Better Now Than Later

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti made a good call by telling Ravens players today that Brian Billick will return in 2006. From the perspective of a player, it is better to know going into the last week of the season that the head coach and a preponderance of the coaching staff will return for next year. It also makes the evaluation process easier, as there will be continuity from this year to next.

Is is the right move? We will have to wait and see. Are there any coaches available right now that are better than Billick? No. But this only remains a good move if the coaching staff retains the confidence and respect of the players, and that seemed lacking at times during the 2005 campaign. With Billick returning, and an offense the last two weeks that looks like an NFL offense, perhaps the Ravens are in better shape heading into this off-season than people realized just two short weeks ago.