King of the Hill

Football Digest, Oct, 2001 by Vito Stellino

Love him or hate him, you can't deny that the Ravens coach stands at the top of his profession

JUST THREE YEARS AGO, BRIAN Billick was an obscure assistant coach on the Minnesota Vikings with an uncertain future.

Since the Vikings were up for sale, the coaching staff didn't have much in the way of security, even though the team had made the playoffs five of the six previous seasons. When Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered Billick a job as offensive coordinator--the same post he had in Minnesota--he was ready to jump ship. The Vikings blocked the deal, however, because it was a lateral move.

Billick didn't know it then, but that was the best thing that could have happened to his career. The Vikings took all-world wide receiver Randy Moss with their first pick in the 1998 draft and then were the highest-scoring team in NFL history en route to a 15-1 record.

Billick parlayed that into the head-coaching job with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. And last year, in just his second season, he unexpectedly led the Ravens to the Super Bowl title.

In the process, Billick became one of the most high-profile--and controversial--coaches in the league. He has written a book, he gives speeches for $25,000 a pop, and he is never shy about expressing his opinions. He even lectured the media during Super Bowl week about their coverage of Ray Lewis' off-the-field problems.

This offseason did nothing to change his reputation as the league's brashest coach. Rather than stand on what he had, he dumped quarterback Trent Dilfer and signed Elvis Grbac in an attempt to add some juice to Baltimore's offense.

As the Ravens began preparing to defend their Super Bowl title, Billick talked with FOOTBALL DIGEST. And, much as you'd expect, he gave us an earful.

FOOTBALL DIGEST: How has your life changed since winning the Super Bowl?

BRIAN BILLICK: You think it's never going to be more hectic than it already was, but it's been amazing--both good and bad, but mostly good.

FD: What are the good things?

BB: The interaction I've had with the people in Baltimore, the charitable efforts I've been allowed to be a part of. I enjoy going out and doing the corporate speaking. I learn a lot from that--I learn a lot from corporate America. As usual, it puts a tremendous strain on my family. They keep saying, "How's your offseason?" I keep saying, "When it starts, I'll let you know."

FD: You've obviously thought about how different your life would be if you'd gone to Dallas.

BB: Absolutely. Fate is a factor--there's no question about it. Anytime you look back on those types of things, you wonder what the outcome might have been. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

FD: Was winning the Super Bowl everything you imagined it would be?

BB: Yeah, it's a very surreal experience. I will tell you what caught me off-guard: the ring ceremony. It was very, very emotional. It was emotional for my wife and me. We did the White House thing--I've been knee-deep in all the things going on--and I was kind of looking forward to the ring ceremony, but I really hadn't given it a lot of thought. But when I opened up that box and saw the ring and watched the guys reacting, that was emotional. It was very emotional for my wife as well--just what it signified.

FD: Were you surprised the Ravens won the Super Bowl?

BB: No. I felt like going [to the playoffs] after we beat Tennessee in Tennessee, not only did I have a great deal of faith in our abilities, but watching the league as a whole, I had a great deal of respect for a number of teams but didn't think there was any dominant team out there. There was no team looming on the horizon where you go, "We can get to the championship game, but how are we going to beat these guys?" Healthy respect, but I didn't think there was a dominant team out there.

FD: Do you think about repeating? What's the goal now?

BB: The point I'm making to these guys is that going after the Super Bowl is in itself a worthy goal. The fact that it would be a repeat for us would be truly secondary. We're not going to be any more motivated to win this Super Bowl than is a St. Louis, which is a year removed, or any team that has not been there before. They're all motivated. If you've got one, you get to talk about repeating, and we're the only ones who get to do that. That's not our sole focus, obviously. It's too early for that. But it'd be naive to think that's not a motivating thing for us.

FD: Do you worry about the team losing its edge now that it's on top?

BB: I honestly think that's balanced out by the experience we now have. We have an incredible wealth of experience from going to and winning a Super Bowl. That's got to mean something, too. It's hard to quantify it specifically, but I'd say they probably balance each other out. So far, I'm pleased with the focus--I'm pleased with the desire. They want to go back.

FD: How difficult do you think it will be to repeat?

BB: Everything about this league [is geared to stopping a team from repeating]. They give you a harder schedule. They give you the last draft choice. They give you a more unbalanced schedule, because you're doing some national games. Your routine changes. Everything about it makes it tough. That doesn't mean teams would play you less hard if we hadn't won. I don't believe that. I believe the team that shows up Sunday plays hard.