Ravens to make SIGNIFICANT announcement at noon

[Fanman]

I got this from a very reliable source:

The Baltimore Ravens will have a significant announcement from Brian Billick today at noon at the team’s Owings Mills complex.

Possibilities:

1. Player trade
2. Coaching move
3. Resignation

This could be big.

FM

[italianjoker]

stay tuned people. it is supposed to be big. i do not know any more then that.

[FHRaven]

I'm betting on a coaching change of some type.

FHRaven

[Brandon]

Yeah, I heard about it on WNST.

[Brandon]

I wonder if Fassel is resigning?

[ExiledRaven]

4) Kyle is starting?

I kid. Keep this up to date, I'm really interested to hear.

Nothing really seems to make sense.

Fassel quitting seems like the most plausibile thing, or McNair being out for the year.

[Fanman]

Today is the trade deadline...but that would be an Ozzie thing wouldn't it?

FM

[Brandon]

Geez, this is going to be a long wait.

I wonder if it will be aired live on WBAL. I don't think they air the press conference on Monday live.

[Ravenatic20]

I'm guessing it's regarding the B.J. Sams suspension, or the Steve McNair injury.

[braven98]

Billick to promote his new book, how I invented offense

[RavenFanatic2k6]

Something regarding Sams suspension is not big news, something regarding McNair's injury is not big news unless they are putting him on IR.

[Fanman]

braven98...that was killer...LOL.

other titles:

The Parameters of a winning offense

The Dynamics of an NFL offense


FM

[PARavensJeff]

The Ravens will have a significant announcement from Brian Billick today at Noon from the team's Owings Mills complex.

What the heck is going on? Anyone know?

[braven98]

hopefully its not steve to the IR, then it will be Vinny is back

[larrylater]

I have a friend high up in the front office, here's the scoop, Brian is going to announce that we are actually 4-0. :thumbup:

[flraven]

or maybe
Offensive Profiles Against Today's Explosive NFL Defenses

[flraven]

Maybe they've decided to have Billick and Fassel trade jobs. :)

[GreenWave52]

"Playing Within Your Profile" by Brian Billick

Foreward by Matt Cavanaugh

[Brandon]

Brian is going to annouce that the naked pictures that Mike Flynn had of him and Ozzie were recently recovered from Flynn's house and now Flynn has been released.

[ravenmaniac]

I got this from a very reliable source:

The Baltimore Ravens will have a significant announcement from Brian Billick today at noon at the team’s Owings Mills complex.

Possibilities:

1. Player trade
2. Coaching move
3. Resignation

This could be big.

FM

If you got it from a reliable source, how come you dont know what it is?

[camdenyard]

They wouldn't put McNair on IR unless the MRI showed a threatening issue with his neck. Billick said that he was doing well and could play Sunday if we had a game, so I don't think it is that.

I know from ladyraven and Fanatic that Ogden was screaming at Billick for an extended period after the second series; that Mason is publiclly bashing the offense; and that Jamal is doing the same. It could be something coming from all of this.

Could be a major trade (Moss?).

Or, maybe Steve B. is fed up and Billick is stepping down.

[GreenWave52]

Well, I believe today at noon is the trade deadline. So....



Randy Moss (ducks).

I don't want Moss and I hope that if we traded it was for an o-lineman, but we will see.

[larrylater]

Alright, here it is for real, we've traded away our entire offensive line for a case of Gatorade. :thumbup:

[RavenFanatic2k6]

4PM is the trade deadline, when I first saw this my first thought was "Moss".

I hope I am right.

[camdenyard]

Brandon, that was good! :laugh:

It could be a trade, but I think if it was a major trade then Ozzie would be the centerpiece.

When I first read this, my first though was "Brian's resigning and Fassell will take over the team". I hope that doesn't happen.

[Fanman]

Ravenmaniac. My source does not know the announcment either...the Ravens haven't released it yet. Maybe that's why they scheduled the presser....ya think.

Not all orgs tell the media up front what a presser will be about.

FM

[braven98]

We just sign the Pepsi machine and cut Mason

[RavenFanatic2k6]

It may be a coaching change, guess it just seems strange to me to be making a change when you are 4-2.

[PURPWALK]

If it's too big of an announcement then the season's down the crapper. I hope we dump Foerster, then traded Jamal and Fassell for Moss and Art Shell. I can hope can't I?

[GreenWave52]

Leonard Davis the OT from AZ was reportadly trade bait. According to PFT so were a lot of Bucs.


I hope we dump Foerster, then traded Jamal and Fassell for Moss and Art Shell. I can hope can't I?I was with you until the Art Shell part.

[PURPWALK]

Have any other teams made a simliar announcement of an upcoming presser?

[italianjoker]

Nestor reporting right now that i must be a coaching change of some sort. Billick is only in charge of the coaches on his staff. like the bulk are speculating here. if it were trade, Ozzie would be having the conference.

2 hours is too long.


i think Billick quits or Fassel has had enough of Billick's crap and is leaving.

[ravenmaniac]

Ravenmaniac. My source does not know the announcment either...the Ravens haven't released it yet. Maybe that's why they scheduled the presser....ya think.

Not all orgs tell the media up front what a presser will be about.

FM

Everyone else's "reliable source" was the freakin radio. You talk as if you have some inside information.

[Brandon]

Nestor says that it's most likely not a trade, since it would be Ozzie Newsome doing the conference.

I think it's Fassel leaving.

[PURPWALK]

Leonard Davis the OT from AZ was reportadly trade bait. According to PFT so were a lot of Bucs.

I was with you until the Art Shell part.

I would have him coach the line.

[RavenScallywag]

Well, we're still 4-2, so I doubt it'd be something too drastic. It might be Fassel stepping down and allowing someone else to co-ordinate offense. Or maybe Billick hiring a clock management coach?

[middleriverterp]

JUST REPORTED ON 1300 by Viviano-----
Fassel fired as OC.

[RavenScallywag]

who replaces him? Please PLEASE tell me it's Neuheisel, and not Foerster!

[ravenjoe]

I'm betting on a coaching change! I suspect Fassel is being removed, and Neuheisel is taking over. Any personnel moves would be Ozzie's press conference.

[deuce]

There is no chance Billick would resign mid-season. From what is posted above looks like Fassell got axed. Whoever is doing the playcalling though better turn the freaking page.

[RavenScallywag]

this is the only sensible move. Basically, it's our way of saying "we have the tools on offense, we know the offense can drive, we just need a different driver".

Defense was solid until this last week, and it's not like there's a marquee player we needed to get (outside of an OL)

[PARavensJeff]

Nestor just reported he has 100% confirmation that Fassel & the Ravens have agreed mutually to "part ways". Neuheisel is the new OC.

[braven98]

dam it, I wanted to make Beavis Fassel and Butthead billick shirts

[PARavensJeff]

If it was Billick quiting, he wouldn't have been having the PC, it would have been Ozzie & Biscotti. If it was a trade, it would have been Ozzie's show.

[Mista T]

Here's hoping for a trade announcement: McNair for Randy Moss!:thumbup:

:T2:

[larrylater]

1) For as annoying as he can be at times, Nestor always seems to get the Ravens scoop long before anyone else. Kudos. :thumbup:

2) I'm not really excited about this "big" announcement. It seems we've tried the coordinator move before. I think the problem is higher up than that. In any case, I wish Neuheisel a lot of luck in dealing with Jamal (who wants more runs) and Mason (who wants more passes). Whatever the case, I love my football team. :)

[PARavensJeff]

I wonder if this came from Biscotti, considering that Billick is so loyal to his coaches & players & he & Fassel are so close friends.

[PARavensJeff]

Well, you know Nestor always brags about how close he is to Billick & everyone else at Owings Mills.

[StingerNLG]

That reliable source was WNST and 1300AM. :)

I can't help think this is Fassel resigning. This is not his offense, and it hasn't been his offense since he got here.

I'll say this. If Fassel is gone, then Billick will be gone at the end of the year. Bisciotti will fly off the handle if they lose an offensive coordinator even BEFORE mid-season. That won't still well at all.

[RavensFanIAm]

I heard that Fassel is leaving

[postalworker]

Hmm. Very interesting.

If Fassel is gone, I'm assuming Neuheisel is taking over. Maybe he'll implement the forward pass into our scheme.

Coach Brian Billick:

"Seeing as all coaching decisions, and for that matter, coaches, are under my purview, I've decided that parting ways with Jim Fassel is the prudent thing to do under the given circumstances. Between bouts of reading Sartre and Camus a fortnight ago, it struck me that the profile of this team needs to undergo a drastic paradigm shift. So, I put down my copy of The Stranger and ran off to my personal film-studying room, considering I can make virtually no tangible observations about anything without looking over the tape first. As I was watching, I noticed that our profile is skewed a bit- you see, in 1906, John Heisman invented the forward pass, and remarkably, Jim Fassel had not realized this, and I reasoned that to neglect this advancement in football philosophy would be imprudent. So, Jim will no longer be with the team, and I will be calling all of the plays from this point forward. And, you guys know this- it's a process, this whole... "offense" thing. We've got certain parameters within which we must operate, and we'll get to it."

[RavenScallywag]

on the other hand, Biscotti would fire Billick if he let a bad O keep stinking up the team.

Fassel seemed to be a great coach, but whatever he did wasn't working. This is just another experiment to find the root problem of this offense.

[PARavensJeff]

The root problem of the offense has been here since the genius arrived in 99. 8 seasons later & we still don't have an offense. I'll agree Fassel is a good coach & this isn't his offense, but he's in the job & Biscotti said last year he wouldn't fire Billick in the middle of a season. I think this has Biscotti's fingerprints all over it. The noose is tightening around Billick's neck & after today it will be tighter.

[Fanman]

I am hearing it's Fassell out as OC. Please let Neuheisel be the replacement...and NOT Billick.

FM

[RavenFanatic2k6]

SI reporting it will be Billick taking over playcalling.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/don_banks/10/17/fassel/index.html

[postalworker]

SI reporting it will be Billick taking over playcalling.

Dear Jesus.

[ravenmaniac]

I am hearing it's Fassell out as OC. Please let Neuheisel be the replacement...and NOT Billick.

FM

which of your "sources" told you that? BAL? WJZ? cnnsi?

[postalworker]

Well, if Billick's going to call plays, then I guess we'll find out once and for all who's to blame for the offensive playcalling. I have a hunch, though...

[Fanman]

Who my sources are is my business RM...get over it. It's somebody close to the Ravens...that's all you need to know. Why does it bother you so much anyway?

FM

[UKRavenStockers]

Dear Jesus.

It's an end point and it brings finality, there's been no change in the playcalling with Billick bringing in the new OCs, if Billick finally takes over the playcalling the buck does stop with him and he can't dodge the bullet.

I love Billick as a man motivator and a great HC, but he won't surrender his control of the offense and that's killing this team because the offensive gameplanning and gamecalling has routinely stunk! I don't want to see Billick leave as HC but I know he's never gonna relinquish his control of the offense and folks are already showing their frustration with the offense and seams are already splitting, this brings finality, bigger changes are afoot this off-season in my opinion.

[StingerNLG]

SI reporting it will be Billick taking over playcalling.

Oh great, bad clock management and now this too???

Well, Billick will be gone at the end of the year too.

[ravenmaniac]

Who my sources are is my business RM...get over it. It's somebody close to the Ravens...that's all you need to know. Why does it bother you so much anyway?

FM


Genius,

This is sarcasm. All of this is and has been PUBLIC information.

[Ravenator]

Fassel to Resign, reported by espn.com

[PARavensJeff]

As a few other posters have said, SI is saying Billick will assume the OC & playcalling duties. Don Banks, who is pretty good is reporting this. This isn't a good thing if it's true.

[Fletchterps]

I'm guessing it will be something like this:

"The, uh, announcement we are making today is that Jim Fassel -- in consultation with me and others in the organization -- has decided to leave the organization, effective immediately. This decision in no way should be interpreted as a criticism of the fine job Jim has done with our organization. Obviously, I continue have the highest regard for Jim's abilities and still consider him a close friend. Jim was not fired. But, given some of the challenges we have faced on the offensive side of the ball, we decided it would be in everyone's best interest to change part of our approach. This will also give Jim ample time to pursue his dream of returning as a head coach in the league, as well as more time to spend with his family.

"Naturally, this being the bye week made it the ideal time to carry out this transition. In the near term, I will take over offensive coordinator duties, with the plan to slowly transition those duties over to Rick Neuheisel, who is more than capable to running the offense."

[PARavensJeff]

All hail King Billick. Maybe the problem all these years have been no one can interprut his offense like him, so he'll cut out the middle man & call the games himself. Maybe he'll pull out all 12,000 plays in his playbook he supposedly had when he came here.

He just said John Fassel is staying

[Fanman]

Bad news...Billick is taking over the play calling duties. Ugh...this is not good.

FM

[middleriverterp]

Fletch
You hit the nail on the head

[PARavensJeff]

Well, the Billick radio show should be entertaining tonight.

If anyone missed the press conference live, WBAL radio said they are posting it on their website.

[Ravenfanmike]

After listening to the press conference, Fassel was fired.

[Greg]

The last time Billick called plays for an offense was 1998 in Minnesota. I don't know why you people think he will suck at the job. Maybe he will, but the last week was terrible. We threw way too much.

Jamal Lewis needs to shut up but he is right, we didn't run enough this past week.

[PARavensJeff]

No doubt Fassel was fired, as Billick said "He has to do what is right for the team".

He actually said he was responsible, so he has officially tied himself to the offense.

[PARavensJeff]

Hey, I hope he is successful, but there have been stories for the past year he was calling plays anyway & butting heads w/ Fassel about it. The difference between him calling plays in 98 for the Vikings & us today is he had Cunningham, Carter, Moss & Robert Smith. The players in the Ravens offense don't = these guys

[larrylater]

I haven't been happy with Billick for quite some time but I'll give him this, he fired his very close friend to improve the football team. Whether it's the right move or not, Billick believes so and didn't shy away from it. That took guts. More importantly, he is putting himself right in the line of fire. No more buffers, sweet talk, serenades, etc. The offense will pass or fail directly on him for all to see. It's the most logical solution for now and for the future. I see Bisciotti's fingerprints on this but it's just conjecture, I don't have the great sources that some of you do. :laugh:

In any case, I hope the entire team is bolstered by this and we go on a serious roll! :thumbup:

[PARavensJeff]

Billick fired his best friend because he knows if this keeps happening, it's his job at the end of the year. He figured if it's his butt, he wants the control on how it works out. I have no sources either, I'm just a season ticket holder sitting back & offering my 2 cents worth.

[Purpleguy]

Wasn't 99 the last time we showed any kind of offemse with Banks as the QB?

Our offense sure has sucked with Billick not calling the plays. I'm pretty psyched about what he can do.

[RavenScallywag]

the reason it scares me is because I suspect sometime during Cavanaugh's tenure, BB DID call some plays and it didn't change a damn thing. He just didn't officially say he called them. At least that's what I suspect. I think if he really thought his playcalling was better, he would've done something before this drastic move. Like allowing Fassel to be OC while BB called the plays.

Any matter, this appears to now be the boom or bust year for BB. If this playcalling thing fails, he's out at year end.

[Losac]

Wasn't 99 the last time we showed any kind of offemse with Banks as the QB?

Our offense sure has sucked with Billick not calling the plays. I'm pretty psyched about what he can do.
I think we had the Water Buffalo and Stoney Case for the first part of that season with Banks playing the latter part. Cavanaugh was already here when Banks was the starter.

[Bez513]

Well...if Billick wasn't on the hot seat now damn...that seat is now an inferno. He will get fired if this team doesn't turn it around. Period. He has no one to blame for play calling now...it's all on his shoulders.

[larrylater]

Banks made some big plays but he would break your heart in crunch time.

1999 Ravens passing stats (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/ravens/stats/99stats.htm)

[PARavensJeff]

Yes, 99 was the year of the "Leap of Faith"/Water Buffalo, followed by the Stony Case project, & then Banks, who threw for 17 TD's & only 8 INT's & the Ravens thought they found a QB. Of course it wasn't hard to show much offense after Teddy Football's last season w/ Harbaugh & Zier.

[larrylater]

Yes, 99 was the year of the "Leap of Faith"/Water Buffalo, followed by the Stony Case project, & then Banks, who threw for 17 TD's & only 8 INT's & the Ravens thought they found a QB. Of course it wasn't hard to show much offense after Teddy Football's last season w/ Harbaugh & Zier.

Actually, the offensive numbers were only slightly better in '99 than they were in '98 under Marchibroda.

Ravens offensive numbers - 1998 (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/sfn/sfn806st.htm)

[PARavensJeff]

I agree, but after watching Marchobroda's offense after Vinny's 1st year & seeing Harbaugh have a rough time, Banks was like a breath of fresh air & 99 was our first year with a non-losing record.

[larrylater]

Our defense started coming around as well in '99, we were no longer blowing 3 TD leads in the 4th quarter. :laugh:

I have always thought that this team needed a "closer", particluarly with some of the QB's we've had. Vinny, Banks & a couple of others could throw for 900 yards in a game but seemed to melt at the end with a stupid mistake. We needed a "Mariano Rivera", we would have won a lot more. :D

[Fanman]

I, for one, have NO faith in Billick calling the plays. He has never been able to produce even an average offense w/ the help of others so why would he be able to do it now by himself?

I really hope I am wrong.

FM