Belichick worshipers weren’t ready for the curtain to be peeled back on their X’s and O’s Oz. Now, at North Carolina, they can’t shield their eyes from the harsh truth.
Still, they prefer the myth and an enemies list to the facts: Belichick was hugely responsible for the Patriots’ two-decade dynasty — and just as culpable for its rapid undoing. Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Kraft Group president Jonathan Kraft aren’t perfect. They’re not without egos or blame (hello, Jerod Mayo). But it’s unfair and categorically false — to use a Belichick phrase — to claim they selectively edited the 10-episode Apple TV+ docuseries to unfairly impugn Belichick.
The folks in Chapel Hill are finding out the authenticity of “The Dynasty” doc as their program sinks under the weight of Belichick’s gridiron God complex. College football program-building (Bill’s version) has been an unmitigated disaster. The 2-3 Tar Heels are 0-3 against Power 4 opponents, outscored to the tune of 120-33.
They trailed Clemson, 28-3, in their last game. There was no historic comeback from that score this time for Belichick, only fans fleeing Kenan Stadium like it was the zombie apocalypse.
The program is a national pin cushion for negative headlines about dysfunction, discord, and disreputable dealings violating NCAA rules. (UNC suspended cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins for providing impermissible benefits to a player.) Reports, denied by both Belichick and UNC, continue to swirl that North Carolina is posturing to deep-six the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. Or that Belichick is searching for an exit from the ignominy.
Friday night’s road contest against Cal is the most consequential game Belichick has coached since the Patriots could’ve made the playoffs with a victory over the Bills in the 2022 finale. Instead, they lost and finished 8-9.
Belichick is the ultimate comeback artist, criticized and counted out many times before, only to force doubters to dine on their words. (Yours truly digested a few of those meals.) But changing the tune of these Tar Heels blues looks insurmountable.
What’s happening with the Tar Heels is a continuation of Belichick’s final few seasons in Foxborough, when his decision-making was dubious and he insulated himself with sycophants, prioritizing loyalty over capability. That’s why his general manager at UNC is Mike Lombardi, a Belichick propagandist of the highest order.
College football features a greater talent gap than the NFL, rendering coaching brilliance less relevant and effective as a great equalizer. The letters NIL loom larger than GOAT. That’s why the self-professed 33rd NFL team Belichick and Lombardi billed is flailing.
The Krafts keep taking the high road. Meanwhile, Belichick is making himself look bad, sinking into the quicksand of his arrogance.
The decision to entrust girlfriend Jordon Hudson to manage his brand proved disastrous. He banned Patriots scouts from UNC facilities. Until it was pointed out by CBS Sports, UNC football’s social media accounts weren’t disseminating highlights of Patriots quarterback and former Tar Heel Drake Maye, whose family bleeds Carolina blue.
A recent article from NFL insider Diana Russini included a nugget that North Carolina “sources” blamed the Patriots for leaks portraying the program as dysfunctional.
Believing that the tentacles of the Patriots organization extend to the North Carolina media, or that they would even care, is full-on Howard Hughes-level paranoia. Somebody check if Belichick is micturating in Mason jars.
But worst of all is the on-the-field performance. Over his last 40 games, including the 47-17 playoff loss to Buffalo to close the 2021 season, Belichick is 14-26 (.350 winning percentage).
In hindsight, the documentary by director Matthew Hamachek was both an accurate and fair portrayal of Belichick’s reign of excellence and arrogance.
The only episode that unfairly denigrated Belichick to polish the Krafts’ reputation was the one on Aaron Hernandez. That featured the over-the-top implication that if Belichick had honored Hernandez’s trade request, perhaps Odin Lloyd would be alive. Gross.
The rest of it punctured the fantasy that a brilliant but flawed employee was an infallible deity. The Belichick card-carriers must accept this, even if the doc carries a conspiracy convenient Kraft Dynasty LLC imprimatur. Plus, Jonathan Kraft is like the human version of Hunter Biden’s laptop for some Belichick true believers.
Frankly, the reasons Belichick looked bad in the documentary are the same reasons he’s flopping as a college coach. He always thinks he knows better. He continues to be obstinate, grudge-consumed, and largely unaccountable for his actions, decisions, or results.
A recent exposé in The Athletic included a quote that summed up UNC’s Belichick Experience: “It’s the arrogance of it all,” a university source said. “Because they had success in the NFL — and by they, I mean Belichick only. They [thought] they could come in and replicate that without knowing how college football works.”
The Kraft-POV doc, based on the book of the same name and viewpoint, wasn’t a BB bag job. The timing probably made it feel worse because Belichick’s ouster as coach that January remained fresh.
But “The Dynasty” has both stood up over time and proved prophetic.
The reality is Belichick underestimated Tom Brady’s ability, and overestimated his own impact on winning and coaching longevity. Even coaching legends have expiration dates.
Still, the final episode featured a clip of Steve Young, saying, “Belichick took 11 defensive football players, and he painted his Mona Lisa” to describe the Patriots’ win in Super Bowl LIII.
Does that sound like slander?
No, it’s the Krafts that were wrongly slandered.
Christopher L. Gasper is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at christopher.gasper@globe.com. Follow him @cgasper and on Instagram @cgaspersports.