ExtremeRavens Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago Dear Steve Bisciotti, Come back soon. You explained you stopped making yourself publicly available because, “Like Seinfeld, I ran out of good material.” But following Tuesday’s rare news conference, it’s clear the material was never the issue. It had been a while since anyone heard directly from you in this setting. Long enough that this felt more like a refreshing reintroduction. For many fans, and plenty of people outside Baltimore, it probably was one. After all, you hadn’t spoken to any local media since 2022, and you hadn’t held a news conference at The Castle since 2018, before Lamar Jackson was even drafted. When an owner steps into public view after a disappointing 8-9 season that featured the worst home record (3-6) the Ravens have ever had in the team’s 30-year history, it offers the opportunity to buy credibility with a disgruntled fan base. Especially after a year that began with Super Bowl expectations ended with empty seats and a glaring postseason absence. It must’ve been difficult to brave the podium one week after firing 18-year coach John Harbaugh. In response to the first question you received, you addressed the elephant in the room. “Factually, we led the league in giving up big leads in the fourth quarter. It’s not something that winning organizations do. We have underperformed based on our seeding in the playoffs, very disappointing. [There were] a lot of our great players involved making mistakes that they don’t make during the regular season very often. But I just thought it was something that in the last 10 years, we’ve won the third-most games in the NFL, and yet people were saying we were underachievers, and so we were, and we had to own that. “I wasn’t 100% sure [on firing Harbaugh] until, really, after the [Steelers] loss, and I fell on my instincts, and whatever I was feeling was right. I woke up Monday, and I was pretty sure that I was going to do it. … I made the decision, and it was a hard one. As you all know, in your life, timing is never right. You can’t say that timing is perfect in anything. But I got to the point that I didn’t believe that I would feel regret after I made that decision. “That’s what instinct is. When you finally get to the point that you’re pretty damn sure that you are not going to regret the decision a day or a week later, then that’s the time to make the decision.” There was no sugarcoating nor deflection over your meeting with local reporters. You directly acknowledged all the fourth-quarter collapses the Ravens suffered under the direction of your close friend. You also revealed everything that went into the decision and ultimately, your instinct to fire Harbaugh. Additionally, you discussed the importance of Jackson’s voice and cooperation in this pivotal offseason. Heck, you even outlined your potential exit plan. That level of candor stood out. It was refreshing to hear your accountability and honesty. National pundits raved about your rare hour-long availability session, too. ESPN’s Peter Schrager called the news conference “transparent, illuminating and a master class.” CBS Sports’ Jason McCourty said you are exactly what players want in an owner. NFL Network’s Judy Battista said it’s “too bad” you don’t speak more often because “you’re very good at it.” When fans needed it most, you stepped up to the plate. Bravo. That might have been the most important part. It felt like there was something instructive in the way you answered questions, not just about past failures, but also with what comes next in the ever-important coaching search. In many ways, you reset expectations for Baltimore’s next coach. Harbaugh did it splendidly with great results for 18 seasons. This is a highly sought-after position, one that requires comfort under scrutiny, with tough questions and with accountability that must reflect across the locker room and beyond. When the owner is willing to answer for it, everyone else in the organization must be able to do the same. Like the rest of your fans, you witnessed up-close the same fourth-quarter collapses, felt the same frustration as attendance wavered late into the season and wrestled with the same doubts and questions about the direction of the franchise. Asked why you no longer make yourself regularly available, you directed attention toward your chief employees, primarily general manager Eric DeCosta, making football decisions. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, left, and general manager Eric DeCosta fist-bump during last week's news conference. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “I just always felt like if I put these guys in charge, and they got us to the playoffs. Look, I appreciate the local media … I just got to the point that I didn’t see the benefit of sitting up here and dissecting losing in the divisional round. To me, it wasn’t fair, because it was the leaders who were making the decisions that were going to give you the best information. “So, I just bailed. I just kind of said to you guys, ‘When we don’t make the playoffs, I’ll be there for you, but when we make the playoffs, I’m just going to leave it to my specialists to explain it all to you and what their plan is [moving] forward.'” Last week, though, showed there’s plenty of space for both. There’s room for DeCosta to explain the plan, and there’s certainly additional room for when it falls apart, for the owner to step in and address what went wrong and what lies ahead. Consider this column an invitation. Mr. Bisciotti, please come back soon. It helps everyone involved. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.