As much as some in the national media continue to push the notion North Carolina Football Coach Bill Belichick has his eyes out for NFL jobs, it’s simply not true. None of it.
Those are the words from Michael Lombardi, who serves as Belichick’s general manager at UNC and won three Super Bowls working under Belichick with the New England Patriots.
Lombardi was on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on Thursday and cleared the air on the constant stream of rumors regarding the new UNC coach and NFL jobs.
So, since it continues coming up on our social media platforms and message boards here at Tar Heel Illustrated, we give you Lombardi’s words on the matter:
*Note: In addition, he was asked some questions about staff and roster building, so we’re including that, too.
In regard to college being more like the NFL but without some of the irritants.
LOMBADI: “I don’t have an owner that’s going to come down here and tell me what to do. I don’t have an owner’s son tell me we need to look at Pro Football Focus (PFF) more often. I don’t have any of that. I don’t have that.
“I can watch tape, I can look at players, we can recruit. It’s really the perfect; and he can build this program and impact young men in the future and for today. And if you want to be a pro player and you want to understand what a pro organization looks like, here we are.
“All this nonsense, ‘well they haven’t hired any coaches. The ACC is nervous. Oh, they’re nervous alright. I have a whole personnel department over here watching tape. We’ve built a whole pro organization with a pro grading system, and they’re all over there grinding tape. And we’ve hired coaches as we go along.
“I don’t understand how people can keep generating a story that has no story to it.”
On Belichick being on the road recruiting:
LOMBARDI: “We are doing good. We’re out recruiting, everybody’s on the road. Coach Belichick is on the road. He’s in DC today in spite of all the stories trying to say that he’s not working and contract all that. Coach is on the road recruiting. He’s in DC today and Baltimore tomorrow. And we’re trying to get some players to become Tar Heels. We’re excited.
On other schools using these reports to recruit against UNC and why Lombardi has been loud and outspoken about it:
LOMBARDI: “I’m Loud because I think so many of them, especially the one that keeps going on is being generated by someone who doesn't like our program, doesn't like me or like Coach Belichick, and refuses to allow it to go. (Bill) Parcells used to say all the time, ‘quit kicking the horse that's already dead.’ Well they keep kicking something that doesn't exist.
“It's clicks for their website, which is wonderful and then they take shots at us as individuals. Somebody has to stand up for our program. Somebody has to be able to put their voice into the program. Everyone says, 'Well, why isn't Bill speaking out?'
“Bill doesn't speak out. That's what I'm supposed to do as the general manager is to let people know what's going on with our program. He's not going anywhere. You know, contracts are very complicated, and I think if you understand the North Carolina system, it is a state institution and takes a while to get things done. There’s a lot of hurdles to go through. But we’re all getting paid. I haven’t signed my contract yet.
“So, this is just a complete story that people want to run with. I’ve said this many times. I was with Bill every day during the fall. We talked about every single NFL job that could open up, and every time I would bring one up with hopes that he would be interested, he shot it down. He’s where he wants to be. And I know it’s hard to get it through some of these thick people’s heads that he wants to be somewhere else.
“This is where he wants to be. And I am not just a spokesman but I’m telling you exactly how it is.”
More on Belichick recruiting on the road:
LOMBARDI: “He loves it and the reception’s been wonderful. It’s been really good. He goes out there, he meets all the kids. And then we’ve been able to put some offers (out). We came in here behind. We needed to build a high school board, a portal board, and we’re trying to do it on a line-item basis, which is difficult.
“But we will find smart, tough, dependable kids that want to be a part of a pro program. There’s plenty of them out there.”
On if they have their recruiting strategy on what they are looking for nailed down”
LOMBARDI: “It’s the same as the pros. We want the same thing. Obviously, we’re dealing with younger players. We’ve got to do a better job of projecting. There’s a right end that we’re recruiting in western North Carolina who plays tight end, he looks like he could be a dynamic center.
“We have to project players into different positions because these are still young men. They’re not grown up. It’s not as easy as putting the Tennessee tape on and watching the right tackle and see if he’s going to play right tackle in the NFL. You’ve got to do some projections of this and look at the players and say, ‘Where’s he gonna be in two years?’ Especially at the high school quarterback level.
“There’s so much shot gun, where’s the guy’s rhythm, how he’s throwing the football. So, everything we’re doing, we scout inside out, not outside in. We’re going to find players that fit the systems that are generated from Coach Belichcik that we want to run here at North Carolina.”
