Tom E. Curran and Mike Giardi offer instant reaction and analysis following the announcement that Bill Belichick has agreed to become the next football head coach at the University of North Carolina.
The University of North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick to lead its football program stunned many, including some of the legendary head coach's former players.
It will be jarring to see Belichick don Carolina blue on the sideline in Chapel Hill. The six-time Super Bowl champion has never coached at the collegiate level in his illustrious career. Nonetheless, he'll join the college ranks just two years after ending his historic 24-year tenure with the New England Patriots.
On Wednesday's Early Edition, insiders Tom E. Curran and Mike Giardi tried to get inside the mind of Belichick as he begins his next chapter.
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"I think what Bill is doing here is, 'Look, the NFL doesn't want me to be part of their club that I actually really built and grew over the last 25 years. You know what? I don't want to be part of your club. How's that? I'll go here," Curran said.
"'You're not gonna give me a kingdom? I'll create my own in college. And then you can rue the day you ever turned your back on Bill Belichick because my legacy is sealed, (Don) Shula record or not.'"
Belichick only needs to win 15 NFL games as a head coach to break Don Shula's all-time record. Giardi believes that as much as that milestone might matter to the 72-year-old, he cares even more about sticking it to the NFL.
"Bill did his homework on the potential openings in the National Football League and realized, 'I'm not gonna be the number one choice in any of these places. And you know what? 'Considering what I've done in my career, my resume, the Super Bowl history I have, screw you guys,'" Giardi said.
"'I'm gonna go somewhere else because I'm not gonna sing for my supper. I don't feel like I should have to do that. I wanna bring my people. I wanna do it my way. And if you don't want me to do it, well I'll take it to college and we'll see what happens.'"
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As for their instant reactions to Belichick finalizing his UNC contract, both Giardi and Curran find the storyline riveting.
"I'm fascinated by it because honestly, I think that this is gonna reenergize him to a certain degree," Giardi said. "I wanna see what that looks like. I wanna see, how does he reach 18-year-old kids? Because at the end, maybe he had a hard time reaching the 22-, 23-year-olds that came into it. And now it's like, 'Well, how much are you gonna pay me, Coach? And he's gonna be like, 'I'm Bill Belichick.' There's gonna be a push and pull. So I'm really fascinated to see how that works."
Curran expressed his excitement to watch Belichick attempt to turn a middling football program into a powerhouse.
"I'm gonna watch it very intently," he said. "Because he's the most compelling and enigmatic figure I think in at least my lifetime of professional sports history, NFL history, to watch, to observe, to study, to listen to. So I'll be fascinated when he goes. I was fascinated when Bill Walsh went to Stanford. I can't wait to watch how it fleshes out.
"This is a team that consistently at its best is a 17 to 25 (in the national rankings) type of program. Will Bill go in and dominate? Will Bill outcoach all these other coaches?"
Belichick's deal is for five years, according to the school. He released the following statement after his hiring was announced:
"I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill," the statement read. "I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times. I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill."
Watch the Early Edition panel's full reaction to Belichick joining UNC below, or on YouTube:
