Wetzel: The NFL's Bill Belichick skepticism is being validated in Chapel Hill

For decades, Bill Belichick lorded implicit the NFL arsenic fewer ever have. A bully successful a hoodie, helium led his New England empire to six Super Bowl titles and 17 AFC East crowns and done countless controversies.

From occurrence to scandal, from manner choices to quality league one-liners, helium was ever apical of caput successful the NFL.

He inactive is, actually.

"I don't deliberation determination is simply a speech these days wherever what is happening with Bill doesn't get mentioned wrong the archetypal 5 minutes," 1 NFC subordinate unit manager said.

Train wrecks origin craned necks, and Belichick's aboriginal tenure astatine the University of North Carolina qualifies arsenic one.

Snubbed by the league helium erstwhile dominated, Belichick headed to the assemblage ranks this twelvemonth expecting success. Instead, helium has frankincense acold produced a stumbling, embarrassing soap opera of a season. The Tar Heels are 2-3 and desperately deficiency endowment aft losing 39 players from past year's squad and bringing successful much than 40 transfers. They caput to Cal connected Friday arsenic 10.5-point underdogs.

The jokes are frequent. So excessively is the schadenfreude. Most notably, though, the country successful Chapel Hill provides validation for NFL teams, which, aft Belichick and the Patriots parted ways aft the 2023 season, uniformly passed connected hiring him.

Monday saw Belichick's play UNC quality league attended by the school's chancellor and diversion director, an effort to amusement a agreed beforehand against speculation astir a imaginable firing and/or resignation.

"Reports astir my looking for a buyout oregon trying to permission present is categorically false," Belichick said. "There's zero information to immoderate of that. I'm gladsome I'm here."

Where helium truly had wanted to beryllium was successful the NFL. Multiple sources accidental that arsenic helium limped done his last play successful New England -- a listless 4-13 run -- the legendary manager began to presumption beingness aft Foxborough not with dread but with a measurement of excitement.

Armed with possibly the top coaching résumé of each time, helium expected different NFL squad to rapidly prosecute him. He had, aft all, spent decades beating them all.

Seven franchises (Atlanta, Carolina, Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington) would person openings. At slightest 4 much (Chicago, Dallas and some New York teams) could person reasonably fired their feline conscionable to get to Belichick. Even Philadelphia seemed to beryllium a possibility.

Instead, lone Atlanta interviewed Belichick, and the Falcons past chose Raheem Morris.

The content astir the league, according to sources astatine the time, wasn't truthful overmuch that the now-73-year-old mightiness person mislaid thing arsenic a coach.

Far much troubling was that Belichick was stuck successful his ways and would not cede power implicit subordinate unit decisions, which doomed the extremity of his clip successful New England. The inclination successful the NFL was to person the beforehand bureau run with a measurement of independence. Could Belichick's famously controlling ways let that?

Essentially, the antheral celebrated for the operation "Do your job" wouldn't bash conscionable 1 occupation -- manager the team. Personality overwhelmed potential. His budding feud with Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft lone added to concerns.

It's not that each those franchises made bully decisions. Las Vegas and Tennessee person already replaced the coaches they chose alternatively of Belichick. The New York Jets limped done different twelvemonth earlier a authorities change, lone to possibly get worse.

If Belichick were rolling successful Chapel Hill arsenic helium anticipated, possibly the how-do-you-like-me-now vibes would beryllium swinging the different way. He isn't, though. Against 3 Power 4 opponents, his squad has been outscored 120-33.

There is nary shortage of media stories astir disappointed players, disaffected parents and wide chaos. A manager who erstwhile demanded subject runs a squad without it. A person who erstwhile decried distractions is present successful the tabloids. Debates rage astir however possibly the Patriots' occurrence truly was each astir Tom Brady.

Belichick and UNC wide manager Michael Lombardi intelligibly didn't afloat recognize however assemblage shot worked. They dubbed the Tar Heels the NFL's 33rd team, but roster construction, particularly done the transportation portal, has frankincense acold failed.

Flush with money, at...