Heel Tough Blog: Bill Belichick Press Conference Takeaways- 8/20

Inside Carolina

Head coach Bill Belichick took to the stand once again on Wednesday afternoon to discuss where the Tar Heels stand with about a week and a half to go until the start of the season. Here are our biggest takeaways from what he said in his fourth media session of fall camp.

Grinding Through the Final Days of Camp

The Tar Heels are closing in on the final days of camp before preparations for TCU begin. Belichick said this week is the last chance to nail down the fundamentals and certain elements of their scheme before they begin gameplanning for TCU. It’s hard to get a gauge on just how good Belichick feels about where the team is at and if it has met his standards, but the buzz from around camp does seem to be mostly positive, which is a promising sign.

Offensive Line is Still a Work in Progress

The media was very interested in the offensive line, and for good reason, with the intel that has been rolling out of camp in recent days. This room is dealing with multiple injury issues and the starting offensive line is completely different from what was projected by us earlier this summer. Belichick said this room is still a work in progress right now, which is far from ideal, but that it is all about who is improving the most and finding the best five. Regardless of who this team rolls out there in the first game, it feels like this is the unit that we should be most concerned about heading into the opener. 

Alex Taylor is a Versatile and Dependable Receiver

One of the student athletes who got the chance to talk to the media on Wednesday was Alex Taylor and Belichick was asked directly about the redshirt freshman receiver. “I wasn’t here with him last year, but he’s a smart guy, very dependable, can play multiple positions, has been productive in multiple areas down the field, as a route runner and making adjustments in the passing game based on roll coverage, off coverage, press coverage, things like that. So he’s one of the players that the quarterbacks have a lot of confidence and trust in”. This is a glowing review for a guy who is hoping to be a part of the rotation at wide receiver, something that certainly seems probable as we sit here late in fall camp. Expect Taylor's role to only expand as the year goes along if he can continue to impress Belichick and the staff.