Bill Belichick recently made a risky career move by going into college football for the first time in his life. The newly minted coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels is taking a risky move, one which could pan out and cement him as one of the best in the sport or it could end up being remembered like a disappointing epilogue to an otherwise illustrious career.
However, when he first came to the New England Patriots, it was no sure thing either. Only in that case was it the Patriots’ owner, Robert Kraft, who was taking a chance on him.
Notably, Belichick announced his resignation just after spending a day as the head coach of the New York Jets in January 2000. He then took over the role as the head coach of the Patriots later in the same month.
In Friday’s episode of “Dudes on Dudes”, Kraft was interviewed by former Patriots Julian Edelman and Robert Gronkowski and was asked which was the best decision he has ever made as an owner.
Kraft, who has a net worth of $11.8 billion (as per Forbes), knew what to say right away:
“Well, the one that got questioned the most was in 99. I gave up a number one draft pick for a coach who had only won a little over 40% of his game to get him out…from.
“I don’t know if there are any Jet fans here, but I think getting Bill Belichick to come to the Patriots in 1999 was a big risk. And I got hammered by the Boston media but I think he was with us for 24 years and we did okay.” (10:20)
The decision certainly worked out in the end, seeing as the Patriots would end up winning six Super Bowls with Belichick in charge of them. Equally key was Belichick’s foresight to take a chance on a certain “Tom Brady” in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
The rest, as they say, is history.
College football analyst worries about Bill Belichick’s capability to turn around North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels haven’t had a double-digit win season in a decade, and last year they finished with a losing record of 6-7. While the Tar Heels are indeed an established name in college football, it’s safe to say that Bill Belichick isn’t taking over a powerhouse program.
This is exactly what worries ESPN’s Kevin Clark, as it this gamble could end up tarnishing the coach’s reputation:
“I think that the UNC roster is not very good going into this season so I’m intrigued to see if Belichick can scheme up some stuff here, bridge the talent gap with some of these teams that are more talented,” said Clark. “I think it might be one of the least successful teams Bill Belichick has had in a long time.”
This is also relevant in another sense. Belichick has always been under the shadow of Tom Brady. Some argue that the coach is unable to win without having a Hall of Fame-worthy quarterback on his roster, more specifically, Brady.
If he fails at Chapel Hill, this narrative might be perpetuated. If he does succeed, it might kill it for good.
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