Billick to Stay With Ravens, Owner Says

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Brian Billick will return to coach the Baltimore Ravens in 2006.

Owner Steve Bisciotti informed the team of the development Wednesday morning .

"We have an ongoing and extensive process to find ways to win," Bisciotti said. "This included a thorough evaluation of Brian Billick. Collectively, we concluded that continuing with Brian as head coach gives us the best opportunity to win."

Billick, who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory after the 2000 season, has a year left on his current contract. The team has made the playoffs in three of his seven seasons and is 61-42 under his leadership but just 6-9 this season.

The Ravens were 8-8 in Billick’s 1999 debut and 7-9 in 2002, a season in which the Ravens fielded 19 rookies and first-year players. This will be his third non-winning season.

Before coming to the Ravens, Billick was tight ends coach and offensive coordinator in Minnesota from 1992-98.

He is currently tied for fourth in NFL seniority with Philadelphia’s Andy Reid among coaches with their current teams, trailing only Pittsburgh’s Bill Cowher, Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher and Denver’s Mike Shanahan.