Coaching geniuses

Sometimes it's stunning how much nfl coaches can out think themselves. The latest example is "offensive genius" Brian Billick's decision to have Kyle Boller pass three straight times while needing only one yard for a first down at midfield with less than two minutes to play in their 19-14 loss to the Bills Sunday.

Here's what Ray Lewis said on his radio show: " Ray Lewis was calm but candid last night on his weekly radio show when asked about the Ravens' play-calling on offense during the second half of their 19-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

"It was as frustrating for you as it was for me," Lewis said in response to a caller complaining about coach Brian Billick's decision to have Kyle Boller throw the ball three straight times, starting with second-and-one at the Bills' 49 with less than two minutes to play. All three passes were incomplete.

"As far as decisions, you have to let Willis McGahee touch the ball on one of those plays," Lewis said..."You can't make oranges be peaches. It doesn't change. It will never change. That's what Billick has to ask himself, why we keep putting ourselves in those situations. In the Cincinnati game, that cost us with those same decisions," reported the Baltimore Sun.

My friend Pk and i were talking about this the other day. It's remarkable that Billick has squandered the Ravens' defensive dominance over the past decade with an offense that has simply failed to perform. How in the world does he still retain his reputation? A lot of the Ravens' problems have to do with Billick's inability to admit his mistake over trading up to draft Kyle Boller. Even a halfway competent QB should have been able to get that team into the playoffs every year. In fact, a downside Steve McNair was brought in for that very reason - to manage the game and not to lose it. They went 13-3 last year, though I don't get a sense that Billick took enough heat for his offense's disappearance in the divisional playoff game vs. the Colts, a game the Ravens lost cause they couldn't score even though Lewis and Ed Reed and company helds the high-powered Colts offense to 5 figgies.