Bill Belichick to Become Head Coach at North Carolina

 Bill Belichick has sent a shock-wave through the football world, as he becomes the new Head Coach at the University of North Carolina. 

The shock comes from the fact that Belichick will not jump back into the NFL after spending a year away from the game; instead he will jump into the ever increasingly complex world of College Football. 

This should be interesting. 

 

About a year ago at this time we saw Belichick get rejected by the Atlanta Falcons for their head coaching vacancy. It was a stunner. Before Atlanta made its final decision, it appeared that Belichick was destined for the Falcons after meeting with Arthur Blank, but the front office had other ideas. They convinced Blank to look elsewhere. 

The problem was the Falcons front office knew that if Belichick came aboard, they would all be looking over their shoulder.  When a team hires Bill Belichick, they get all of Bill Belichick: the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

"... The Falcons realized that if you hire Bill Belichick, you hire all of him, an entire philosophy and ethos stemming from one man’s ethic and ingenuity," ESPN reported.

"In the end, his assurances failed to persuade Blank and team executives. 'He was essentially voted off the island,' a source close to the Falcons’ hiring process said.

"ESPN also mentioned that Belichick's former colleague, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, gave a "stark assessment of Belichick's character," which also led to the Falcons passing on the legendary coach."

 

So, perhaps, Belichick seeing that today's NFL is not interested in having a hands on coach in the building, felt that the only way back to the game was through college.

It won't be easy though. While he won't have to deal with overzealous owners, a General Manager on a power trip, and multi-million dollar players; in college he will have to answer to the Athletic Director, the boosters, and now with the NIL, he'll have to deal with players who are dipping their toes into the free agent game. College players now have agents. They are getting paid. It's not what it used to be as players transfer from college program to college program regularly now. 

There is no question Belichick knows how to navigate free agency, and the off-season, but this will be an amazing watch. 

Belichick gave a pretty good indication as to why he was taking the job, when he described on the Pat McAfee Show that he would run the UNC program as gateway to the NFL for players. If that isn't a selling point, I don't know what is.  Belichick's plan sounds like he would turn the college program into an NFL developmental program, and internship. 

 

What a start for kids! 

And with the way college sports are leaning more and more into the tendancies of pro sports, hiring Belichick makes a lot of sense for North Carolina. 

While he won't hit Don Shula's wins record, perhaps this is a more satisfying conclusion to Belichick's career. After nearly 50-years in the NFL, he finally had a chance to step back and think things over. Now he gets to mold a program his way, and do so at one of most prestigious college sports schools in the country.

Yankees Score Starting Pitcher in Max Fried

 Two days after striking out on Juan Soto, the Yankees responded by finding someone to rack up K's in former Atlanta Braves starter Max Fried.

The 31-year old Fried, inked an eight-year, $218 million deal with New York, making him the highest paid left-handed starter in baseball history. 

The deal includes a full no trade clause, and no deferred money. 

While a starter wasn't exactly on the top of their needs for the 2025 season, we all know a team can never have enough pitching. Fried is as solid as they come, and was sought after by many clubs. With the Yankees he can slide right into the number two slot behind ace Gerrit Cole. 

Fried is well accomplished in his career; a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner. Since 2020, he has posted the lowest ERA among pitchers with 500 innings to their name with a 2.18 ERA. 

The Yankees are far from done of course. 

They are heavily linked to Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker, who is about the same age as Soto, and has produced similar numbers. He would also come at a lower price tag in a sign and trade with Houston. 

Juan Soto Agrees to Sign With Mets, Spurning Yankees

 The New York Mets have won the Juan Soto sweepstakes. 

The news became official just before 10 p.m. Sunday as New York Post columnist Jon Heyman broke the story that Soto, the games' most prized free agent slugger, had signed a record setting 15-year, $756 million contract with the Mets. 

While that comes to $51 million annually, the contract will include plenty of deferrals, obviously. The terms of the deal at this moment are still not fully known. 

What is obvious is that Mets owner Steve Cohen did something that no prior Mets ownership group could do and that is beat the Yankees to the punch. He was willing to go all in for the best player on the market and got him. 

There was speculation as last as Saturday that the Mets and Yankees were competing for Soto with the Mets at $735 million, and the Yankees at $710 million. But according to the Post, the Yankees did come in at $760 million over 16 years, which more than doubled the money the Yankees gave Aaron Judge now two off-seasons ago, but it was not enough to reel Soto back to the Bronx. 

He took the extra five million from Uncle Steve. 

Talk about a rivalry. 

This move is going to change the dynamics of both the Mets, the Yankees and baseball. For starters, it means a lot of free agents are going to circle the Mets as a possible destination, especially if Cohen is willing to go all in to bring them in. 

Second, with the Mets willing and able to flex their muscle - even in this economy -- the Yankees take a huge hit. Now they have to compete not only on the field with a team as financially viable as they are, but one that can beat them to the punch. 

This is the shift Mets fans had been dreaming of for years, especially after Cohen bought the team from the frugal Wilpon's. 

The Mets are big time players now. After last season's miraculous postseason run, plus rave reviews from players about the team culture and atmosphere, the Mets are going to be a hot destination. 

Now the Mets have to still do their part come the season and win games. The expectation now is World Series or bust. You don't make a move like this and not expect the expectations to change.  

Soto has a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals, and single-handedly carried the Yankees to the World Series with his series clinching blast over Cleveland in Game 5 of the ALCS. 

The challenge will be for David Stearns and company to fill out the roster under the constraints of their budget. 

The Mets desperately need pitching, and already took risky gambles signing Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes as starters. 

Then there is the future of Pete Alonso. Where will he go? Will he stay with the Mets, or will he leave. There hasn't been much traction reported between the two sides. A lot of people believe Alonso has played his last day in a Mets uniform. And if that is the case, it's a sad day, because Alonso was such a valuable piece to this team. And a clutch one at that. 

The Mets are going to miss Alonso's presence not only in the batting order, but in the clubhouse. 

As for the Yankees they have a chance to do the funniest thing ever. Sign Alonso to spite the Mets. 

Aaron Rodgers Jets Era Must End After Loss to Seahawks

The Aaron Rodgers era in New York needs to come to an end. 

There is no doubt that Rodgers is a first ballot Hall of Famer; one of the most gifted athletes of his generation. He will go down as one of the best to ever do it in the regular season. His arm talent was second to none, except for maybe Dan Marino or Brett Favre in the primes of their careers. 

But with the Jets, it has been an all time disaster. 

Aaron Rodgers looks for help. Getty Images

Sunday's 26-21 Jets loss to the Seattle Seahawks only furthered the evidence that Rodgers marriage with the Jets has to come to an end.  Rodgers was inconsistent, and threw a horrible pick-six that flipped the game totally on its head. 

The Jets had a chance to go up 28-7, but Rodgers threw a pass that ex-Jet defensive lineman Leonard Williams tipped into the air and picked off before rumbling down field for the six-points to make it 21-13 instead. 

It was all Seattle after that. 

The Jets never got close to the end zone again the rest of the afternoon. 

The loss follows two more weeks of turmoil. In the aftermath of Joe Douglas' firing, a report by the Athletic detailed the drama within One Jets Drive, including an apparent rift between Jets owner Woody Johnson and Rodgers, and that there was a good chance both sides would go their separate ways. 

Rodgers denied those claims on the Pat McAfee show on November 26, but Sunday's game coupled with a corroborating story by Ian Rapoport in the wee hours of Sunday morning confirmed that Rodgers time in Green and White is ticking away. 

It's time for a change. It's time to wave good bye to one of the biggest failed era's in Jets history.