Panthers HC Dave Canales on Bill Belichick-UNC reports: Would love to 'pick his brain at some point
The state of North Carolina is home to football coaches such as NC State‘s Dave Doeren, Duke‘s Manny Diaz and the Carolina Panthers’ Dave Canales, but could soon see a big name added to the mix: Bill Belichick.
Belichick has interviewed multiple times for North Carolina‘s head coach opening and per Inside Carolina, the school is finalizing a deal with the 72-year-old. For Canales, that means a chance to potentially learn from one of the greatest football coaches of all-time. Canales learned a lot from Pete Carroll from his time with the Seattle Seahawks and would love the opportunity to do the same with Belichick if the deal to make him the next Tar Heels head coach becomes official.
Dave Canales speaks on Bill Belichick-UNC reports
“[They] value the same things with two completely different personalities in Bill and with Coach Carroll,” Canales said Wednesday, via Joe Person of The Athletic. “To see that they cared about the same things, it was all about the ball — for both. It was about playing in all phases and playing great situational football and so, that’s the heart of great football. It would be amazing to have him close and to try to pick his brain at some point.”
As a first-time head coach in the NFL dropped directly into a rebuild, it makes sense for Canales to jump at the chance to gain some wisdom from a coach like Belichick. Belichick is an eight-time Super Bowl champion, winning six Lombardi trophies during his 23-year tenure as head coach for the New England Patriots.
Bill Belichick, North Carolina headed towards resolution
It’s clear that Belichick wants to get back on a sideline somewhere, whether that’s in the NFL or in college football. Belichick, with 333 regular season and postseason wins as an NFL head coach, is 15 behind Don Shula for the most all-time.
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What would a Belichick-led college team look like in the NIL and transfer portal era is the question. During his Monday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick not only confirmed the talks with North Carolina but explained what his vision for the program would be if he took the job.
“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” Bill Belichick said. “It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching techniques — that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that was the end of their college career or at the end of their pro career. But it would be geared toward developing the player, time management, discipline, structure and all that.
“I feel very confident that I have the contacts in the National Football League to pave the way for those players that would have the ability to have the opportunity to compete in the National Football League. Whether they’re good enough or not, I don’t know, but they would be ready for it. I don’t have any doubt about that.”