The Ravens and Jim Fassel termed it a parting of the ways. Head coach Brian Billick said he removed his friend and offensive coordinator from the position late Monday evening. However it is phrased, Fassel’s dismissal six weeks into the season was a shocking move.
Once considered one of the bright, young head coaches in the league and six years removed from a Super Bowl appearance as coach of the New York Giants, Fassel was fired this week as a coordinator.
Recommended Stories
If it was indeed a parting of ways, there appears to have been a power struggle. In an interview with ESPN Tuesday, Fassel said it was partially his choice.
“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve gotten the offense up and running pretty fast,” Fassel told ESPN?s Chris Mortensen. “It didn’t happen here and the reason, I believe, is that I wasn’t in full control.”
Billick denied claims in the preseason that he took over the team’s play-calling inside the red zone last season and said Fassel made “virtually” every call. Fassel told ESPN the boiling point came recently.
“This has been building for quite awhile, and finally, I went to Brian last week and said, ‘Look Brian, you’ve always run a good offense and I’ve always run a good offense, but the bottom line is somebody has to be in charge,” Fassel said. “Somebody has to pull the trigger, and it can’t be two guys.”
While the Ravens have struggled offensively,ranking 28th in the NFL, few expected Fassel to leave the team during the season. He once served as offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, when John Elway was the NFL MVP. Three years ago, he was fired as head coach of the Giants following a seven-year stint in which he won 1997 NFL coach of the year honors and took his team to Super Bowl XXXV.
Despite the Giants going 4-12 in 2003, Fassel was a head coach candidate in the NFL, interviewing with the Redskins before they re-hired Joe Gibbs. Billick convinced Fassel to become a senior consultant with the Ravens in 2004 to help groom quarterback Kyle Boller. The following season, the Ravens parted ways with coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, who oversaw a stagnant offense for six seasons. Fassel, who still wanted to be a head coach, agreed to take over the reigns of the offense on Jan. 18, 2005.
“For Jim to be able to address this … it’s exciting for me, it’s exciting for the organization,” Billick said when Fassel became coordinator. “Had Jim … gone to the market … as an offensive coordinator, it would have been interesting. You talk about the high-priced free agents and the coveted coaches, he would have been the preeminent coach in that position. … For us to have Jim in this position is a huge asset for this organization.”
Less then two years after the marriage, Billick and Fassel apparently could no longer see eye to eye and a divorce was finalized.
