Brian Billick

[HoosierCat]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7621108

And so it begins...

[jjakq27]

Wow. That's a surprise. I thought he had a long term deal.

Maybe he'll be our new OC.

[Bengals1]

Marvin to Baltiwhore?

[TJJackson]

It would not suprise me

[Bengals1]

Billick as OC of the Bungles?

[AMC]

Wow. That's a surprise. I thought he had a long term deal.

Maybe he'll be our new OC.

Nah...I prefer not to pass on 2nd and 1, 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1.....

Too strong a personality to be a subordinate....

[bengalspride1219]

Next year with the bengals? What do you think?

[Pidge]

Where's that suicide emoticon?

[jjakq27]

Wow. That's a surprise. I thought he had a long term deal.

Maybe he'll be our new OC.

Nah...I prefer not to pass on 2nd and 1, 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1.....

Too strong a personality to be a subordinate....

One genius in the kitchen is enough for you?

[AMC]

NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stupid idea....Too much of an ego for a coordinator....He's an a$$hat.....

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Where's that suicide emoticon?

Hey, at least he didn't say Cowher.

[bengalboomer7]

NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I'm fighting the urge to close this topic

[AMC]

NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I'm fighting the urge to close this topic

Please do Boom!

HAHAHA!

[BengalszoneBilly]

I saw this train wreck coming mid way through the season from visiting the Ravens forum. We may take some satisfaction that it all started in the Monday Night season opener here in Cincy when Billick began his horrible calling that culminated in a Bengals win, and the high point of our season. How quickly it fell apart for us too after that.

[HairOnFire]

Ray Lewis = Coach Killer

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Well Baltimore has higher standards than the Bungals...then again just about every team does...maybe Marv got a "keep your mouth shut" bonus this year as well.

CURNUTTE: BENGALS STANDARDS LOW?

Ravens coach Brian Billick was fired this afternoon after a 5-11 season.

In nine years, Billick had an 80-64 regular-season record, went to the playoffs four times and won a Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, in five seasons with the Bengals, Marvin Lewis is 42-38 in the regular season with only one playoff appearance, a wildcard loss.

This example is how standards might not be as high for a coach with the Bengals as they are elsewhere throughout the NFL.

[James_Brooks21]

Ray Lewis = Coach Killer

Here we go with this, where does Ray Lewis have a history of being a coach killer; Buscotti said he talked to the GM and other owners I don't think Ray Lewis falls in any of those categories. If the players did not believe in the coach anymore and he was not going to get that back I would love for my players to express that don't waste the fans hard earned money when the players don't believe. Ray Lewis the Bengals have never had a player on defense in the history of the franchise that dynamic on that side of the ball, I hate the Ravens but I respect him. Marvin Lewis is not getting the head coach job in Baltimore, kill that noise. Marvin Lewis is lucky he is the coach of the Bengals any other decent franchise and he would be sweating bullets on if he is going to keep the job or not. Billick at least has a Super Bowl as the head coach Marvin does not even have a playoff win as a head coach. Yes he was the architect for that defense that won the superbowl under Billick but that's not what we hired him for we hired him to be the head coach and in that time we have not won any playoff games that what it comes down to. Marvin last year should be next year if we don't win a playoff game.

[HoosierCat]

Looks like Nolan could be next. From PFT...

POSTED 6:53 p.m. EST, December 31, 2007

NOLAN IN THE BALANCE

Another head coach whom many presumed to be safe could end up out of a job.

49ers coach Mike Nolan's press conference, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time on Monday, was first bumped by two hours and then canceled.

Nolan currently is meeting with ownership.

It has been reported that V.P. of player personnel Scot McCloughan is expected to be named General Manager. His first order of business could be hiring a new head coach.

In three years under Nolan, the 49ers are 16-32.

[BZoner]

Well Baltimore has higher standards than the Bungals...then again just about every team does...maybe Marv got a "keep your mouth shut" bonus this year as well.

CURNUTTE: BENGALS STANDARDS LOW?

Ravens coach Brian Billick was fired this afternoon after a 5-11 season.

In nine years, Billick had an 80-64 regular-season record, went to the playoffs four times and won a Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, in five seasons with the Bengals, Marvin Lewis is 42-38 in the regular season with only one playoff appearance, a wildcard loss.

This example is how standards might not be as high for a coach with the Bengals as they are elsewhere throughout the NFL.

Yeah I read that article, if you read the posts in the blog below one guy states that taking Billicks record over the same 5 year period the record is only one game higher than Marv @ 43-38 (and gets in a little dig about starting with a 2-14 team), he then goes on to suggest that Curnettes piece might have been fueled by Marv scooping him with the "Blow it up interview" to a rival paper.

[HoosierCat]

Checking in with the Baltimore Sun today I ran across this column from Mike Preston, whose stuff I've always liked. What struck me about it was that if you changed "Billick" to "Lewis," "offensive struggles" to "defensive struggles," and players' names from Ravens players to Bengals players...this could be Marvin's Cincy coaching obit. I've bolded some passages I found particularly familiar...

In end, Billick couldn't overcome offensive struggles

Mike Preston

January 1, 2008

The Ravens' Brian Billick became like the emperor with no clothes on, with his greatest weaknesses as a head coach becoming exposed more and more every year.

Finally, in the 2007 season, his charisma and salesmanship could no longer save him, overwhelmed by a season in which he had to be a difference-maker and wasn't.

Billick's weaknesses with X's and O's, as well as clock management and play-calling, caught up with him in a season of promise that turned into one of disappointment.

The Ravens fired Billick yesterday, ending a nine-year run that included four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in the 2000 season.

Billick should be saluted because he was a good coach, and during his era he produced enough smoke and mirrors to often hide his weaknesses on the sideline.

He fooled the local media (no big task), the Modell family, which hired him, and twice did the same with current owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome, the last time nearly a year ago when they gave him a four-year contract extension.

But the Ravens had an extraordinary number of injuries this season, and when that happens, two things are revealed: It shows your team's depth and whether your coach really has a strong knowledge of the game.

The Ravens finished 5-11 but had enough talent to finish about .500 and at least be in contention for a playoff berth.

But questionable play-calling and clock management and an unproductive offense led to Billick's dismissal. He could no longer hide his deficiencies as a coach, and at times they were glaring, which irritated the defensive players.

Those same problems were there in his early years with the Ravens, but a great defense and a Super Bowl trophy obscured those weaknesses.

Who cared if the Ravens didn't score a touchdown in five straight games? Who cared if the Ravens went through numerous quarterbacks? Who cared if the Ravens went through three offensive coordinators and still didn't have a top 20 offense?

In the words of Billick: "It is what it is. A win is a win."

Billick's downfall began in 2003, the year he made then-No. 1 draft pick Kyle Boller his starting quarterback.

Basically, Billick mortgaged years off the careers of such great defensive players as Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Adalius Thomas, Tony Weaver, Ed Reed and Chris McAlister to tutor Boller.

That's when he started losing this team. The slide continued in 2004 and hit rock bottom in 2005.

The fluff and puff were gone. Players laughed behind his back at his $50 words. There was little interaction between Billick and his players, and the locker room became a problem area.

Billick overcame some of the problems, but he could never quell that rift between his struggling offensive players and their defensive counterparts.

It was too much. At the turn of the century, the Ravens had one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, yet from the 2001 season to the present they won only one playoff game.

That in itself kept eating at the fiber of this team, and it eventually turned the players against Billick.

They didn't respect his knowledge of the game. Star players such as Reed and Lewis would occasionally turn their backs on him when he addressed the team. Lewis even called him out about play-calling during the season.

When younger players see that, they believe they can act the same way, too, which is why the Ravens are so undisciplined.

Billick's personality and message had gotten stale, and his lack of discipline contributed to the problems this season.

Before yesterday, the Ravens and Billick had agreed to bring in a new offensive coordinator for the 2008 season, but that would have been a Band-Aid.

It's hard to justify having two highly paid coordinators running your team. That would have been another indictment of Billick. What was Billick supposed to do? Go to the first 20 minutes of practice and then take a nap?

Billick was on his way to becoming a figurehead, a once-powerful coach who kept losing more control every year since 2005, when Bisciotti publicly reprimanded him.

Billick was working in reverse. Over extended periods of time, great coaches such as Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells gain more power and become general managers and presidents as well as coaches. But Billick's power base was eroding.

His time in Baltimore was well spent. He was what this franchise needed in 1999. Back then, the Ravens needed energy, direction and organization.

Billick was the perfect fit. He exuded confidence to the point of arrogance. He was tall, strong and emotional, the perfect public relations machine. He had a love for the game and a passion for power and money.

But through the years, the façade began breaking down and the magic faded away. And this season, more than ever, Billick had to prove himself as a difference-maker. Instead, he proved he was actually more smoke than substance when it came to the games on the field.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Checking in with the Baltimore Sun today I ran across this column from Mike Preston, whose stuff I've always liked. What struck me about it was that if you changed "Billick" to "Lewis," "offensive struggles" to "defensive struggles," and players' names from Ravens players to Bengals players...this could be Marvin's Cincy coaching obit. I've bolded some passages I found particularly familiar...

In end, Billick couldn't overcome offensive struggles

Mike Preston

January 1, 2008

The Ravens' Brian Billick became like the emperor with no clothes on, with his greatest weaknesses as a head coach becoming exposed more and more every year.

Finally, in the 2007 season, his charisma and salesmanship could no longer save him, overwhelmed by a season in which he had to be a difference-maker and wasn't.

Billick's weaknesses with X's and O's, as well as clock management and play-calling, caught up with him in a season of promise that turned into one of disappointment.

The Ravens fired Billick yesterday, ending a nine-year run that included four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in the 2000 season.

Billick should be saluted because he was a good coach, and during his era he produced enough smoke and mirrors to often hide his weaknesses on the sideline.

He fooled the local media (no big task), the Modell family, which hired him, and twice did the same with current owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome, the last time nearly a year ago when they gave him a four-year contract extension.

But the Ravens had an extraordinary number of injuries this season, and when that happens, two things are revealed: It shows your team's depth and whether your coach really has a strong knowledge of the game.

The Ravens finished 5-11 but had enough talent to finish about .500 and at least be in contention for a playoff berth.

But questionable play-calling and clock management and an unproductive offense led to Billick's dismissal. He could no longer hide his deficiencies as a coach, and at times they were glaring, which irritated the defensive players.

Those same problems were there in his early years with the Ravens, but a great defense and a Super Bowl trophy obscured those weaknesses.

Who cared if the Ravens didn't score a touchdown in five straight games? Who cared if the Ravens went through numerous quarterbacks? Who cared if the Ravens went through three offensive coordinators and still didn't have a top 20 offense?

In the words of Billick: "It is what it is. A win is a win."

Billick's downfall began in 2003, the year he made then-No. 1 draft pick Kyle Boller his starting quarterback.

Basically, Billick mortgaged years off the careers of such great defensive players as Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Adalius Thomas, Tony Weaver, Ed Reed and Chris McAlister to tutor Boller.

That's when he started losing this team. The slide continued in 2004 and hit rock bottom in 2005.

The fluff and puff were gone. Players laughed behind his back at his $50 words. There was little interaction between Billick and his players, and the locker room became a problem area.

Billick overcame some of the problems, but he could never quell that rift between his struggling offensive players and their defensive counterparts.

It was too much. At the turn of the century, the Ravens had one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, yet from the 2001 season to the present they won only one playoff game.

That in itself kept eating at the fiber of this team, and it eventually turned the players against Billick.

They didn't respect his knowledge of the game. Star players such as Reed and Lewis would occasionally turn their backs on him when he addressed the team. Lewis even called him out about play-calling during the season.

When younger players see that, they believe they can act the same way, too, which is why the Ravens are so undisciplined.

Billick's personality and message had gotten stale, and his lack of discipline contributed to the problems this season.

Before yesterday, the Ravens and Billick had agreed to bring in a new offensive coordinator for the 2008 season, but that would have been a Band-Aid.

It's hard to justify having two highly paid coordinators running your team. That would have been another indictment of Billick. What was Billick supposed to do? Go to the first 20 minutes of practice and then take a nap?

Billick was on his way to becoming a figurehead, a once-powerful coach who kept losing more control every year since 2005, when Bisciotti publicly reprimanded him.

Billick was working in reverse. Over extended periods of time, great coaches such as Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells gain more power and become general managers and presidents as well as coaches. But Billick's power base was eroding.

His time in Baltimore was well spent. He was what this franchise needed in 1999. Back then, the Ravens needed energy, direction and organization.

Billick was the perfect fit. He exuded confidence to the point of arrogance. He was tall, strong and emotional, the perfect public relations machine. He had a love for the game and a passion for power and money.

But through the years, the façade began breaking down and the magic faded away. And this season, more than ever, Billick had to prove himself as a difference-maker. Instead, he proved he was actually more smoke than substance when it came to the games on the field.

So very true. In many other organizations Marvins seat might have been considerably warmer.

[HairOnFire]

Hilarious. Only on a Bengal message board could the firing of Brian Billick morph into an indictment of Marvin Lewis.

Idiots.

[HoosierCat]

Hilarious. Only on a Bengal message board could the firing of Brian Billick morph into an indictment of Marvin Lewis.

Idiots.

Oh, please. It's hardly an "indictment of Marvin Lewis" to note that the same conditions that led to Billick finally being ousted in Baltimore exist in growing proportions here in Cincy. Poor clock management and playcalling? Check. Inability to overcome injuries? Check. Having one stud unit and one sucky unit that he can't seem to improve, while the good unit gets older and older? Check. Having players openly questioning the coaching staff and playcalling? Check. Lack of discipline? Things getting "stale"? Check and check. Coach apparently going in the wrong direction? Marvin was the face of the franchise five years ago, now we hear more and more about the triumverate of Mikey, Katie and Troy. So, check. A coach who was a perfect fit several years ago, but whose facade is breaking down and magic fading away? Check.

That's not an indictment, simply a warning. If things don't turn around fairly quickly, Marvin will (and arguably should) go the way of Brian.

[HairOnFire]

That's not an indictment, simply a warning. If things don't turn around fairly quickly, Marvin will (and arguably should) go the way of Brian.

Please, it's less of a warning than a pointless excerise built around trying to voice as many vauge generalities about two men who were once linked, but haven't worked together in six or seven years.

And a quick reminder for whining Bengal fans who insist this franchise suffers from lower standards than the Ravens. Brian Billick wasn't fired until his record of offensive futility reached nine seasons, nearly twice as long as Lewis's defenses have struggled.

[HairOnFire]

Marvin was the face of the franchise five years ago, now we hear more and more about the triumverate of Mikey, Katie and Troy. So, check.

Ridiculous. Marvin is certainly under seige, but he not only remains the face of the franchise....he has no challengers. And as for the so-called triumverate, with few exceptions the only place you hear their names is on Bengal message boards where fans blame them for the weather, civil unrest in Pakistan, and a recent outburst of monkey pox in Hamilton. And there's the rub because it's easy to dismiss that type of over-the-top criticism as the ravings of the lunatic fringe.

Take this thread for example. Brian Billick gets fired, in large part because of a near decade long stretch of QB futility, and the lunatic fringe somehow manages to morph the thread into a "warning" to Marvin Lewis.