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#UNC coach Bill Belichick press conference on the second day of spring practice.
Mar 5, 2025
#UNC coach Bill Belichick press conference on the second day of spring practice.
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0:04
got some great phones
0:06
here um uh well first of all thanks for
0:10
coming out um it's
0:12
uh it's kind of interesting to uh be
0:15
starting football here in uh in March um
0:18
especially we be able to get the pads
0:20
but um exciting good to get going and um
0:24
yeah actually I appreciate the turnout
0:25
um we got a lot of lot of work to do
0:28
long way to go and uh just kind of
0:29
getting know the team here um you know
0:32
we did a lot of offseason conditioning
0:34
and uh teams responded well to that so
0:37
we've been able to work through
0:38
practices um or through through our
0:40
first practice uh you know pretty
0:42
cleanly but um we'll see how that goes
0:44
here as we start uh stacking them
0:46
together but you know as far as you know
0:48
evaluations and things like that um got
0:51
a long way to go and we'll take a look
0:53
at everybody and see how things shape up
0:55
and uh just take it you know take it as
0:58
it comes day by day know no big
1:00
expectations here other than to go out
1:02
and get better every day uh improve on
1:04
the things that we didn't do as well
1:06
yesterday add in some new things today
1:09
and just keep stacking those G days
1:12
together over a you know consistent
1:13
period of time basically all spring and
1:16
um we'll see where we are at that point
1:18
so um good to get out on the field good
1:21
to get going and uh I think the players
1:24
are excited to actually we haven't been
1:27
able to use footballs right U but now we
1:29
can actually get a football out there
1:30
and starting to look like starting to
1:32
look like
1:33
football go
1:35
ahead Aaron here with the AP you guys
1:39
you you've been around College a kids
1:41
when they were rookies or drafty but a
1:42
lot of the guys you worked with were
1:44
season Pros understood what you wanted
1:46
in terms of how you work as a pro with
1:49
what you and Michael have described
1:50
about how you want to run this this team
1:53
and the program kind of what have that
1:54
message what have those messages been
1:56
like in conversations with the team
1:57
individually about what you're trying
2:00
you know build here and what was been
2:02
the
2:03
response uh yeah no thanks for the
2:05
question uh yeah the response has been
2:07
great uh it's kind of it's similar to
2:09
like what a rookie mini camp would be
2:11
and and uh time with the rookies um
2:15
granted those kids are a little bit
2:16
older but they're coming from all
2:18
different programs and different
2:20
different situations and so um you know
2:24
it's starting to put everything together
2:25
here's how we do things here's what our
2:26
expectations are this is this is what
2:29
you need to do to be successful and and
2:31
um and they've embraced that they've
2:33
tried to do it um again we have a long
2:35
way to go we haven't accomplished
2:36
anything but we're let's say we're a lot
2:39
further along than we were five five
2:41
weeks ago and and the players are ready
2:42
to practice and you know ready to learn
2:44
and embrace a new program so getting
2:48
there Pat 40 from Sports Illustrated I'm
2:51
wondering schematically you spent a year
2:53
kind of looking at the college game how
2:55
much can be transferred from what you
2:58
didn't done in the NFL to here how much
3:00
has to
3:01
be
3:03
um I mean there's a lot of carryover for
3:05
sure certainly the fundamentals are
3:07
fundamentals U man coverage is man
3:09
coverage and you double team blocks are
3:12
double team blocks and things like that
3:14
so there's a lot there but um the hash
3:16
marks are are a big change and um uh you
3:20
know just say the overall skill level I
3:22
mean in the NFL is some pretty Elite e
3:24
players and especially the passing game
3:27
so we'll see what that looks like uh
3:29
both you
3:30
know offensively and defending it but um
3:35
fundamentally it's it's pretty close
3:37
though they'll definitely be some
3:38
changes but you know what we'll see what
3:39
those are once I get a bit better feel
3:41
for what our Personnel is what they can
3:43
do we want to play to the strengths of
3:44
our players and and that's what we'll do
3:46
so uh it probably takes a little while
3:48
to figure that out but um but
3:51
nevertheless we'll run a Pro system on
3:52
both sides of the ball and in the
3:53
kicking game so that's what the
3:55
foundation of it is and and all the
3:57
trading films that we've shown them uh
3:59
on how to do things how to do certain
4:01
techniques how to run certain things are
4:03
are really from uh are from NFL players
4:06
the guys who are are great out of the
4:08
guys who who did it better than anybody
4:10
um so I think that's still a great way
4:12
to teach because our players are seeing
4:14
some of the best guys that have ever
4:15
play it do what they do so it's good
4:18
teaching
4:20
basis Andrew Jones Target Illustrated
4:23
the quarterback we've got three young
4:25
scholarship here this spring one of them
4:27
is Max Johnson had a terrible injury
4:29
last year we were told there was a
4:31
chance maybe he might not be able to
4:32
play football again where is he in his
4:35
recovery process how much can he go this
4:37
spring and I know you have a fourth one
4:39
coming in are you settled in the
4:41
quarterback room or you think maybe you
4:43
might have to go out and find some in
4:44
the spring cor yeah well right now we're
4:47
focused on the players that are here and
4:48
then whatever happens with the players
4:50
coming in or portal players um you know
4:53
we'll deal with all that later uh Max
4:55
has worked hard Max Mak a lot of
4:56
progress um he's still limited but he's
4:59
he's definitely getting better and um it
5:02
was take a day by day uh but he's
5:04
nobody's put in more work than he has
5:06
and um you know we'll see where that
5:07
takes him but he's he's definitely
5:08
making progress so um again just just
5:12
the day-by-day process you know if he
5:14
has a good day then he can do a little
5:15
bit more the next day and if he has a
5:17
good day do a little bit more day after
5:18
that and um if there's a you know
5:22
little you know I going say it doesn't
5:25
move along quite as quickly then we'll
5:26
slow it down until we can till we can
5:28
progress there specific goal date maybe
5:31
in my no no no that's what I'm saying
5:33
honestly all injuries are kind of the
5:34
same like that if if a player can
5:36
progress we'll progressing if he you
5:38
know kind of hits a little bit of a um
5:41
you know a stalemate then we'll um you
5:45
know work through that and and then when
5:46
he's ready to go again then we'll go
5:47
again and and move to Higher Ground but
5:49
it doesn't matter really whether it's a
5:51
hamstring a shoulder a leg uh you know
5:54
whatever um it's kind of the same
5:56
process if they can move along we move
5:58
them some move faster than others I know
6:00
what the injury is and sometimes we hit
6:02
a little pause and then we have to wait
6:05
and until we can you know move ahead so
6:07
it's just it's day by
6:09
day Co inspector news one I know there's
6:13
only been one practice but is there
6:15
other than the age or maybe the size
6:18
something noticeably different between
6:20
players out on the field for you and on
6:22
your team now and guys that you've SE in
6:23
the NFL and building on top of that do
6:26
you have to treat these people
6:27
differently than how you did in the NFL
6:29
terms get motivating them coaching them
6:32
treating them in
6:33
Che um well we'll see I don't and I
6:36
don't think so but as you said we've
6:38
only had one practice so um you know
6:41
it's a long it's a long journey there's
6:42
a lot of lot of work to be done and
6:44
it'll be a lot of practices and a lot of
6:46
meetings and you know a lot of hard work
6:47
put in we'll see how all that goes um
6:50
but you know players have responded well
6:52
um they seem generally excited and and
6:54
thed to to be playing football um which
6:57
anybody would be after you put in a lot
6:59
of you know know several weeks of
7:00
training you know it's time to get out
7:01
there and finally play um but yeah well
7:04
we'll see how that goes I say the
7:05
biggest difference is just the
7:07
opportunity to put on pads in the spring
7:09
um as I said when I was in uh Washington
7:12
last year the amount of progress and
7:14
Improvement that those players made uh
7:16
in the spring um was uh I thought
7:19
remarkable we just couldn't do that in
7:21
the National Football League because we
7:22
never got the pad especially for the big
7:24
guys you know route running and things
7:26
like that the skill players can do skill
7:28
stuff but for the the offensive
7:30
defensive lineman pass rushers pass
7:32
protectors come of to the contact
7:34
positions um which you know is very
7:36
limited in the NFL in the spring I mean
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it's almost there isn't any um you know
7:41
you can you can work on those things you
7:42
can work on the running game it's it's
7:44
really hard to work on the running game
7:45
in the National Football League when you
7:47
know when you're in shorts so um I think
7:51
those players that we had last year that
7:52
I worked with last year at Washington
7:54
made a lot of progress and hopefully we
7:55
can do the same thing
7:58
here you talk using this time to usn uh
8:02
you talked about using the time You' had
8:03
so far to try to get to know team and
8:05
players how good of a field do you think
8:06
you have for the Personnel that you have
8:08
right now and do you expect you know by
8:11
the end of spring maybe a bunch of
8:13
people be because hey this wasn't for me
8:15
and and want to go out and get some more
8:17
people coming in how you to anticipate
8:19
roster management yeah I I really don't
8:22
have any expectations I we'll see I
8:24
don't know um we'll go out there and do
8:26
what we do and and see see what happens
8:28
see how it goes um
8:31
I think what you're saying could could
8:32
or could not happen I really you know
8:34
that that'll be up to each individual
8:36
and and just you know how things go um
8:39
but you know I know we have a good plan
8:41
I know we can you know do the right
8:43
things to help the players improve help
8:45
the team improve uh put a good product
8:47
on the field um everybody that can can
8:51
help us and and buys into it and wants
8:53
to be part of it we'll be we'll be part
8:55
of it that's here and if they don't then
8:56
that's you know that's their decision
9:00
you our chance d r you're new to us
9:04
you're new to the world but you're new
9:06
to us can you explain how you get the
9:10
staff ready for practice uh in terms of
9:13
meetings and then what do you actually
9:18
do
9:21
um well
9:26
um well let's spring practice is a
9:28
little bit different than practiceing
9:29
fall but let's talk about spring
9:30
practice um you know we have a general
9:33
outline of what we want to try to do
9:34
over the spring um so that the offense
9:37
and the defense can can work together uh
9:40
so that the things the offense is
9:41
working on the defense is ready for and
9:43
vice versa uh that we can evaluate most
9:46
important thing for us right now is just
9:47
to evaluate the players um other than
9:50
Freddy being last year none of us really
9:52
you know have any familiarity with the
9:53
players what they can do and um what
9:56
their skills are we certainly want to be
9:57
able to take advantage of those so you
9:59
know we want to put in the foundations
10:01
and of all the fundamentals that that
10:03
we'll use that'll carry us through the
10:05
year and that's that's the main thing
10:06
and then to evaluate the players so um
10:09
each practice is structured so that we
10:11
can work productively together on
10:13
offense and defense and uh at the same
10:16
time that we can build up our
10:17
conditioning and stamina and then we
10:19
have to see how it goes sometimes you
10:21
move a little faster than you think
10:23
sometimes uh maybe move a little slower
10:26
than you think and you have to adjust
10:27
your pace on that based on on once you
10:31
once you put a a building block down and
10:33
can build on it then then you do if that
10:36
Block's not solid and you're really not
10:39
you can't build on it then you have to
10:41
go back and kind of you know reinforce
10:47
it yeah that's a great thing about being
10:49
a head coach I can coach anybody I
10:51
want I can coach the line I can yell at
10:54
the tight ends I can yell at the DBS I
10:56
can yell at the kickers I I can go to
10:57
any any group I want and
10:59
and uh and Coach them and honestly that
11:02
that's the fun part it's you know you
11:04
see something that you want to address
11:06
and and talk to a player about you can
11:08
go in there and talk to him so I've been
11:10
very fortunate I've had the opportunity
11:11
to coach every position on the field um
11:15
on offense defense and special teams and
11:18
so
11:19
um if I can help a player I'm I'm here
11:22
to help them that's my job so to help
11:24
them get better right here then Adam
11:27
Chris Lee from WL
11:29
um you guys have campaigned that this
11:31
will be like the 33rd NFL team just be
11:34
very pro pro oriented uh what former
11:37
UNC um uh players who are currently Pros
11:41
or have been Pros or if you don't want
11:43
to name them what level of involvement
11:45
you plan on having with those players
11:47
who also played here wor these jerseys
11:49
but to come and have relationships with
11:52
these guys to kind of help along the
11:53
process of showing you know how to
11:55
become a yeah well we welcome that
12:00
yeah thank you no that's um that's great
12:02
great question a great point we welcome
12:03
that um we want you know all of our
12:06
alumni to come back uh both football
12:08
players and non-f football players other
12:10
people who are part of the program and
12:12
supporters of the program so yeah we
12:14
welcome all those people back um I'm
12:16
sure you'll see a lot of uh former uh
12:18
UNCC players around here some are on the
12:20
staff uh nron for example uh some are on
12:23
the staff some are in other capacities
12:25
uh in the organization or at the
12:27
University and some will be here uh
12:29
visiting so um I don't want to give any
12:32
away any names or anything but you know
12:34
you guys do some good detective work
12:36
maybe you'll be able to the spot a
12:38
couple thank
12:41
you Adam Smith with inside Carolina bill
12:44
just wondering from your Vantage Point
12:47
what the response from your players have
12:49
been to the not having numbers on their
12:52
jerseys and practice and how have you
12:55
gone about sort of explaining what the
12:57
method is there uh that you all are
13:00
doing by by not having the numbers
13:03
on yeah it hadn't been a lot of
13:05
explanation that's just what we do we go
13:07
out there and you know we earn it so the
13:10
numbers and what color gloves we wear
13:12
and all that's not as important as doing
13:15
your job and uh being responsible and
13:17
accountable to your teammates and and
13:19
being a good teammate so our focus is on
13:21
the team and um you know we're just all
13:24
out there working practicing trying to
13:25
get better and it's coaches players all
13:28
of us and so it's it's not all about
13:30
individual notoriety right now it's
13:32
about trying to put together a team so
13:35
we did that at New England uh we did it
13:36
for years and years and then of course
13:38
they changed the rule and and forced us
13:40
to put uh jersey numbers on the players
13:42
and so we did but um I don't think
13:45
that's important at this time of year I
13:47
think it's you know more important to
13:48
just go out there and and practice well
13:51
and and improve every day and so that's
13:53
what we
13:53
emphasize M last
13:57
one characteristics before as you put
14:00
together a coaching staff how was it to
14:02
have your sons on the
14:05
staff
14:07
um well again you know it starts with
14:09
the coordinators and you know Steve
14:11
Freddy and and Mike have have a ton of
14:13
experience um they've performed well in
14:16
in multiple situations certainly you
14:18
know Steve's you know coached our
14:20
defense for for a long time and um
14:24
whatever his years as a coach were um he
14:26
was involved way before that so uh you
14:30
know Mike's done a you know tremendous
14:31
job on special teams uh and has a great
14:34
background his father is one of the
14:35
great special teams coaches in the
14:37
National Football League Chuck Griefer
14:39
uh so you know that goes in the family
14:42
and uh you know Freddy's you know got
14:44
great experience and it was Arizona for
14:46
a decade head coach at uh at Cleveland
14:49
and SP with the Giants and so forth and
14:51
you know played Major U you know major
14:53
college football at Alabama so um and
14:56
same thing with Will so you know those
14:58
guys they have a lot of experience and
15:00
you know ver trying to put together the
15:01
best staff that we can it's a
15:03
combination of pro experience uh some of
15:06
those players some of those coaches have
15:08
a lot of college experience um you know
15:10
Billy was at IMG last year which one of
15:12
the top high school programs in the
15:13
country so you know he's been uh a good
15:16
addition but um you know Garrick from
15:18
Louisville and and uh you know Mondo you
15:22
know came in from Washington you know
15:23
has kind of West Coast background it's a
15:25
little bit of a you know a little bit of
15:26
a mix uh but you know feel like
15:28
everybody here you know has can can add
15:32
and has added to our you know the
15:34
overall quality of the coaching staff
15:35
but you know in some cases it's bring a
15:37
different perspective you know Tai Tai
15:39
came over from Arizona um and so that's
15:43
you know just uh I mean it's part of Jed
15:45
staff there but you know gives us
15:46
another another perspective um certainly
15:49
has a lot of familiarity with the
15:50
Arizona Washington program so um you
15:53
know we just Tred to put together the
15:55
best the best group that we can I mean I
15:57
love the guys that we're working with
15:58
they work hard and and we're doing all
16:00
we can to to help our team improve and
16:02
help the players play better and that's
16:03
our job you know Moses of course you
16:05
know with the strength conditioning's
16:07
been you know been a big big part of it
16:09
so far because that's really all we've
16:11
been able to do up until
16:13
yesterday coach thank you okay great
16:15
thank you thank you
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