Bill Belichick had to make one tough decision with his quarterbacks in 25 years as an NFL head coach. Should Drew Bledsoe regain the starting position for the Patriots after he recovered from an injury suffered 25 years ago today against the New York Jets?
Somehow, Belichick saw enough in sixth-round draft pick Tom Brady despite completing 5 of 10 passes for 46 yards in the Patriots’ loss to the Jets and named him the starter against the Colts; Brady engineered a 44-13 victory, completing 13 of 23 passes for 168 yards. Bledsoe was stunned that Brady was named the permanent starter for the rest of the season and held a grudge at first before Brady led the Patriots to the NFL championship at the end of the 2001-02 season. The Hoodie had his starter for the next 20 years.
When “The GOAT” signed with Tampa Bay and led the Bucs to his seventh Super Bowl title, Belichick lost all of his magic trying to find another quarterback. He tried former Panthers star Cam Newton and then drafted Alabama’s Mac Jones, and neither could get the Patriots anywhere close to another championship. He was fired by the Pats in 2023 and could not find another NFL job, then signed a ridiculous, over-hyped and overpaid contract as head coach at Carolina.
More mediocre quarterbacking continued in college. He couldn’t develop transfer Gio Lopez or rehabilitate veteran backup Max Johnson. This season, he started anew with transfer Billy Edwards Jr. who was also rehabbing an injured leg after transferring from Wisconsin. The Tar Heels continue to languish near the bottom of NCAA offensive statistics through 15 games. And now they will face far superior quarterbacks in every ACC game on the 2026 schedule after losing somewhat of a shocker at Clemson on Saturday.
North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) runs with the ball while pursued by Clemson defensive end Will Heldt (13) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
A lot of this goes back to Belichick making his bones as a two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. Yes, he had Brady who turned into one of the best game managers and winners in history. But the Patriots did it with great defense as well, and that continues to be the best part of Carolina football since BB’s arrival.
UNC shoulders the blame for hiring Belichick and not vetting him enough on who he might name to his staff and what positions they might have. He began by hiring Mike Lombardi as general manager despite no college football experience in 30 years and paying him the highest salary of any GM in college. Lombardi was not only terrible at his job, he skirted the rules and bullied people to the point where he had to go. Lombardi was the personification of handing Belichick the keys to the BMW and letting him make all the decisions while accepting a guaranteed $30 million salary over three years.
The best coaches understand that hiring a staff is their first and most important responsibility. Making sure Belichick did that was in the best interest of the university and not his family. The other assistants he hired were not great either, including offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coach Mike Priefer. The Heels were 16th out of 17 in the ACC in total yards and just middling in the kicking game. Belichick did hire Moses Cabrera, who served eight years as the strength coach for the Patriots, and Carolina indeed looks bigger and stronger this fall.
Nepotism was rampant with UNC football despite university policy against it. Belichick hired his son Steve as defensive coordinator, and he too had to resign this season after entering rehab. Belichick’s younger son, safeties coach Brian, has taken over the defense. The worst hire on offense may have been Lombardi’s son Matt, who was the quarterback coach last season with little or no experience in the major college game and still holds that label this year even though it’s clear new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is calling the offensive shots. To circumvent the nepotism, assistants related to Lombardi and Belichick reported to administrators outside of football, which seems as weird as it is ineffective.
The loss in Death Valley makes the 2-1 record look worse, but UNC still would have been questionable with three straight wins over weak opponents to start the season. The way the teams came out from the lightning delay makes you wonder what the Tigers and Tar Heels did in the locker room. One of them looked highly prepared and the other unprepared and a bit uncaring. Clemson needed to hold Carolina to a field goal and a 20-15 lead when punching the ball in from the red zone might have been enough to eke out the victory. During two touchdown drives to take the 28-20 lead, the Tigers made most of the plays they needed and the Tar Heels few of them.
Clemson running back Gideon Davidson (8) runs past North Carolina linebacker Peyton Seelmann (10) in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
The biggest mistake was throwing a long pass on 4th and 1 from their own 45-yard when Edwards or Demon June running for the first down would have been the far smarter play. With Brady under center? Maybe. But Edwards has yet to show he can throw the long ball with accuracy with only six completions of 25 yards or more in college. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, but defenses are wising up to his limited range with every game and pack the box to make him throw deep.
Now the alumni and fan base, if not the students, are clamoring for a change in quarterback if the outcome against No. 3 Notre Dame next Saturday at Kenan Stadium is as ugly as it promises to be. It could be redshirt sophomore Miles O’Neill’s turn to see if he can ignite the moribund offense. He doesn’t have the experience of Edwards but is supposedly a better passer and faster runner. He also hails from Massachusetts, where he grew up rooting for another 6-5 quarterback who came out of nowhere to take the reins.
Featured image via Associated Press/Jacob Kupferman
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro during football and basketball seasons.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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