Belichick seeking answers as Tar Heels grind through, nearing halfway point of camp

By R.L. Bynum

CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick says he doesn’t yet have all the answers on North Carolina’s roster — and he’s not expecting them to come at once.

“Some things will clear up sooner than others,” he said on Wednesday inside the Bill Koman Practice Facility before the 10th practice of preseason camp. “Others might take a while. Once we know, we’ll make that decision. But until we know, we’ll live with it. We’re grinding through.”

The evaluation process is still unfolding. Seeing his players in real football situations, rather than offseason workouts, has been the most revealing change.

“At least now we have an idea of what they can do, where they can fit,” Belichick said.

The Tar Heels are “about 40% of the way through” camp, and Belichick likes the direction.

 “Players are in good shape, they’re working hard,” he said. “We’re slowly but surely bringing things together day by day. Definitely not there yet, but getting closer.”

Wednesday’s second full-pads session gave the staff a chance to work on double-team blocks, kick-out blocks, and backs reading those lanes — “things you can’t really do in less gear,” as Belichick put it.

He said padded days are “an opportunity” to emphasize the run game, while non-padded days shift toward the passing game, blitz pickups and red-zone work.

Special teams are still in early stages. With six units to install and several “wild situational” plays, Belichick said progress has been steady but incomplete.

Belichick said that special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer has done a good job with a group that includes new kickers, a new punter and a new long snapper.

“Four of our six specials are new,” he said. “It’s very competitive — a lot more so than we had earlier in the year.”

At linebacker, Belichick said the goal is to see which players “level off” and which are improving at the same rate over the following 10 practices. He called them “a hard-working group” that communicates well, but still must mesh with both the defensive front and coverage adjustments behind them.

Belichick said that replacing first-round pick Omarion Hampton at running back will be a collective effort.

“It’s hard to imagine any one player having the production that Hampton had,” Belichick said. “But collectively, we’ll see. It’s a good group, very competitive, very talented, but they have different skills.”

The challenge, he added, is “figuring out how to use their skills and still fit it within the entire offense.”

Off the field, the team has added yoga as “a recovery technique” alongside nutrition, hydration, sleep, massage, contrast baths, foam rollers and stretching. Belichick called it “a comprehensive program, not just based on one thing.”

His biggest takeaway so far from camp is that the team is “embracing the program,” which he defines as consistency, dependability and physical and mental toughness.

“Everything we do is important, and all the details are important,” he said. “It’s hard, but that’s what it takes.”

On roster building, he echoed General Manager Mike Lombardi’s belief in starting “from the lines out” but noted that balance matters.

“You’ve got to have a quarterback,” Belichick said. “You’ve got to have somebody who can rush the passer. You need somebody who can cover. You need somebody that can score. If you don’t have that, it makes everything else a lot harder.”