This coaching carousel is pretty entertaining don’t you think. Let the carnival music begin and let’s hop on and enjoy the ride…
Over there is former Ravens linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald. Fitz has always been a fiery guy and it’s nice to see him land on his feet but did he have to land in the AFC North? He’ll be helping another former Ravens coach Marvin Lewis in 2008.
When Marvelous Marv left B’more he traveled south a bit to Snyderville to become the Redskins’ defensive coordinator. He stayed there one year. One year removed from being fired as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, Jim Fassel now looks like he’s going to be the successor to Joe Gibbs.
You think Fassel might ask Brian Billick to be his offensive coordinator?
Who might be Fassel’s defensive coordinator? Could it be Rex Ryan? Now that would be interesting. Some in Owings Mills questioned Fassel’s commitment to his O.C. position and there was once a widespread rumor that the Ravens’ defensive coaches were not very impressed with the collective work ethic of their offensive counterparts.
Now Rex Ryan just learned today or somewhere thereabouts that he would not be named the Falcons’ new head coach. That job is going to Mike Smith, a former Ravens’ defensive assistant and the most recent defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mike Smith also happens to be the brother-in-law of Brian Billick.
You think Smith might ask Brian Billick to be his offensive coordinator?
Back to Rex Ryan for a moment, now that the Falcons have moved in a different direction, where is the offer from the Ravens to keep Rex in B’more? I recall Steve Bisciotti saying, "I think very highly of Rex. I talked to Arthur Blank and if Rex doesn’t get the Atlanta job, I hope he does, then I hope he stays here.â€
Hey Steve, he didn’t get the Atlanta job, so now what?
It will be interesting to see how the Ravens spin this one if and when Rex doesn’t stay. If Rex does end up in DC would Skins’ current defensive coordinator Gregg Williams make his way up the BW Parkway?
One coordinator who will make Baltimore his home in 2008 is Cam Cameron. Cameron comes to B’more by way of Miami and San Diego. He goes from the Gas Lamp District to Ocean Ave. in South Beach to the Baja Beach Club on Lombard Street. I’m sure Cam’s wife is ecstatic.
The move to get Cameron appears to be a good one, one that some thought would only be possible if Marty Schottenheimer was named the Ravens new head coach. But Cameron has ties to John Harbaugh that go back 27 years and during his conference call on Wednesday afternoon Cameron said he is “excited.â€
Unemployment has a way of lowering one’s expectations now doesn’t it?
During the conference call, members of the media pressed Cameron on the changes he envisions implementing for the Ravens’ offense. Please, give the guy a break and let him assess the situation a bit. To do anything less would be the equivalent of hiring a new chef to cook up a better tasting meal without assessing the ingredients handed to him.
That said, if I were Cam I may have replied, “We plan on scoring more points.â€
Hope you enjoyed the ride…please exit to the left.
Please turn down the volume…
During a week when radio sports talk show hosts have plenty to talk about, one local host spent an inordinate amount time talking about unusual sports injuries and another about Super Bowl parties she planned/hoped to attend.
While the topic of sports injuries is clearly in bounds, discussing injuries to testicles excessively is not only not funny, it’s boring. If that topic is worthy of the A-list, I’d hate to hear the B-list.
On to the BS-list, does anyone really care whether a talk show host has a hook up to the many celeb parties that are a huge part of the Super Bowl landscape? Apparently name dropping is a sport of choice nowadays on the afternoon drive at ESPN1300, second only to discussions about American Idol.
ESPN’s Dana Jacobson certainly wishes that the volume was down at a recent roasting of Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. Word is Jacobson tried to get into some playful verbal sparring with Mike & Mike and peppered her trash talking with some way below the belt smack. With University of Notre Dame grad Golic as the target of her unnecessary vitriolic attack, Jacobson slurred F— Notre Dame, F— Touchdown Jesus and F— Jesus.
While some have opined that ESPN was wrong to hand down a week long suspension to Jacobson for her comments given that they were splattered at a roast, someone in her position needs to understand that such highly inflammatory remarks bear consequences.
There could be more to this story, particularly if sponsors threaten an exodus unless Jacobson is reprimanded more severely.
No one asked me, but as of this writing the host of ESPN First Take got off easy — way easy.
At least for now…
Guess we’ll call this one the F-List.
