A changed man

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Democracy has spread to the one of the most unlikely places.

On Tuesday, Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick called his team together and put an important matter to a vote: Where to practice, inside or outside? The consensus was inside. It was a chilly day, winter having finally arrived, and after a bye week prior to preparing for tomorrow’s AFC Divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts at M&T; Bank Stadium, some of the players wanted to run and sweat in more balmy conditions.

“That’s beautiful,” linebacker Bart Scott said after the workout. “At the end of the day he trusts that we know what we need.”

Make no mistake. A physically imposing man at 6-foot-5, the former Brigham Young tight end still commands respect. Just ask Jim Fassel, Billick’s close friend who became his former offensive coordinator when he was fired six games into the season. Billick assumed playcalling duties and the Ravens’ offense took off. In other ways, as well, Billick has exerted the authority he always has had.

“He’s very meticulous in what he does and very methodical in the way he goes about his business,” said veteran defensive lineman Trevor Pryce, who this season came to Baltimore from Denver as a free agent. “There’s no sugar-coating in what he says. There’s no lip-service from him. I can appreciate that.”

Yet the methods of operation have changed for the entire organization and most prominently, for Billick. It’s a more open society with added interaction within the structure of the franchise. That includes input from the players.

“He’s still the head coach,” veteran All-Pro offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden said before adding with a laugh: “But the inmates kind of run the asylum, almost.”

Almost.

“He’s changed a little bit, but at the same time he has stayed the same as far as his philosophies and a lot of things that he does,” fullback Ovie Mughelli said.

Billick, 52, always has treated his players like men, as the saying goes, allowing certain freedoms that many other NFL coaches eschew. Within limits, he does not cloak his team in a dark shroud of secrecy like Bill Belichick and other tightly wound coaches. He is a former public relations man who allowed HBO cameras uncommon access during the 2001 preseason and gave season-long access to a writer for a book in 2004.

At the same time, Billick is largely perceived by many as an arrogant, egotistical know-it-all not averse to lecturing reporters on how to do their jobs. He once famously ended a debate by asking, “Anyone want to ask me who my quarterback is next week? Again, that’s why owners own, coaches coach, players play and writers write.”

His posture was reinforced by leading the Ravens to an NFL championship in the 2000 season, his second year on the job. He acted as if he had all the answers. Sometimes he did.

But not last year, when the Ravens went 6-10 and appeared to be in total disarray. Billick’s job was widely reported to have been in jeopardy, although Ravens officials have since disputed that. Yet in a much-discussed change of philosophy within the organization, he became less of an autocrat and more of a democrat.

Other opinions — including and especially the players’ — were and still are heard and considered. It also helped that the Ravens had a great draft and picked up several key veterans, including Pryce and quarterback Steve McNair.

Still, few doubt the improvement to 13-3 and a first-place finish in the AFC North was partly because of Billick’s personal turnaround.

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