Chapel Hill – UNC’s football coach Bill Belichick almost forgot his whistle after a 16 -minute press conference inside the Kenan Football Center on Wednesday afternoon.
In the first availability of Belichick with the members of the local media since its introduction in mid-December, the eight time Super Bowl champion doubled, reached under the podium for his whistle, denounced this whistle and went to the Practice of Tar Heels field.
Spring training as a university football coach are an unknown territory for Belichick, 72, but he released a familiar tactic of his time with the Patriots of New England of the NFL.
Media members were allowed to look at 15 minutes from Tar Heels’ second spring training. UNC did not reveal much, most of this time stretching before the players participated in individual exercises with their position groups.
But there was a notable absence: the Jersey figures.
The offensive players wore Caroline blue jerseys, defensive players wore white jerseys and the quarters wore red jerseys. No player had a number.
“This is exactly what we do. We go there and we win it, “said Belichick about UNC, including spring training without figures on his jerseys.
“The figures and colored gloves that we have, and all this is not as important as doing your job and being responsible and responsible for your teammates and being a good teammate. So we focus on the team. We are simply there, working, practicing, trying to improve. They are coaches, players, all of us. So it is not a question of individual notoriety at the moment. It’s about trying to build a team. »»
This is something, added Belichick, he has done “for years and years” with the Patriots.
“And then, of course, they changed the rule and forced us to put jersey numbers on the players, so we did it,” he continued. “I do not think it is important at this time of the year. I think it is more important to simply go there and train well and improve every day. So that’s what we emphasize. »»
Belichick and the Heels will spend 15 training sessions in March and April in preparation for the 2025 season, which begins against TCU on Monday September 1 (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at the Kenan stadium.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and NC State for Le Fayetteville observing as part of the USA Today network. Follow its ACC coverage on X / Twitter or Bluesky: @roddbaxley. Do you have any questions about these teams? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on the Fayetteville Observer: Bill Belichick’s UNC football team does not have jersey figures during training
