The Byrne Identity: What Happened?
by Kevin Byrne
Dec 27, 2007, 5:27PM
Dec 27, 2007, 5:27PM
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WHAT HAPPENED?
While it was only 5 months ago, it seems so long ago that the Ravens were a 13-3 defending AFC North champion working hard at training camp. Many national reporters came to McDaniel College to announce that the Ravens looked sharp, healthy and ready to take the next step to be a Super Bowl team.
It wasn’t the Ravens saying this. These were reporters of note, not to mention local observers releasing much the same message. Of course, our players would respond positively when asked if they thought we could go to and win a Super Bowl. I must have seen Ray Lewis answer that question 10 times. His answer was always the same: “That’s why we play. That’s why we work so hard. Yeah, we think we’re good enough to win a Super Bowl,” Lewis said.
Brian Billick hedged a little, and that’s typical of head coaches. He answered like this: “Let’s get to the opener first. But, sure, we’re like most teams in this league. We think we’re going to be better, and we were pretty good last year. We earned the right to be called a Super Bowl contender. We don’t back down from that. We’re not going into the season thinking we’re not good enough or that we’re going to lose.”
Training camp was exciting with all of this attention. And, what we all saw on those practice fields was a base for optimism. Steve McNair looked sharp. Receiver Demetrius Williams made spectacular downfield catches every day. Willis McGahee exhibited quickness, toughness, plus a catching ability that promised more production from the running back spot. Young offensive linemen showed more athletic ability than we employed in previous seasons.
We were showing a new offense that was more diverse than the one that had featured Jamal Lewis for all of those seasons. We were running 3- and 4-wides (receivers). Other times, we came out with 2 tight ends, only to split to 4-wides, taking advantage of the special abilities of TEs Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox. We were all excited about the possibilities.
On defense, Rex Ryan and his assistants were building with a group that was No. 1 in the league in 2006. They experimented with Haloti Ngata, now in his 2nd season, as a 350-pound linebacker. S Dawan Landry was given more, based on the outstanding production from his rookie season. The Pro Bowlers – Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Trevor Pryce, Bart Scott, Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle and Terrell Suggs – all seemed in great shape, enthusiastic and confident they could be better.
Return specialist B.J. Sams looked sharp. Matt Stover was consistent and showed the same length with his kicks that he displayed in the division-winning season.
We were set.
When I watched Steve McNair orchestrate a 12-play, 93-yard touchdown drive in our opening series against the Eagles in the first preseason game, I was even more excited. We were in for a fun season. That drive featured McNair to Heap, another ball deep to Derrick Mason, a 16-yard McGahee run and a TD toss to backup TE Quinn Sypniewski. It was against a good Eagles’ defense. We were ready.
Like you, I couldn’t wait until we got to the opener at Cincinnati. And, it came – national television, bright lights, lots of noise. We owed the Bengals. They were 1 of the 3 teams to beat us in the regular season in ’06. Carson Palmer could provide a stern test for our defense. And, our new offense was going to be unveiled. Here we go!
And then, it began to happen.
On the 2nd play of that game Steve McNair pulled a groin muscle. Warrior that he is, he fought through it. By the 2nd quarter, Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden limped off the field and was done for the night.
By the 4th quarter, we had bounced back from a 19-10 deficit to take a 20-19 lead. We had a 3rd-and-1 at our own 35 and we were about to showcase the new, aggressive offense. McNair stepped back, threw high to a wide open Derrick Mason near midfield. The ball bounced off the outstretched hands of the high-jumping Mason into the arms of diving Bengals’ LB Robert Geathers. Brian Billick challenged the interception. The play was upheld. Palmer threw the winning touchdown to WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and we lost 27-20. Ouch!
Oh, and the loss was Coach Billick’s fault for not running on the 3rd-and-1.
We then fought our way to a 4-2 mark, eventually sitting McNair – because, as he fought through the groin problem, he got back spasms. When he returned after the bye in the wild weather at Pittsburgh, he was not sharp, and he hurt his shoulder the following game in the rematch with Cincinnati. He was then placed on injured reserve.
Of course, Steve was not the only Pro Bowl player hurt. Right now we have 4 Pro Bowl players on IR: McNair, CBs Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle and DT Trevor Pryce, who played in only 5 games after leading us with 13 sacks in 2006. TE Todd Heap, another Pro Bowler, has missed 9 of the last 11 games, playing just briefly when he tried in the 2 games he appeared. His capable backup, Daniel Wilcox, has played in just 5 games because of injuries. Oh yeah, Ray Lewis didn’t play last Sunday in Seattle when RB Willis McGahee, who can’t play this Sunday against the Steelers, left the game with 2 broken ribs.
It has been a tough season. We haven’t produced the way we expected this ugly season just because of injuries. We’ve made other mistakes, especially in the turnover department. And, yes other teams suffered injuries, too. The Colts, for example, have had a lot of key players hurt. One not hurt is their Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning – and he and Tom Brady are the 2 most vital players to their teams in the league.
STAYING WITH BRIAN
I’m pretty sure some owners would have fired Brian Billick after a season like we’re having. I’m glad Steve Bisciotti did not. Steve will give his explanation when he meets with the media next Wednesday, Jan. 2.
Change is not always good, and I’ll borrow from a recent Peter King blog to make this point. King is considered one of the best reporters to ever cover the NFL. His employment is a testimony to this. King reports on the NFL for Sports Illustrated. He is the source and co-host of NBC-TV’s “Football Night in America.” He is also a co-host of HBO’s weekly “Inside the NFL.” King’s weekly Monday blog is the most-read feature on SI.com. Here’s what Peter wrote on his blog on Dec. 10:
“I’d like to see owners stop looking for the miracle cure when they pick a head coach. I’ve got proof it doesn’t work. Since 2000, by my count, NFL teams have hired 7 big-money geniuses to take their teams to the promised land.
“The Magnificent Seven: Nick Saban (Miami), Steve Spurrier (Washington), Dick Vermeil (Kansas City), Dennis Green (Arizona), Bill Parcells (Dallas), Joe Gibbs (Washington) and Bobby Petrino (Atlanta). They have coached a combined 21 years with those teams. Playoff teams in those 21 years: 4.
“Playoff wins in those 21 years: 1. Championship game appearance: 0. Super Bowl appearances: 0. Gibbs won the playoff game with Washington, 17-10 over Tampa Bay in January 2006. Parcells made the playoffs in 2 of his 4 Dallas seasons. Vermeil has the other playoff season, a one-and-done job with the Chiefs. One playoff win by the geniuses in 21 years.”
King then displayed a chart that showed the winning percentages of this 7-coach group. Only 2 were over .500 – Vermeil at .543 and Parcells at .515. The rest were in the .400’s and .300’s. King added more regarding head coaches:
“There’s something more important than a $4 million coach – a quarterback. Vermeil had a chance every year because he had Trent Green. Parcells milked Drew Bledsoe for a while, then gave the team a bright future by putting Romo in the lineup in 2006, his 4th and final year as coach. Saban never had a quarterback, Green didn’t have one until Matt Leinart was drafted in the coach’s last year, 2006. Spurrier had a bunch of Shane Matthewses. Gibbs picked Jason Campbell in 2005 and waited too long to play him…
“Coaches can’t do it without quarterbacks. What was Bill Belichick like before Tom Brady in the starting lineup early in 2001? A lot less of a genius. Look at the recent hired head coaches who have succeeded. Mike McCarthy is 19-10 in 2 years coaching Green Bay – Brett Favre’s resurgence has helped. Sean Payton got to the NFC title game last year, thanks largely to Drew Brees. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers are 9-4 in his rookie coaching season, with a big assist to Ben Roethlisberger…
“The moral of the story? Patience, a good personnel staff, and a quarterback…Patience, people, patience!”
Pretty thought-provoking insights from Peter.
MORE COACHING
I’ll add a little to King’s writing about being patient with head coaches. I recently looked at the long-term head coaches in the NFL to see if any of their teams slumped – and came back to win at a high level.
Bill Cowher, who reporters say will make $7 million a year when he decides to return to the coaching ranks, survived 7-9 (’98), 6-10 (’99) and 6-10 (’03) seasons before winning a Super Bowl. Mike Shanahan, who has won 2 Super Bowls with Denver, produced 6-10 (’99), 8-8 (’01) seasons and is 6-9 currently. Jeff Fisher, who has not won a Super Bowl, bounced back from 7-9 (’01), 5-11 (’04) and 4-12 (’05) campaigns. If the Titans win Sunday night against the Colts, Fisher will take his team to the postseason for the 1st time since 2003.
The Eagles’ Andy Reid, who has not won a Super Bowl but has earned the playoffs in 6 of the last 8 seasons, stumbled to 6-10 (’05) and is now 7-8 after starting with a 5-11 mark in 1999. Mike Holmgren, who won a Super Bowl in Green Bay with Favre, overcame 6-10 (’00) and 7-9 (’02) seasons in Seattle to make the playoffs 5 consecutive years. Under Lovie Smith, the Bears have gone from last year’s Super Bowl - after a 13-3 regular season - to 6-9 entering Sunday’s finale. Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame coach, has 2 losing seasons in his 1st 3 years back with the Redskins and takes an 8-7 mark into Sunday. Jon Gruden, a Super Bowl winner with the Bucs in 2002, stumbled to 7-9 (’03), 5-11 (’04) and 4-12 (’06) marks. He has his team back in the playoffs this year – currently at 9-6 with a clinched NFC South title.
Looks like making some changes instead of big changes can bring happiness back to a team and their fans.
LOSING DOES MAKE GOOD COPY
A prominent columnist who covers a playoff team that visited us in Baltimore this season said this to me after “his” team beat us on national television:
“I wish I was covering you guys this season. Losing teams are a lot easier to cover for us columnists. You can always take shots at people. Covering a winning team is hard. What do I write: ‘They won again. They’re smart.’ Nobody wants to read that.”
I hope we give columnists who cover us that same frustration next year. We sure are an easy target right now. And, it’s no fun. Believe me. It hurts – a lot.
BILL COWHER
I first met Bill Cowher when he was a special teams player for the Browns in 1981. It was my first year in the front office of the Browns. Bill went to the Eagles and became their special teams captain before coming back to Cleveland as our special teams coach under Marty Schottenheimer.
Bill and I became friends during our time in Cleveland. We would also compete on the racquetball court. By the way, I also play racquetball with Coach Billick. I’ll say this about those 2 guys – they are furious competitors, even nasty a little. They’re also entertaining when they play, because both yell at themselves - a lot. It’s great when that happens.
Anyways…Browns owner Art Modell and Coach Schottenheimer decided to part ways after the 1988 season. (Art knows and has publicly admitted – he should have kept Marty.) While we were searching for our new head coach, Art asked me to talk with Cowher about staying with the Browns. “You’re his friend,” Art said. “Tell him to stay with us. Convince him he needs to break from Marty to get a different experience. That will help him get a head coaching job faster.”
I called Bill and told him the truth: “Let’s go play racquetball. Art wants me to convince you to stay with us.” Bill told me he’d meet me to play and added: “My loyalty is to Marty. He gave me a coaching opportunity. Where he goes – and you know he’ll get a job – I’ll go.” (Marty did get the Kansas City head coaching job a few days later.)
I failed in my assignment. Bill and I did talk about Mr. Modell’s offer that night. I even tried the “Bill, I might get fired if I can’t produce you” line. He had already decided.
But, we did play racquetball. And, Bill didn’t play as well as he usually did. He was a little louder than normal. Some of the words he used to call himself were not family appropriate. We were at a community recreation center – with families there. Our court’s back wall was open at the top.
We were warned by the manager first before he came back the second time to ask us to leave for “yelling inappropriately.” So, I failed in my mission, and I was thrown out of the court. I blame it all on Coach Cowher.
.
Talk to you next week.
Kevin
While it was only 5 months ago, it seems so long ago that the Ravens were a 13-3 defending AFC North champion working hard at training camp. Many national reporters came to McDaniel College to announce that the Ravens looked sharp, healthy and ready to take the next step to be a Super Bowl team.
It wasn’t the Ravens saying this. These were reporters of note, not to mention local observers releasing much the same message. Of course, our players would respond positively when asked if they thought we could go to and win a Super Bowl. I must have seen Ray Lewis answer that question 10 times. His answer was always the same: “That’s why we play. That’s why we work so hard. Yeah, we think we’re good enough to win a Super Bowl,” Lewis said.
Brian Billick hedged a little, and that’s typical of head coaches. He answered like this: “Let’s get to the opener first. But, sure, we’re like most teams in this league. We think we’re going to be better, and we were pretty good last year. We earned the right to be called a Super Bowl contender. We don’t back down from that. We’re not going into the season thinking we’re not good enough or that we’re going to lose.”
Training camp was exciting with all of this attention. And, what we all saw on those practice fields was a base for optimism. Steve McNair looked sharp. Receiver Demetrius Williams made spectacular downfield catches every day. Willis McGahee exhibited quickness, toughness, plus a catching ability that promised more production from the running back spot. Young offensive linemen showed more athletic ability than we employed in previous seasons.
We were showing a new offense that was more diverse than the one that had featured Jamal Lewis for all of those seasons. We were running 3- and 4-wides (receivers). Other times, we came out with 2 tight ends, only to split to 4-wides, taking advantage of the special abilities of TEs Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox. We were all excited about the possibilities.
On defense, Rex Ryan and his assistants were building with a group that was No. 1 in the league in 2006. They experimented with Haloti Ngata, now in his 2nd season, as a 350-pound linebacker. S Dawan Landry was given more, based on the outstanding production from his rookie season. The Pro Bowlers – Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Trevor Pryce, Bart Scott, Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle and Terrell Suggs – all seemed in great shape, enthusiastic and confident they could be better.
Return specialist B.J. Sams looked sharp. Matt Stover was consistent and showed the same length with his kicks that he displayed in the division-winning season.
We were set.
When I watched Steve McNair orchestrate a 12-play, 93-yard touchdown drive in our opening series against the Eagles in the first preseason game, I was even more excited. We were in for a fun season. That drive featured McNair to Heap, another ball deep to Derrick Mason, a 16-yard McGahee run and a TD toss to backup TE Quinn Sypniewski. It was against a good Eagles’ defense. We were ready.
Like you, I couldn’t wait until we got to the opener at Cincinnati. And, it came – national television, bright lights, lots of noise. We owed the Bengals. They were 1 of the 3 teams to beat us in the regular season in ’06. Carson Palmer could provide a stern test for our defense. And, our new offense was going to be unveiled. Here we go!
And then, it began to happen.
On the 2nd play of that game Steve McNair pulled a groin muscle. Warrior that he is, he fought through it. By the 2nd quarter, Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden limped off the field and was done for the night.
By the 4th quarter, we had bounced back from a 19-10 deficit to take a 20-19 lead. We had a 3rd-and-1 at our own 35 and we were about to showcase the new, aggressive offense. McNair stepped back, threw high to a wide open Derrick Mason near midfield. The ball bounced off the outstretched hands of the high-jumping Mason into the arms of diving Bengals’ LB Robert Geathers. Brian Billick challenged the interception. The play was upheld. Palmer threw the winning touchdown to WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and we lost 27-20. Ouch!
Oh, and the loss was Coach Billick’s fault for not running on the 3rd-and-1.
We then fought our way to a 4-2 mark, eventually sitting McNair – because, as he fought through the groin problem, he got back spasms. When he returned after the bye in the wild weather at Pittsburgh, he was not sharp, and he hurt his shoulder the following game in the rematch with Cincinnati. He was then placed on injured reserve.
Of course, Steve was not the only Pro Bowl player hurt. Right now we have 4 Pro Bowl players on IR: McNair, CBs Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle and DT Trevor Pryce, who played in only 5 games after leading us with 13 sacks in 2006. TE Todd Heap, another Pro Bowler, has missed 9 of the last 11 games, playing just briefly when he tried in the 2 games he appeared. His capable backup, Daniel Wilcox, has played in just 5 games because of injuries. Oh yeah, Ray Lewis didn’t play last Sunday in Seattle when RB Willis McGahee, who can’t play this Sunday against the Steelers, left the game with 2 broken ribs.
It has been a tough season. We haven’t produced the way we expected this ugly season just because of injuries. We’ve made other mistakes, especially in the turnover department. And, yes other teams suffered injuries, too. The Colts, for example, have had a lot of key players hurt. One not hurt is their Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning – and he and Tom Brady are the 2 most vital players to their teams in the league.
STAYING WITH BRIAN
I’m pretty sure some owners would have fired Brian Billick after a season like we’re having. I’m glad Steve Bisciotti did not. Steve will give his explanation when he meets with the media next Wednesday, Jan. 2.
Change is not always good, and I’ll borrow from a recent Peter King blog to make this point. King is considered one of the best reporters to ever cover the NFL. His employment is a testimony to this. King reports on the NFL for Sports Illustrated. He is the source and co-host of NBC-TV’s “Football Night in America.” He is also a co-host of HBO’s weekly “Inside the NFL.” King’s weekly Monday blog is the most-read feature on SI.com. Here’s what Peter wrote on his blog on Dec. 10:
“I’d like to see owners stop looking for the miracle cure when they pick a head coach. I’ve got proof it doesn’t work. Since 2000, by my count, NFL teams have hired 7 big-money geniuses to take their teams to the promised land.
“The Magnificent Seven: Nick Saban (Miami), Steve Spurrier (Washington), Dick Vermeil (Kansas City), Dennis Green (Arizona), Bill Parcells (Dallas), Joe Gibbs (Washington) and Bobby Petrino (Atlanta). They have coached a combined 21 years with those teams. Playoff teams in those 21 years: 4.
“Playoff wins in those 21 years: 1. Championship game appearance: 0. Super Bowl appearances: 0. Gibbs won the playoff game with Washington, 17-10 over Tampa Bay in January 2006. Parcells made the playoffs in 2 of his 4 Dallas seasons. Vermeil has the other playoff season, a one-and-done job with the Chiefs. One playoff win by the geniuses in 21 years.”
King then displayed a chart that showed the winning percentages of this 7-coach group. Only 2 were over .500 – Vermeil at .543 and Parcells at .515. The rest were in the .400’s and .300’s. King added more regarding head coaches:
“There’s something more important than a $4 million coach – a quarterback. Vermeil had a chance every year because he had Trent Green. Parcells milked Drew Bledsoe for a while, then gave the team a bright future by putting Romo in the lineup in 2006, his 4th and final year as coach. Saban never had a quarterback, Green didn’t have one until Matt Leinart was drafted in the coach’s last year, 2006. Spurrier had a bunch of Shane Matthewses. Gibbs picked Jason Campbell in 2005 and waited too long to play him…
“Coaches can’t do it without quarterbacks. What was Bill Belichick like before Tom Brady in the starting lineup early in 2001? A lot less of a genius. Look at the recent hired head coaches who have succeeded. Mike McCarthy is 19-10 in 2 years coaching Green Bay – Brett Favre’s resurgence has helped. Sean Payton got to the NFC title game last year, thanks largely to Drew Brees. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers are 9-4 in his rookie coaching season, with a big assist to Ben Roethlisberger…
“The moral of the story? Patience, a good personnel staff, and a quarterback…Patience, people, patience!”
Pretty thought-provoking insights from Peter.
MORE COACHING
I’ll add a little to King’s writing about being patient with head coaches. I recently looked at the long-term head coaches in the NFL to see if any of their teams slumped – and came back to win at a high level.
Bill Cowher, who reporters say will make $7 million a year when he decides to return to the coaching ranks, survived 7-9 (’98), 6-10 (’99) and 6-10 (’03) seasons before winning a Super Bowl. Mike Shanahan, who has won 2 Super Bowls with Denver, produced 6-10 (’99), 8-8 (’01) seasons and is 6-9 currently. Jeff Fisher, who has not won a Super Bowl, bounced back from 7-9 (’01), 5-11 (’04) and 4-12 (’05) campaigns. If the Titans win Sunday night against the Colts, Fisher will take his team to the postseason for the 1st time since 2003.
The Eagles’ Andy Reid, who has not won a Super Bowl but has earned the playoffs in 6 of the last 8 seasons, stumbled to 6-10 (’05) and is now 7-8 after starting with a 5-11 mark in 1999. Mike Holmgren, who won a Super Bowl in Green Bay with Favre, overcame 6-10 (’00) and 7-9 (’02) seasons in Seattle to make the playoffs 5 consecutive years. Under Lovie Smith, the Bears have gone from last year’s Super Bowl - after a 13-3 regular season - to 6-9 entering Sunday’s finale. Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame coach, has 2 losing seasons in his 1st 3 years back with the Redskins and takes an 8-7 mark into Sunday. Jon Gruden, a Super Bowl winner with the Bucs in 2002, stumbled to 7-9 (’03), 5-11 (’04) and 4-12 (’06) marks. He has his team back in the playoffs this year – currently at 9-6 with a clinched NFC South title.
Looks like making some changes instead of big changes can bring happiness back to a team and their fans.
LOSING DOES MAKE GOOD COPY
A prominent columnist who covers a playoff team that visited us in Baltimore this season said this to me after “his” team beat us on national television:
“I wish I was covering you guys this season. Losing teams are a lot easier to cover for us columnists. You can always take shots at people. Covering a winning team is hard. What do I write: ‘They won again. They’re smart.’ Nobody wants to read that.”
I hope we give columnists who cover us that same frustration next year. We sure are an easy target right now. And, it’s no fun. Believe me. It hurts – a lot.
BILL COWHER
I first met Bill Cowher when he was a special teams player for the Browns in 1981. It was my first year in the front office of the Browns. Bill went to the Eagles and became their special teams captain before coming back to Cleveland as our special teams coach under Marty Schottenheimer.
Bill and I became friends during our time in Cleveland. We would also compete on the racquetball court. By the way, I also play racquetball with Coach Billick. I’ll say this about those 2 guys – they are furious competitors, even nasty a little. They’re also entertaining when they play, because both yell at themselves - a lot. It’s great when that happens.
Anyways…Browns owner Art Modell and Coach Schottenheimer decided to part ways after the 1988 season. (Art knows and has publicly admitted – he should have kept Marty.) While we were searching for our new head coach, Art asked me to talk with Cowher about staying with the Browns. “You’re his friend,” Art said. “Tell him to stay with us. Convince him he needs to break from Marty to get a different experience. That will help him get a head coaching job faster.”
I called Bill and told him the truth: “Let’s go play racquetball. Art wants me to convince you to stay with us.” Bill told me he’d meet me to play and added: “My loyalty is to Marty. He gave me a coaching opportunity. Where he goes – and you know he’ll get a job – I’ll go.” (Marty did get the Kansas City head coaching job a few days later.)
I failed in my assignment. Bill and I did talk about Mr. Modell’s offer that night. I even tried the “Bill, I might get fired if I can’t produce you” line. He had already decided.
But, we did play racquetball. And, Bill didn’t play as well as he usually did. He was a little louder than normal. Some of the words he used to call himself were not family appropriate. We were at a community recreation center – with families there. Our court’s back wall was open at the top.
We were warned by the manager first before he came back the second time to ask us to leave for “yelling inappropriately.” So, I failed in my mission, and I was thrown out of the court. I blame it all on Coach Cowher.
.
Talk to you next week.
Kevin
