Arizona State has hired Brian Billick as an offensive analyst and adviser to head coach Herm Edwards. Billick is the third former NFL head coach on the Sun Devils coaching staff, joining head coach Herm Edwards and Marvin Lewis, former advisor to Edwards.
“I am pleased to announce to Sun Devil fans that Brian Billick has accepted the position as Offensive Analyst, Advisor To The Head Coach, on my staff at Arizona State University,” says Edwards. “I have known Brian since the 1980s, and he is a person whom I completely trust. He has built one of the finest reputations the NFL has ever known, serving as a head coach, an assistant coach, and as a respected television analyst. Brian has one of the brightest offensive minds in football today, and that is especially why I hired him. He will serve as a valuable resource to our entire coaching staff, but specifically to our offensive staff.”
Billick last coached with the Baltimore Ravens in 2007. The former head coach went 80-64 in nine seasons with the Ravens, winning the Super Bowl in 2000. Billick also made the playoffs on three other occasions.
Before coaching with the Ravens, Billick spent time with the Minnesota Vikings. Beginning as a tight ends coach, he was later promoted to offensive coordinator, where he helped produce one of the league’s highest scoring offenses. Billick has a great offensive mind, and learned under the tutelage of the great Bill Walsh.
“I have known Coach Edwards for over 40 years and both Ray Anderson and Marvin Lewis for almost that long,” says Billick. “I was working the Hula Bowl two weeks ago with Mike Smith and ASU reached out to me at that time. I really enjoyed tapping into the players there and helping them to highlight their abilities. They proposed this opportunity to me, to have another set of eyes looking at and evaluating Sun Devil football and I thought it was the right time for me to make this move. I love what they are doing at ASU. It’s all about structure in the NFL and hopefully that’s what I can bring to the table at ASU. My work for the last 12 years in television at Fox and the NFL Network has allowed me to take a step back and see the game from a different angle. It broadened my perspective and that is what I will bring to this position.”
Billick’s last college job was at Stanford, where he was tight ends coach and assistant head coach in 1991. Billick coached under the late Dennis Green at the school. After coaching, Billick went into TV and became an analyst for ABC Sports and the NFL Network.
During Billick’s time as head coach, nine assistant coaches (Jack Del Rio, Marvin Lewis, Rex Ryan, Mike Smith, Vic Fangio, Mike Nolan, Mike Pettine, David Shaw, and Mike Singletary) on his coaching staff were hired as head coaches across the NFL and college football.
Edwards’ hiring of Billick was a widely praised move as it adds another offensive mind and gives the Sun Devils a fantastic coaching staff on par with the best collegiate groups nationwide.
-LaMarr Fields
Twitter: @raiderway83