The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Baltimore head coach Brian Billick has decided to fire offensive coordinator Jim Fassel.
Billick will now take over the play calling duties for the Ravens on Sundays.
“Clearly, in order for us to expand on our 4-2 start, we have to have more offensive productivity,” Billick said in an 11-minute news conference. “It was my opinion going forward to bring about the level of production we needed offensively to go where need to go that I need to step back in on a day-to-day basis.”
Fassel wasn’t quoted in this article. But in a story posted on ESPN.com, Fassel told Chris Mortensen that he wasn’t in sole ownership of the offense while in Baltimore.
“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve gotten the offense up and running pretty fast,” Fassel told Mortensen. “It didn’t happen here and the reason I believe is that I wasn’t in full control.”
“Brian was very good about this. He told me, ‘You’re right. My job’s on the line and the only way I can deal with it is if I take control of the offense.'”
I always find it interesting when a head coach doesn’t allow his coordinators to do their jobs. It can be argued that Fassel wasn’t having sucess running the Ravens offense, but if Billick had a hand in the mess – what makes Billick think he is going to turn right this often-sinking ship?
