Billick reflects on the Ravens playoff run and his first year in broadcasting

Baltimore, Maryland

One year ago Brian Billick was the head coach of the 5-11 Ravens. A year later that job belongs to John Harbaugh who has the Ravens deep in the playoff hunt, meanwhile Billick has established himself as a top flight analyst with FOX Sports and the NFL Network.

In an Examiner exclusive I spoke the former Ravens coach about this year’s team and his ambitions to return to the sidelines.

JW: How does it feel to watch the Ravens in the playoffs?

Billick: “I am a fan of the Ravens, they are my local team. I love the players, the coaches, the front office people they are all still very special to me. Most of all I happy for the fans because one of the many things that Baltimore proved to me over the years is that they have the best and most passionate fans in the league they were good to me and my family while I was coach and they continue to be wonderful to me. So I want to see them go to Tampa and win it all.”

JW: What have you learned this year as a broadcaster?

Billick: “I have learned a lot about the entire NFL. I mean as a coach you really concern yourself with your team and the teams that you face but you don’t really look at the league as a whole. As a broadcaster I really focus on the every aspect of the entire NFL looking at tape and talking to players and coaches. That is something that I really enjoy. But since I left coaching I find that I sleep a lot better, I never lose a game and I enjoy working with the FOX broadcast team they have made this whole transition easy and fun.”

JW: Do you expect to return to coaching? What is it like to be up for the same job as your former assistants Rex Ryan and Jim Fassel?

Billick: “I would love to go back to coaching. But for me it has to be a good partnership and a good fit. It may sound cliché but my skill set really has to meet the needs of the team and vise versa. I am in a great position I do not need to find a job just to get back to coaching. If I can’t find the right fit then it would be very easy to return to the broadcast booth. League wide the trend seems to be when hiring a coach to look at the hot, bright and innovative young coordinators. I mean you only have to look at what happened with the Ravens, Falcons and Dolphins to see why owners are putting some young men that fans may not have heard on their coaching lists along with those of us who have had years of experience as head coaches. As for facing Rex and Jim that is just part of the process. It is not like we are wrestling on the 50 year line for the job. We each have different talent and unique sets that we bring to the table.”

We did have a little fun conversation about his beer commercials he told me “All that crazy ranting and raving that I did on the sidelines finally paid off. So as I told my wife acting a fool in this case did pay off.”