Bill Belichick has spent much of the week hearing his North Carolina tenure picked apart before Year 2 has even started.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky thinks the rush to bury the former New England Patriots coach has gone too far.
During Thursday’s episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Orlovsky pushed back on the criticism surrounding Belichick in a clip shared by Awful Announcing.
“Can everyone pump the brakes on trying to dunk on Coach Belichick?” Orlovsky said. “We’re talking about one of the greatest football coaches of all-time, and everybody who talks about Bobby Petrino raves about him as an offensive mind.”
Orlovsky then pointed to the combination of Belichick and Petrino as a reason to expect progress.
“We don’t think those two guys are going to make it a little bit better?” he added.
The comments arrived two days after ESPN’s Paul Finebaum delivered a harsh assessment of Belichick, arguing that his college career was headed toward failure and predicting he might not make it through the season.
Orlovsky Points to Substantial Change for Belichick
GettyCHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels smiles during warmups prior to their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Kenan Memorial Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)
Critics can have a field day with Belichick after his first season in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina finished 4-8 in 2025 while averaging 19.3 points and 288.8 yards per game. The Tar Heels ranked 120th nationally in scoring and were near the bottom of the country in total offense.
The response was significant. Belichick dismissed offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and hired Petrino in January, hnading the longtime college play-caller the job of fixing the unit that created many of North Carolina’s problems.
That move is the critical point of Orlovsky’s argument.
Petrino’s most recent work provides a sharp contrast to what North Carolina produced last season. Arkansas averaged 454.8 yards and 32.9 points per game in 2025, ranking 19th nationally in total offense. The Razorbacks topped 500 yards six times despite finishing 2-10.
Belichick also made it clear during the spring that he believed Petrino could move the offense forward, saying the two had an “easy time getting on the same page” after the staff struggled to find the same rhythm in 2025.
Petrino Gives Belichick a Chance to Turn It Around
GettyFAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – NOVEMBER 29: Head Coach Bobby Petrino of the Arkansas Razorbacks on the sidelines in the first half during a game against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
North Carolina can start to see Belichick in action fairly soon.
The future Hall of Famer’s second season begins Saturday against TCU in Dublin, Ireland, the same program that handed the Tar Heels a 48-14 loss in his college debut last September. The rematch begins at noon ET on ESPN at Aviva Stadium.
A year ago, the opener immediately exposed problems that followed North Carolina throughout the season. The offense never found consistency, and the Tar Heels went on to lose eight games.
Now, Belichick has another shot at TCU with Petrino calling the offense as last year’s disappointment drums up low expectations.
As for Patriots fans who watched Belichick build six Super Bowl championship teams in New England, the debate over his college tenure has become a referendum on how his coaching legacy should be viewed.
Finebaum has leaned hard into the idea that the ending could damage that legacy, but Orlovsky is taking the opposite approach:.
Saturday will surface the first real evidence either way.
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