
knows how long, but nobody in the right mind really
thought this could happen, but it is an amazing story
and to see how this whole thing unfolds is going
to be fascinated.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
I feel like Carolina has already won. Is that fair
to say? Yeah? I mean the fact you're on on
my show today we're talking Carolina football and.
Speaker 8 (23:50):
Perspective and again, well obviously cover the a SEC, but
cover college sports. Last night, the Southeastern Conference, which is
the best conference in college football in the Big Ten,
which is number two, could arguably be number one this year.
They announced their twenty twenty five college football schedules last night.
Nobody cared, you know why, because everybody was talking about
the acc North Carolina and Bill Belichick. So in some respects,
(24:14):
after just twenty four hours, you've already seen the impact
he can have. Now, like I said, we'll have the
press conference today, that'll be great, But at some point
in time, North Carolina expects to win yesterday. And this
is a program that's kind of been a sleeping giant.
We've been talking about that for decades. Now, he's got to.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Go prove it.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
What's the downside? Now?
Speaker 8 (24:33):
The downside is that North Caroline pushes all their chips in.
There's been a misalignment from the board of trustees, the
athletic director that's got to get on the same page.
The guy's seventy two. He sits here and says, hey,
I got all the answers. I pull a Charlie Weiss
who said, listen, I got all the schematic advantages. Also,
he goes out and realizes, you know what, team coming
(24:55):
through the under tunnel's got better players In no matter
how many Super Bowls I can talk about, they wear
my out. And that's the worst thing that can happen.
Were guess what you expect to win asap and you
fall fat on your face.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
But if he gets nine or ten wins, he's a savior,
isn't he.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
Well, I think that's been the problem.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Dan.
Speaker 8 (25:15):
North Carolina has been able to get to that number,
and I know Mac around this year got to six.
But they've been on the doorstep multiple times. They've been
to two ACC Championship games, lost to Clemson in both
of them. Max's first run, he had a great team.
He left North Carolina the first time as a top
ten team. The problem was was god By named of
Bobby Baalden at Florida State. That was just that good.
(25:36):
So North Carolina has always produced players. You go back
through history, they always put guys in the National Football League.
I think their expectations are, Hey, we haven't won an
ACC championship since nineteen eighty when a got by the
name of Lawrence Taylor was a linebacker. Why not Now
let's put all chips in. Got this whole name, image
and likeness thing.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
We got the.
Speaker 8 (25:56):
Coach, Let's let it rip and see where it goes.
I expect him to figure that, Hey, go into bowls
a piece of cake. Listen, here in the ACC, we
saw SMU join the league for the first time. Tell
the league to keep all their TV money. They win
eleven games in the ACC Championship game and now their
college football playoff. Why can't that happen at North Carolina?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
Okay, the over under, according to Vegas is six and
a half wins.
Speaker 8 (26:18):
You over or take the over, and I'll tell you
why again. I just looked at their schedule last night.
Next year, in the ACC, they don't see Miami, they
don't see Louisville, they don't see SMU, they don't see
Virginia Tech. Say whatever you want about Florida State. They
won't be too intent they miss all those teams. They
get Clemson and then go to the rival NC State.
They've lost four straight non conference schedule TCU as their opener.
(26:41):
I would again, I'm not a betting man, but I
think they obliterate six and a half.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Good to talk to you, Mark, you got something to
talk about. Certainly listen.
Speaker 8 (26:50):
The biggest winner of all this was the ACC network
in the conference and hopefully Bill Belichick at North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Thank you, Mark, you got it. That's Mark Packer.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Fox Sports This Radio has the best sports talk lineup
in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports
Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR
to listen live.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Stuart Mandel, senior college football writer for The Athletic co
host of the Honible podcast. Your column was on fire.
In fact, I'm picking it up. It's a little warm here, Stuart,
from what you had to say about Bill Belichick. You
start up by saying, congratulations, North Carolina. You managed to
hire somebody completely unqualified to be your next football coach.
(27:32):
You did that thing so many schools do when they
try to win the press conference instead of win football games.
It rarely works. All right, fill in the details of
how you came to this conclusion.
Speaker 9 (27:43):
Well, Dan, I've been covering college football for twenty five years.
I have seen time and again NFL coaches come into
college pledging to kind of reinvent the wheel run an
NFL program at the college level. It's never worked. The
only guy that I've seen, and he was wildly successful,
was Pete Carroll. That was not because of anything he
(28:03):
had done in the NFL. He was a miniocre recruiter
who surrounded himself with other maniacal recruiters. Bill Belichick has
never recruited a day in his life, So I think
that he's right. I think he said college is more
like the NFL than it ever has been, and he's
right about that in terms of the portal and nil
and these teams are hiring salary cap experts now, but
(28:24):
recruiting is still the lifeblood of the sport. And then
I think another key element the two things Nick Saban
was so good at recruiting and motivation, and you know
in the NFL that's not really a part of it.
Their motivation is their livelihood. You're talking about eighteen to
twenty two year old kids who, if you know you've
seen it all this season, right, guys who just don't
show up for a game sometimes, And you know, I
(28:47):
think those are skills that are very unique to college.
I don't know that, you know, for all the great
things he's done as a football coach, he hasn't had
to do those things before.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
But is in free agency transfer portal?
Speaker 9 (28:59):
Yeah, free agency is the transfer portal, But we've yet
to see a program build itself entirely off the transfer portal.
You can do it, you know, Dion did it to
basically purge the roster for a year. But now even
he is, you know, building it with high school kids
for the long term. So I don't doubt he could
come come in. There's gonna be a lot of buzz.
There's gonna be guys who absolutely want to come play
(29:21):
for the six time Super Bowl champion. And that can
work for a year, But how do you build a
long term program. I just don't think you can build
a long term program solely off We're going to do
the salary cap. We're going to get the best free agents.
At the end of the day, you still have to
you know, ask a college coach what they spend a
lot of time doing. It's dming high school kids with
(29:41):
little smiley face emojis, come check out our campus, like
that's a big part of it.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah, but a lot of these coaches will pass that
on to their assistant coaches. So if you have your
offensive coordinator, your quarterbacks coach, they're going to be dming
the quarterback. Bill Belichick can get on a zoom call
talk to the kid and his family. I think we're
underestimating Belichick's desire to prove that he can do this,
(30:07):
that he is as researched as any coach in the
history of sports has ever. He just doesn't walk into
something and go, oh my gosh, wait a minute, I've
got to do this, or the collective is going to
have money there. I think he's going to defer. Lombardy
is going to be his GM, He'll bring in some
of his other assistant coaches. It just feels like this
(30:32):
is you know, Belichick loves getting into the weeds and
doing this stuff, or at least that's the feeling I get.
I never underestimate him, even in a situation like this.
Speaker 9 (30:42):
I definitely got the sense he has spent the year
preparing for this. We've heard about this three hundred page
bible that he sends. His Pat McFee interview, he came
off very prepared, There's no question about it. And I'll
be curious to see who he hires. I mean, you
mentioned Lombardi also not a college guy. If he brings
(31:04):
in some really good, you know, experienced college recruiters, that
will definitely help. But if the idea is we're going
to just move the New England NFL franchise to Chapel Hill, yeah,
I don't I don't know if that. You definitely need
to have some guys who have a lot of experience
at the college level.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Well, this is what Dion needed to do. I said,
Dion's not a great coach. Dion is a great CEO.
He's a great brand. He brought in and a pretty
impressive staff, and I think that was important because and
this may be, you know, Belichick's going to just coach.
He goes into every game having an advantage of being
a better coach than the guy across from the field.
(31:40):
The question is what kind of talent level can you
bring in? And that will be the big challenge. I mean,
the over under six and a half wins next season,
and that doesn't look.
Speaker 9 (31:48):
Like Eon Dion's biggest thing, well not his biggest thing,
but one of the biggest things is he got to
bring in his son. Yeah, it might be the first
quarterback drafted and Travis Hunter, who might be the number
one pick.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Well, if I gave you Belichick, we should do Sanders
and Travis Hunter. I would be a great you would
have that would be ten wins or would be a disappointment.
Is Deon staying at Colorado no matter what happened? If
Shador is now the number one pick, the Raiders have
the number one pick, is de I'm going to stay
at Colorado.
Speaker 9 (32:18):
I get the sense he's committed to stay Colorado next year.
He loves it there. He feels like he's building something.
But college football now is year to year. You know,
is he nobody could predict? Is he going to be
there for five years? I think he'll be there coach
in twenty twenty five and we'll see beyond that.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
You look at this format here, Stuart, then it's twelve teams. Now.
I didn't like where Arizona State and Boise State were
automatically placed in with these first round buys. What is
your solution if you think there should be a solution
to the twelve team playoff next year.
Speaker 9 (32:49):
I think it's a good format in general, and I'm
fine with rewarding conference champions with an automatic berth. But
to your point, I don't think you should be manipulating
the seedings so that the Arizona State's the number twelve
team in the country and they're getting the number four seed,
and Texas is the number three team in the country
and they're getting the five seed. I mean, I think
(33:10):
just you know, Arizona State would not have gone in
without winning its conference championship.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
To me, that's reward enough.
Speaker 9 (33:16):
Now, well, I don't think anything will change for next season,
but the year after that is a tirely new contract
where the Big ten and SEC can basically dictate the terms.
And I'm sure we will see at the very least
the end of the buys for everybody.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
I would love to see the rankings are going to
determine that. It's just like March Madness. You get in,
that doesn't mean you get a first round buy. So
this would be the top twelve teams. You get in,
you win your conference, you're in. Now we look at
the top twelve with rankings and imagine that reveal show
on the Mothership that we're looking at the rankings, we're
(33:54):
you know, it's not hey, that team's in, but where
is Boise State playing or Arizona State playing the first
there's four teams get you know, first round bys. Then
it could be a lot more interesting here and more
of a TV show. So I think that's where we're headed.
I don't know if it'll be next year, maybe you know,
a year after that. If Ryan Day loses to Tennessee
(34:15):
finish that sentence.
Speaker 9 (34:18):
He might he might not make it back to his
house that night. I mean, that's the one scenario everybody, Oh,
they're going to fire him, not only the only time.
The only way that becomes into play in my mind
is if he loses that first round game, because think
about that, his last two games home games will have
been an inexcusable lost to Michigan. Any first round loss
(34:38):
with a team that was expected to at least play
for the national championship, that's, you know, that's going to
be a very if that's the case, a very miserable offseason.
I don't you know whether they fire him or not.
I just can't imagine Ryan Day would want to come
back into that environment.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Before I let you go, we just had a member
of the audience ask about Pete Carroll. Any he reached
out to Pete Carroll If they're reaching out to Bill Belichick,
is Pete does he have any interest in coaching again?
Speaker 9 (35:07):
They should reach out to him because he was an
amazing college football coach, right And frankly, I don't think
it's enough appreciation for the fact that he's really the
only guy I've seen to win at a high level
in both at both college and the NFL. Is he
interested in coming back to college. I've not heard anything
to indicate that. There's also not really jobs open right
now that I would think would interest him. We're going
(35:30):
to see probably next cycle next year, a bunch of
SEC jobs open, possibly Big ten. You know, it's amazing
to me that Belichick's going to have all places North Carolina.
You know, you would think it would have had to
be one of the blue bloods that would get him.
And that's really what I think intrigues everybody so much
about this that of all places U n C UNC Football.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Good to talk to you again, Thank you, Stuart. Thanks Dan,
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