Pundits Praise Steve Bisciotti for His Candor, Transparency, and Humor in Hour-Long Press Conference
Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti hadn't spoken to reporters since 2022 or at a press conference in Baltimore since 2018 before Tuesday's media session at The Castle.
It was well worth the wait.
Bisciotti, who was joined by General Manager Eric DeCosta, fielded questions for an hour, mostly about his decision to part ways with John Harbaugh and the search for a new head coach.
Pundits lauded Bisciotti for being candid, affable, and humorous.
Bisciotti had several mic-drop quips, the best of which was his reaction to Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston informing him that Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin had just stepped down and asking if Tomlin would be a candidate for the Ravens’ job.
"Holy [expletive], wouldn't that be awesome? Only if John takes the Pittsburgh job," Bisciotti said. "Wow. Wouldn't that be interesting? I don't know. That thing [chest pound, blown kiss he did] last week maybe disqualified him] from my opening after our kicker missed the kick to let them advance [to the playoffs."
ESPN’s Rich Eisen played the clip on his show and said afterward, "I love Steve Bisciotti. He is one of my favorite owners in any sport."
To Eisen's point, Bisciotti showed why he is a model owner. He trusts his football experts to make football decisions and doesn't seek the spotlight, but he will make the tough decisions (i.e., parting ways with his head coach of 18 years, who he "loves like a brother").
When Bisciotti was asked why he stopped doing press conferences, he said the following: "Like Seinfeld, I ran out of good material. So, I don't know. I just always felt like if I put these guys in charge, and they got us to the playoffs ... I just got to the point that I didn't see the benefit of sitting up here and dissecting losing in the divisional round. To me, it wasn't fair, because it was the leaders who were making the decisions that were going to give you the best information.
"So, I just bailed. I just kind of said to you guys, 'When we don't make the playoffs, I'll be there for you, but when we make the playoffs, I'm just going to leave it to my specialists to explain it all to you and what their plan is [moving] forward.' … It wasn't a mean-spirited thing; I promise you. I quite like being up here talking to you all. I know how much time you put into our team, and I appreciate it very much. Don't be fooled by my absence [and think] that I have lost my respect and appreciation for this being your job, your whole job, and you want answers."
Ravens' Head Coaching Opening Still Ranked No. 1 After Tomlin Steps Down
The consensus last week was that the Ravens' head coaching job was the most desirable of all the vacancies.
The Steelers becoming the ninth team to be seeking a new head coach changes the landscape, but the Ravens still have the best job opening, according to multiple pundits.
"The Ravens are an elite, blueblood franchise with a top GM, a front office that is a font for talent and have a top five NFL quarterback under contract," Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr wrote. "They have an owner who kept the previous coach for 18 seasons and a draft strategy that regularly primes the pipe with talent in the middle and late rounds. For these reasons, this is the ideal landing spot for either a veteran head coach or a young head coach who needs guardrails to help him grow into the job."
Orr ranked the Steelers' job at No. 4, behind the Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Giants.
"I have the team at No. 4, reflecting both the prestige of the job and its challenges ahead," Orr wrote. "Replacing Tomlin means that the floor for the expectations in this job is eight losses, despite having no quarterback, an aging roster and a noticeable lack of skill-position talent."
NFL.com columnist Judy Battista had similar rankings.
"I have the Ravens as No. 1 and that's because of Lamar Jackson, and I have the Giants at No. 2 because they have [quarterback] Jaxson Dart," Battista said. "I have the Steelers at No. 3, just barely behind those two teams simply because they don't have a quarterback and there are some older players on the roster. By my count there's 15 players who are in their thirties, and so you would think there's probably going to be a significant roster reset."
CBS Sports' Leger Douzable went as far as to call the Steelers' opening "one of the least attractive jobs in the NFL."
Why These Specific Head Coaching Candidates Are Intriguing
Pundits continue to weigh in on the Ravens' head coaching search.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said he's especially intrigued by two of the candidates.
"I do think Brian Flores is viewed there as a strong fit, and that's a job (like the Steelers' job) where the coach is going to have to fit the franchise as much as the franchise will morph to the new coach," Breer wrote. "Two, I think Klint Kubiak is a fascinating name, because his father [and former Ravens Offensive Coordinator] Gary was so well-liked and respected there. And Gary Kubiak liked Baltimore so much that he told Harbaugh that he could see himself coaching the rest of his career there, before John Elway and the Broncos called to bring him home in 2015."
ESPN's Peter Schrager noted on "The Pat McAfee Show" that Kliff Kingsbury interviewed with the Ravens this week for both the head coach and offensive coordinator jobs, and Mike McDaniel is expected to do the same.
"What I thought is interesting is McDaniel, Kliff, they can meet in person because they're not currently employed by teams, and they're interviewing for both positions," Schrager said. "And maybe [Robert] Saleh's the coach and Kliff the OC, or maybe Jim Schwartz is the coach and Mike McDaniel's the OC. Pretty cool way they're going about this. They just want to meet and learn and hear about everything."
Bill Belichick Reacts to Ravens and Harbaugh Parting Ways
Former New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was asked for his thoughts on the Ravens parting ways with Harbaugh by Jim Gray on the “Let’s Go!” podcast.
"Yeah, I mean, it's always a tough situation," Belichick said. "I think in the Baltimore situation, Steve Bisciotti is a great owner, John Harbaugh's a great coach. They had a great run together and, you know, sometimes it's just time. I'm sure they'll both move on and they'll both move on to a lot of success, but sometimes those things just have to be made.
"I don't know enough on the inside to know what really did or didn't happen. It's not my place to comment on that. It's a very competitive league and there's a lot of pressure to perform well, and ultimately the owners have to make the decisions as to what they feel like is best for their franchise."
