Mike Vrabel wasn’t totally willing to take the bait on a disastrous college football debut for Bill Belichick, but the New England Patriots coach also couldn’t help but take a subtle shot at his former boss.
Belichick’s debut as the new head coach at the University of North Carolina couldn’t have gone worse, and Vrabel in his weekly radio spot with WEEI-FM used his alma mater — and former employer — as a way to prove high expectations are justified, even for Belichick. When WEEI’s Greg Hill pointed out it might take some time for Belichick to adjust, Vrabel used it as an opportunity to prop up Ohio State and Urban Meyer.
“I don’t know. Urban Meyer won 12 of the first 12 games at Ohio State, so it didn’t take him long,” Vrabel fired back. “That’s my experience with college football.”
Belichick, UNC No Ohio State After Brutal Start
Vrabel, who was an Ohio State Hall of Famer for his play in Columbus from 1993 through 1996, got his coaching start with the Buckeyes, too. Ohio State hired him as a linebackers coach in the summer of 2011. Vrabel slightly overstated his experiences at Ohio State; OSU went just 6-7 and lost the Gator Bowl in his first season. But as he noted, the Buckeyes hired Urban Meyer after the season, and they went 12-0 in Meyer’s first season (although they weren’t eligible for postseason play stemming from previous sanctions).
He did admit, however, having success in college football is increasingly difficult, save for a handful of programs at the top of the food chain.
“I think I can only imagine the landscape of college football,” he added. ” … I’m sure it’s probably not as easy outside of the top few programs.”
Belichick Gets Failing Grades for Flop in College Debut
Belichick had a fairly measured reaction to his first game in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels didn’t belong on the same field as TCU, as the Horned Frogs came in and stomped out Carolina to the tune of 48-14.
The beatdown underscored the task in front of Belichick and general manager Mike Lombardi. Despite a pledge to make the Carolina experiment some sort of NFL feeder system — Lombardi even boasted the Tar Heels would be the NFL’s 33rd team — insiders like ESPN’s Bill Connelly aren’t sold it’s going to happen anytime soon. Connelly, in a Week 1 overreactions story, was ready to more or less write off this season for the Heels.
“But 2025 doesn’t look as if it’s going to go particularly well,” Connelly wrote for ESPN.com. “The roster Belichick and his NFL staff compiled this season simply doesn’t have enough talent, especially in the trenches, to aim for anything higher than 6-6 in Year 1. This isn’t the NFL, and you can’t draft talent — there’s still a recruiting element to the college game that goes with all the cap math.”
Yahoo Sports’ college reporter Dan Wolken also secured a pelt of his own, zinging Belichick for a woefully inadequate collection of talent.
“Singing the fight song and regaling the media with stories about growing up around the Naval Academy doesnât prove that you belong on a college campus,” Wolken wrote. “You know what does? Getting good players to wear your uniform.”
Through 60 minutes, it seems there’s a lot of work to be done in that regard.
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