Arizona State football has fully embraced the “pro model” since hiring Herm Edwards with former notable NFL greats Antonio Pierce, Marvin Lewis and Kevin Mawae on the staff at various times.
The Sun Devils have continued that trend by hiring former Ravens head coach and Super Bowl champion Brian Billick as an offensive analyst and advisor to the head coach.
“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,” Edwards said in a release.
“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.”
Prior to his NFL coaching career, Billick was an assistant coach at BYU, San Diego State, Utah State and Stanford.
He was an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings under Dennis Green. In Billick’s seven seasons in Minnesota, the Vikings had one of the most prolific offenses in the league and reached the postseason six times.
He was hired as the Ravens’ head coach in 1999 and had a 85-67 record over eight seasons, winning the Super XXXV in 2001.
Billick also had success getting the most out of former Sun Devils on his roster. The head coach drafted tight end Todd Heap in 2001, where he became a mainstay in the Baltimore offense. In 2003, he drafted Terrell Suggs, where he accumulated 132.5 sacks over 16 seasons.
Maybe Billick can work that similar magic with the current Sun Devil roster.
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