Jim Fassel

Long before Jim Fassel began his run of NFL reclamation projects, his first job was serving as ballboy for Southern California's Anaheim High School. If there was an errant pass, Fassel would run it down. If there were shoes to be shined, he'd grab the polish. But if a player decided to quit, he was required to hand his jersey to Fassel's father. Bud, the equipment manager in title only, would sit down and offer some encouraging words. The next day, the kid was always back at practice.

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TAMPA, Fla. - The year was 1990. The New York Giants would finish their season here in Super Bowl XXV against the Buffalo Bills. Jim Fassel was one season away from joining the Giants as their quarterbacks coach and one season removed from the University of Utah, where he had just been fired from his first head coaching job after five years. Fassel, then 40, was still living in Salt Lake City with his wife, Kitty, and their four children. Much of his time was spent with the family, coaching his 9-year-old son Michael's recreation basketball team while serving as an assistant coach on 14-year-old Brian's high school junior varsity basketball team.

THE TOP FIVE 1 Giants (9-1) Better than last year's Super Bowl champs. 2 Titans (10-0) Better to lose one now. 3 Steelers (7-3) Willie Parker makes a big difference. 4 Jets (7-3) Out from under the Patriots' shadow. 5 Panthers (8-2) Jake Delhomme is in a funk. THE BOTTOM FIVE 28 Bengals (1-9-1) Gave Giants, Eagles a tough time. 29 Raiders (2-8) How hard up is Jim Fassel? 30 Chiefs (1-9) Native Americans should protest. 31 Lions (0-10) Can get a lead but can't finish. 32 Rams (2-8)

Will firing Jim Fassel make the Ravens better on offense? Fassel and Billick are interchangeable parts. When in Billick's tenure have they ever had an offense, even when he was calling the shots? Time for a head coaching change. Jim Yealy Taneytown No, I don't think firing Jim Fassel will help make the offense better. But at least this way when it doesn't improve, they can finally fire Brian Billick. Chris Adkins Ellicott City Only if Jim Fassel was responsible for clock management.

THE TOP FIVE 1 Giants (9-1) Better than last year's Super Bowl champs. 2 Titans (10-0) Better to lose one now. 3 Steelers (7-3) Willie Parker makes a big difference. 4 Jets (7-3) Out from under the Patriots' shadow. 5 Panthers (8-2) Jake Delhomme is in a funk. THE BOTTOM FIVE 28 Bengals (1-9-1) Gave Giants, Eagles a tough time. 29 Raiders (2-8) How hard up is Jim Fassel? 30 Chiefs (1-9) Native Americans should protest. 31 Lions (0-10) Can get a lead but can't finish. 32 Rams (2-8)

While the Ravens' hiring of Jim Fassel yesterday as a senior consultant may be temporary, they are banking that his impact is not. The former New York Giants head coach built a reputation on quarterback quick fixes, needing less than one season to turn a struggling John Elway into a Most Valuable Player and transform a troubled Kerry Collins into a legitimate starter. His next project is raw second-year starter Kyle Boller and the NFL's worst passing attack. "With the caveat of maybe a Bill Walsh, I think Jim Fassel has been the preeminent quarterback coach in the National Football League over the last number of years," coach Brian Billick said as he turned to his good friend sitting next to him at the news conference.

JIM FASSEL AND Brian Billick were sitting side by side. NFL Network cameras were ready to roll for an interview of the league's most unique pairing this side of Justin and Janet - with far better odds of appearing in future Super Bowls. In fact, Billick and Fassel don't believe it's far-fetched to consider that this time, as in the Super Bowl next year in Jacksonville, the two former Super Bowl opponents will be on the same team. Fassel wouldn't mind. On a TV monitor where Fassel and Billick watched as they waited for their on-air cue, the NFL Network replayed highlights of the Ravens' 34-7 Super Bowl win over the Giants.

1. Green Bay: The Packers can't keep losing a starter a game.2. Dallas: America's Most Wanted Team is back.3. New England: Drew Bledsoe doesn't miss Bill.4. Denver: Easy one in Seattle this week.5. Pittsburgh: It's time to gas up the Bus.6. Miami: Would Jimmy really bench Dan?7. Washington: Winning without Terry Allen will be tough.8. Minnesota: Robert Smith makes a difference.9. St. Louis: Dick Vermeil hasn't lost his touch.10. San Francisco: Can the 49ers rebuild?11. Tennessee: Jeff Fisher's team doesn't need fans.

TOP FIVE RECEIVERS Player, Team...Rec...Yds...TD Moss, Vikings...10...160...1 Ward, Steelers...13...149...1 Smith, Jaguars...10...136...1 Robinson, Seahawks...6...122...0 C. Johnson, Bengals...6...117...1 TOP FIVE PASSERS Player, Team...C-A...Yds...TD Culpepper, Vikings...33-47...330...1 Hasselbeck, S'hawks...26-35...328...3 Maddox, Steelers...28-42...313...1 Stewart, Bears...22-37...284...2 Manning, Colts...29-48...278...4 TOP FIVE RUSHERS Player, Team...Att...Yds...TD Portis, Broncos.

Jim Fassel (right) has stepped up his campaign to become an NFL head coach again in the most interesting of ways. ESPN.com quoted a team source as saying that Fassel recently sent a handwritten letter to Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, expressing his respect and admiration for Davis and his desire to coach the embattled franchise. Fassel last worked in the league as the Ravens' offensive coordinator, from 2003 until his dismissal midway through the 2006 season. He was head coach of the New York Giants from 1997 until the team fired him after the 2003 season.

The Man Who Is To Blame is still watching. And cheering. Let's get that out of the way right now. He'll tune in tomorrow night like everyone else - this blessed bunch that thinks purple dye is a perfectly normal hair-care product - to see whether the Ravens can become the first NFL team to clinch a division title this season. If that happens, we'll see some momentum starting to propel two very different ideas. The first: Another dominant showing will firmly establish the Ravens' place alongside the Colts as a Super Bowl favorite heading into the final month of the season.

Will firing Jim Fassel make the Ravens better on offense? Fassel and Billick are interchangeable parts. When in Billick's tenure have they ever had an offense, even when he was calling the shots? Time for a head coaching change. Jim Yealy Taneytown No, I don't think firing Jim Fassel will help make the offense better. But at least this way when it doesn't improve, they can finally fire Brian Billick. Chris Adkins Ellicott City Only if Jim Fassel was responsible for clock management.

They've changed receivers and offensive linemen. They've had a constant quarterback shuffle, and yesterday they replaced the offensive coordinator for the second time within two years. Who's next, the water boy? In an attempt to put more production into the team's 28th-ranked offense, Ravens coach Brian Billick fired offensive coordinator Jim Fassel and declared himself the team's new play-caller. With the move, Billick put his job security in his hands and temporarily avoided a player mutiny that had been brewing on the offense for weeks and reached its pinnacle after Sunday's 23-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

A day after being retained as coach, Brian Billick assured there would be continuity elsewhere. Billick said yesterday that Jim Fassel would "absolutely" return as the team's offensive coordinator next season unless he receives a head coaching job this offseason. There had been speculation that Fassel was among the coaches who could be leaving after the Ravens' disappointing season. "We're going to be very supportive of Jim's looking and hopefully being able to procure a head coaching job. If indeed that doesn't happen, Jim will be back next year," Billick said.

Defensive end Tony Weaver dislocated his right toe during the third quarter of the Ravens' 13-3 win over the New York Jets yesterday. Weaver will have a magnetic resonance imaging test today to determine the extent of the damage. Jarret Johnson took Weaver's place in the lineup and likely will start if Weaver is out for an extended period. "It doesn't change my role," Johnson said. "It just means I'll get a few more snaps. But it's not a good thing when he goes down." The injury marks the second time in as many home games that a Raven has hurt his toe on the stadium turf.

RAVENS quarterback Kyle Boller was vacationing in Hawaii, but he has been keeping up with the news: out with the old offensive coordinator, Matt Cavanaugh; in with the new one, Jim Fassel. Boller is loving life. He's not happy that Cavanaugh had to find a new job, mind you, but is ecstatic about Fassel's hiring as well as Rick Neuheisel becoming the new quarterbacks coach. All Ravens fans should share his excitement. With the new faces comes optimism about Boller. Maybe he can become more than an average quarterback.

THE RAVENS NEED a perfect world, which would be for Jim Fassel to become offensive coordinator and Rick Neuheisel to become quarterbacks coach. The old needs to be there to greet the new. It would be a great scenario for a team with numerous offensive problems, but one that at least has a young quarterback. No one knows how much Kyle Boller will develop, but his progress will be slowed if the Ravens bring in someone other than Fassel. Word has leaked that Neuheisel has become the front-runner over Fassel and New Orleans Saints quarterback coach Mike Sheppard, but it's a smoke screen.

As quarterback Kyle Boller was helped off the field, it had become painfully obvious in the season opener: The Ravens' new-look offense has the same old problems. Stalled drives, dropped passes and countless penalties proved to be disastrous in the Ravens' 24-7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts last night. Once again, the defense played well enough to win and the offense produced enough mistakes to lose. The Ravens managed 401 yards of offense and all they had to show for it were three missed field-goal attempts by Matt Stover and a meaningless touchdown with 13 seconds left in the game.

AFTER THE game, Brian Billick faced the cameras and the microphones. The questions came at him one at a time, and the Ravens' coach did his best to answer. But there are no answers, and that's why this preseason left a lot to be desired. It's too easy to look at last night's 26-20 overtime win over the Washington Redskins and say it lacked meaning. At the very least, it cemented some fears. The Ravens will enter Week 1 of the regular season haunted by the same lingering questions that were hanging above them a month ago. It shouldn't be that way. Training camp, four games, a month of practice - that's the time to address your question marks, not add any. But the win was an exciting finish to a lackluster preseason.