In his nearly quarter-century at the helm of the New England Patriots, largely overseeing the defense during that time, a lot of guys came through Bill Belichick’s system. One of the longest-tenured was Rob Ninkovich, who played under Belichick from 2009 to 2016, starting 101 games and winning two Super Bowls along the way.
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If it’s not already evident, Ninkovich has a good sense of who Belichick is and what his strengths and weaknesses are as a coach. So when he talks about his former boss, it’s worth paying attention.
The former NFL linebacker recently spoke about Belichick on the Dudes on Dudes podcast hosted by Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, two of Ninkovich’s former longtime teammates. Ninkovich said that he was surprised by Belichick’s decision to go down to the college level, and that he will have to find a way to make the best out of a much less talented group of players.
“I was surprised that he took that job. I think we were all a little shocked or surprised. I think the challenge is probably going to be trying to get the most out of a less talented roster,” Ninkovich said.
“The worst NFL team in the NFL is more talented, let’s face it. You can have the sh*ttiest NFL team, and you have a roster full of studs. So I think it might be a little bit more difficult to get the most out of some of these kids that, let’s face it, maybe 1-2, maybe three are NFL-caliber players?”
For context, the Tar Heels had just one player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, running back Omarion Hampton, but they’ve generally sent 2–5 into the league per year over the last decade or so. That’s going to be a big change for Belichick, who was used to relying on the greatest QB of all time to keep the offense in line, and a litany of experienced vets to execute his defensive schemes.
He won’t have any of that in Chapel Hill. Especially in this new college landscape. As Ninkovich and the guys discussed, with the way redshirts and transfers work now, you’ve got some freshmen coming in at age 18 playing against fifth- or sixth-year seniors who are 24. Tough to get a group like that to coalesce.
But if anyone can do it, it’s Bill Belichick. While he did have Tom Brady for much of his success, Belichick’s defenses were what led the Patriots to many of their championships, most notably in the early 2000s and in the last one in 2018.
Belichick and his new team will convene for training camp in July ahead of their season opener against TCU on September 1. TCU went 9–4 last year with a win in the New Mexico Bowl. It’ll be a tough way to start. Belichick should be able to improve on UNC’s 6–7 record from last year, though.
