Julian Edelman makes his thoughts clear amid rising expectations on Bill Belichick’s UNC debut

Monday marked the first time Bill Belichick led the North Carolina Tar Heels as head coach since he was hired last December. That game at Kenan Stadium was the first one Belichick coached outside of the NFL in more than 50 years.

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman showered the 73-year-old coach with support on social media ahead of his first game against the TCU Horned Frogs. He posted a statement on X expressing his support for his old coach:

“We’ve been talking about Coach for months. Now let’s get back to what this is all about, actual football. #UNC.”

Despite high expectations, UNC was crushed, 48-14. Caleb Hood’s touchdown gave them an early lead, but after that, things went downhill. The team finished with just 222 total yards and allowed 41 unanswered points while conceding two defensive touchdowns.

Although the Tar Heels did not get a favorable outcome in their first game under Belichick, Edelman’s message reflected the profound respect the former receiver holds for Belichick’s accomplishments over his 24-year tenure in New England.

The Patriots selected Edelman in the 2009 NFL draft, and he played his whole career under Belichick’s tutelage, winning three Lombardi trophies and Super Bowl LIII MVP.

While Belichick is a legendary coach with extensive NFL experience, the college football landscape is a different ballgame. Along with overseeing a younger, less established set of players, the coach will have to cope with issues that are nonexistent in professional football, such as the transfer portal, NIL negotiations and recruitment battles.

Bill Belichick’s reaction to UNC’s blowout loss in his debut college football game

Bill Belichick and North Carolina had a rough night after being thoroughly beaten by TCU at home. Belichick acknowledged that UNC was totally outplayed by TCU during his post-game news conference.

“Obviously we have a lot of work to do,” Belichick said. “We need to do a better job all the way around – coaching, playing, all three phases of the game. It wasn’t up to what it needs to be, and I know we’re a lot better than that. We’re going to need to work on those things and show them on Saturday. Give TCU credit, they came in, did a good job and they were clearly the better team tonight.”

In his tenure as an NFL head coach, none of his Patriots sides ever let up as many points as UNC did on Monday night: 48. The coach and the team will focus on ways to improve and perform better over the season.