Offensive Coordinator

Rick Neuheisel said his round of goodbyes yesterday, from the Ravens locker room to the press box at M&T Bank Stadium. For an offensive coordinator who reportedly had very little to do with the offense, the next coach at UCLA will be missed greatly by at least two Ravens - quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. Neuheisel's work was on display during Smith's coming-of-age performance in a 27-21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, a performance that will possibly set up a quarterback controversy next summer in Westminster.

In your opinion, will the Ravens have a new offensive coordinator next year, or will Brian Billick still be calling the plays? Drew If owner Steve Bisciotti has any guts, he'll force Billick to make changes. If he doesn't, he'll lose more customers from an already eroding fan base. The Ravens' offense has become such a travesty that it's a comedy. Hopefully, offensive coordinator Rick Neuheisel will get a head coaching job in the college ranks and the Ravens will hire a replacement with some imagination, but also one who'll stand up to Billick.

After three seasons as a Ravens assistant coach, Rick Neuheisel is going home. Returning to his beloved college ranks and his alma mater, yesterday Neuheisel was named head coach of UCLA, the school he quarterbacked to a Rose Bowl victory in 1984. Neuheisel will be on the Ravens' sideline for today's regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. "[The college game] is something that has been in my blood," Neuheisel said. "I've missed it the last five years." His five-year contract reportedly will pay him $1.25 million each season, plus incentives.

SAN FRANCISCO-- --If you're a Maryland football follower, and you're anticipating tomorrow night's Emerald Bowl game against Oregon State, and your mind is still drifting toward next season, don't feel bad. Ralph Friedgen is doing the same thing. For pretty much the same reason you are. Obviously, 6-6 (or 7-6, or 6-7) isn't good enough for either. Neither were the continued struggles of the offense, which only gets a slight pass from all the injuries. And the coach, as it turns out, was as uncomfortable and dissatisfied with his performance as offensive coordinator the past two seasons as the Terrapins faithful have been.

NEW ORLEANS -- Shortly after taking the job as coach of the New Orleans Saints last winter, Sean Payton set about persuading Drew Brees to sign with the team. Payton showed the free-agent quarterback and his wife around the city - then got lost driving them back to the Saints' suburban training facility. After a period of time steering aimlessly, he called for directions and was told to head in the opposite direction. It might have been the only wrong turn Payton has taken since arriving here.

So, you think Brian Billick suddenly became a genius last year in Minnesota.You think a talented Vikings squad, loaded with the likes of Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss, Jake Reed, Robert Smith and Cris Carter, gave Billick a can't-miss chance to excel as an offensive coordinator. You think just about any coach would have thrived with such a bountiful collection of weapons.Think again. From his former players and coaching partners to the competitors who have watched him blossom in recent years, the buzz about Billick is clear and consistent.

Not even the Ravens can blow a lead this big.They want Brian Billick as their new head coach, and their only competition for him, the Cleveland Browns, abruptly dropped out of the running yesterday.So, for those scoring at home, it's the Ravens against the Ravens for the right to hire Billick.Given their history of blowing leads and turning even simple situations into complex obstacles, it's tempting to predict that they'll still find a way to lose Billick. They always find a way to lose, right?

Tonight's gameMaryland (3-0) at No. 9 Georgia Tech (2-1)Site: Bobby Dodd Stadium, AtlantaTime: 8TV/Radio: ESPN/WNST (1570 AM), WTTR (1470 AM), WBAL (1090 AM, tape delay after Orioles-Yankees game)Outlook: Maryland's first-year offensive coordinator, Bob Heffner, faces the ultimate test tonight. He will try to figure out a way to outscore one of the most imaginative offenses in the country, led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Joe Hamilton. Heffner is matching wits with Tech's outstanding offensive coordinator, Ralph Friedgen, who was once the offensive coordinator for Bobby Ross and the San Diego Chargers in 1994 when they reached the Super Bowl.

BaseballAstros: Announced affiliation with Martinsville of Rookie-level Appalachian League.Blue Jays: Agreed to one-year contracts with IF Kevin Witt, OF Ryan Freel, P Tom Davey, P Gary Glover, P Peter Munro, P Leoncio Estrella and P John Bale. Released OF Patrick Lennon.Expos: Invited P Christian Parker, P Matt Blank and IF Geoff Blum to spring training.CollegesNAIA: Announced Albuquerque, N.M., will host 1999 and 2000 men's soccer national championships.Louisville: Named Scott Linehan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

MOBILE, Ala. -- Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh is expected to come to Baltimore by the middle of next week, and Ravens head coach Brian Billick is confident he will become the team's offensive coordinator.Billick also has been in contact with former Carolina Panthers secondary coach Steve Shafer, and the team will most likely announce him as the defensive backs coach as early as Wednesday when Billick hopes to name his entire staff.The Bears had the No. 21-ranked offense in the league last season, 17th rushing and No. 23 passing as Chicago averaged 107.1 rushing and 190.8 passing yards a game.

News item: : The Ravens open the season Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium as a 13-point favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs - equaling the biggest spread of any Week 1 matchup. My take: : That kind of on-paper mismatch usually scares the heck out of me, but it's hard to work up much anxiety about a team that fired its offensive coordinator two weeks before facing one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. Related news item: : The Chiefs were 2-14 last year and are getting little respect from the preseason pundits, which means they might be coming to Baltimore with a chip on their shoulder.

Three weeks after being dismissed by Boston College for pursuing the New York Jets' head coaching job, Jeff Jagodzinski was hired yesterday by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be their offensive coordinator. Jagodzinski led Boston College to a pair of bowl appearances and lost twice to Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game during his two seasons with the Eagles. He was an NFL assistant for eight years with the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons before moving to BC, where he tutored quarterback Matt Ryan, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Ravens should be applauded for all the right decisions they have made this season, from trading for Fabian Washington to signing Willie Anderson and Lorenzo Neal. But it's the decisions they didn't make that might have landed the Ravens in the AFC championship game. During the offseason, the Ravens offered their head coaching job to Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and listed Matt Ryan atop their quarterback draft board. Could the Ravens really have made it this far with Garrett and Ryan?

The Denver Broncos are expected to announce by tomorrow that New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will be their new head coach, according to multiple reports. McDaniels, 32, has reached an agreement to take over for Mike Shanahan, who was fired late last month after 14 years with Denver, according to multiple reports. McDaniels is a rising star who has spent his entire eight-year NFL coaching career in New England, where he worked his way up from personnel assistant in the scouting department to offensive coordinator for Bill Belichick.

It's becoming an annual event: A prime coaching job opens up and Bob Stoops' name lands on the supposed short list of candidates, only for him to say he's happy at Oklahoma. The latest supposed will-he-or-won't-he scenario: Stoops to the Denver Broncos? Not happening, Stoops said yesterday after his team practiced at Barry University, just a few miles south of the site of Thursday's Bowl Championship Series title game between his Sooners and the Florida Gators. "What situation? That's a rumor that I have not heard, and no one has contacted me about that so I don't know anything about it," Stoops said.

Selecting the Ravens' Most Valuable Player is a difficult task. Is it Ed Reed? Or Ray Lewis? Or perhaps Joe Flacco? But there's no debate when choosing the team's Most Valuable Person - Cam Cameron. His first season as offensive coordinator has brought a much-needed influx of creativity and unpredictability. Cameron has gotten so much out of so little this season. He doesn't have a clear-cut No. 1 running back. He doesn't have a big-play receiver. He doesn't have a healthy offensive line.

The Ravens can't complain anymore about not having a bye because they received one yesterday against the Oakland Raiders. Didn't the Raiders look like a team out of NFL Europe? To the Ravens' credit, they did exactly what they're supposed to do against bad teams. They kicked the Raiders around physically, and sent them back home. It's hard to evaluate the Ravens' performance because everything starts with this qualifier: it was against the Raiders. Oakland has no offensive line. The Raiders' coverage units on special teams were pathetic and their defense tried to play man-to-man in the secondary with no pass rush.

Describe the transition from guard to center for you. You have a lot of responsibilities, like knowing the defenses and making the offensive line calls. On top of that, it's twice as hard having to learn a new offense under [offensive coordinator] Cam Cameron. He has a very in-depth playbook. What is one of the more challenging aspects of your role? At tackle [which Brown played during his freshman year at North Carolina], the defensive lineman is several feet away from you. At center, he's about 5 inches away from you. They can crowd the ball, and that makes a big difference because you're at the point of attack, and everything happens very quickly at the center position.

MIAMI - Cam Cameron can't afford to think about the past today because he has too many problems in the present. Returning to South Florida for the first time since being fired as the Miami Dolphins' head coach, Cameron is still feeling the heat today as he tries to correct a long-standing problem for the Ravens - a self-destructing offense. So, the Dolphins - at least the 26 who remain from last season's 1-15 team - might be looking to show up their former coach. But Cameron said he is simply looking for the end zone.

Armstrong cleared for comeback race cycling Cycling's governing body is relaxing its rules to allow Lance Armstrong to make his comeback at a road race in Australia in January. The International Cycling Union said yesterday that the seven-time Tour de France champion can compete in the Jan. 20-25 Tour Down Under, his first race since coming out of retirement after three years. A strict application of testing rules would not have allowed the Texan, 37, to compete until Feb. 1, 2009, six months after he filed paperwork with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.