"I still do have a lot of confidence and faith": Hall of Famer sings praises of Bill Belichick despite TCU loss in opening weekend

NCAA Football: Texas Christian at North Carolina - Source: Imagn
NCAA Football: Texas Christian at North Carolina - Source: Imagn

Bill Belichick had a terrible start to his college football career on Monday, when the North Carolina Tar Heels played TCU at home. They went down 48-14 with a 34-point margin. Apparently, this was the worst ever loss in UNC history and the second worst for Belichick in his entire coaching career. The UNC defense was extremely jittery and failed to stop the TCU offense.

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After the first successful drive led by Gio Lopez, the Tar Heels struggled to run the ball deep into their opponent's territory. They failed to create turnovers and the second half of the game was an absolute disaster.

College Football Hall of Famer Desmond Howard recently shared his thoughts on the opening game. He vested his hopes in Belichick, saying that upcoming games would be different.

Fans expected a lot higher standard from the 6X Super Bowl champ. But Howard claimed that things are not that easy. There is a drastic difference in the intensity of games at the pro and college levels. Belichick is new to the ecosystem.

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“I do think that, because of Bill Belichick’s M.O. and who he is as a person, he not only can spot untapped potential in players but also can extract all of that talent out of guys? He does a really good job developing players, too,” Howard said on the Rich Eisen show on Wednesday. [Timestamp - 2:00]
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He also mentioned that things won't change overnight. It may also take two, three, or four years and the team is on the right path under Belichick.

“So, you know, they got their nose bloody the first one, but his M.O. is developing players and getting the most out of them, and I still do have a lot of confidence and faith that he’ll be able to do that.
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“It’s just not going to be the flip-the-switch, change-things-overnight job that people anticipated because he came to Chapel Hill with six Super Bowl rings. It’s not that easy,” he added.

Bill Belichick bans NFL scouts from attending practice

The UNC Tar Heels will next play Charlotte on the road. Ahead of the matchup, reports emerged that Belichick had banned NFL scouts.

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It was first reported by former NFL scout John Middlekauff via his channel on YouTube. He stated that it was Belichick's decision to not allow Patriots into the stadium.

Football insider Ari Meirov also doubled down on this news by calling it a “petty move.”

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Such decisions could hurt the UNC players in the long run since veteran players won't get enough opportunities to showcase their skills other than love games and next year's NFL Scouting Combine.

UNC enters week 2 as favorites over Charlotte and Belichick potentially secures the first win of his college career.

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Edited by Deepesh Nair
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