Paul Finebaum predicts Bill Belichick's legacy will continue to diminish at North Carolina

Bill Belichick’s legacy is arguably the greatest of any professional football coach to ever grace the sidelines. However, some are worried it could be sullied during his first season in college football at North Carolina in 2025.

Paul Finebaum is one of those people. If Belichick fails, pundits may point to his time with the Tar Heels before thinking about his multiple Super Bowl victories, as it’s fresher in their minds.

“There’s some, because (his legacy) has already been diminished,” Finebaum stated, regarding whether or not there’s worry for Belichick damaging his legacy, via Get Up on Friday. “We all know he’s won six Super Bowls. It’s the greatest NFL career of all time. But we often remember what you do last. 

“I mean, Willie Mays was my favorite player as a kid, but I remember him dropping a fly ball in the World Series. It happens. I’m afraid for Bill Belichick, it’s going to happen again.”

While Finebaum makes some salient points, others aren’t as sure. Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum pushed back on the SEC Network analyst’s idea, thinking that Belichick’s legacy is secure and can even be improved in Year 1 in Chapel Hill.

“The notion out there is, could this impact his legacy? We saw the legendary Bill Walsh end his career at Stanford, that didn’t go well. So, there is some risk. But I think at his core, Coach Belichick, the guy I know loves to coach football and develop young players. I think he will exceed expectations, certainly in Year 1,” Tannenbaum added. “I see it because of the schedule. They could steal maybe a seventh or eighth win. 

“So, is there a risk around the legacy? Absolutely. But when you look at this schedule, TCU is going to be difficult. Obviously, Clemson. When you get to the end of the season, we’ll see what NC State is. But there’s a lot of winnable games here. Maybe they sneak into the ACC Championship Game. The fact that the bar is so low, for the first time in his career, I think it’s actually easy for him to exceed expectations.”

To break the tie, Mike Greenberg took Tannenbaum’s side, not Finebaum’s. Still, damage to Belichick’s legacy is a real worry, as a complete disaster of a tenure at North Carolina would be a tough pill to swallow.

“It’s interesting. Mike T, you brought up the Bill Walsh at Stanford thing, and my first reaction was, ‘Oh, I had forgotten that even happened.’ You know, I don’t feel like that diminishes his legacy. I feel like Bill Walsh is remembered as one of the great offensive innovators, and one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game,” Greenberg explained.

“I feel like that was a short-term — I mean, now that you say it, I remember it. So, I think Belichick will be remembered for what he did in the pros, unless this thing is just an abject disaster. We’ll have to wait and see.”

All told, it’s tough to bet against Bill Belichick, but he’s never done anything like this before. Time will tell whether Paul Finebaum, Mike Tannenbaum or Mike Greenberg is on the right side of the argument, but we won’t have to wait long to find out, as there’s only about a month until the greatest NFL coach of all time roams the sidelines in college for the first time.