Belichick's Turnaround: Tar Heels' Dominant Pass Rush a Testament to Progress Under Legendary Coach

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Chapel Hill, NC - North Carolina's defensive line has been a force to be reckoned with, racking up a national-best 20 sacks in the last four weeks under the guidance of NFL legend Bill Belichick. The Tar Heels' surge in pass rush has been a key factor in their turnaround from a rocky start, with two consecutive wins and a chance to reach bowl eligibility looming after their next three games. Belichick, who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, attributes the team's growth to a combination of factors, including being in closer games that require opponents to throw more and overall improvement throughout the defense. 'Sacks are a function of team defense,' Belichick said. 'When your team defense is good, then all those things fall into place.' The Tar Heels have shown significant improvement, with Melkart Abou Jaoude leading the charge with eight sacks in the past three games. Tyler Thompson, who has four straight games with at least one sack, credits the team's secondary for giving him and other pass rushers the opportunity to succeed. 'The back end is doing a phenomenal job locking down receivers,' Thompson said. 'So that's giving me and Melly and some of the other guys time to get back there. And just everyone doing their jobs. It's that simple.' Belichick, who also drew comparisons to a baseball pitcher, emphasizes the importance of developing a varied skillset and working in unison. 'You need a good two or three pitches that you can throw,' he said. 'Some guys are power rushers, some guys are more speed rushers and so forth. You need a curveball. You need a change-up. You need something.' The Tar Heels' recent surge has been a welcome change for a team that had just six sacks through their first five games. With 26 sacks and a ranking of 12th nationally at 2.9 per game, UNC is now a force to be reckoned with in the Atlantic Coast Conference.