One of my all-time favorite quotes is from H.L. Mencken who once wrote, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." Mencken, of course, was from Baltimore (which probably goes a long way toward explaining how he came to hold such an opinion), and if he could have read the Sunday Sun sports section from November 23, he probably would have felt a stratospherically high level of validation. Now, please don't get me wrong on this. I fully recognize the local edition of Pravda (aka The Baltimore Sun) for what it is -- an instrument of propaganda for the liberal wing of the Democratic Party -- but it still surprises me (which probably says something unflattering about my intelligence) when they stoop to printing hurtful, unsubstantiated and pointless ramblings from some of the area's many aspiring rocket scientists. What got me fired up this time was a couple (maybe three) letters slamming Brian Billick and calling him everything from stupid to incompetent to just plain not nice.

Brian Billick

Perhaps the authors of these masterpieces were busy writing their doctoral thesis last year when that dunce, Billick, pulled off one of the most amazing coaching performances of the decade when he guided the Ravens to a record of 7-9. That's 7-9 without Ray Lewis, without Jamal Lewis, and with the dynamic duo of Chris Redman and Jeff Blake lining up behind center (please note, I did not say playing quarterback). Where I come from, that season qualifies as a coaching work of art, and I must confess that I flat out loved it when, on the same day that those inflammatory letters were published, the Ravens went out and pulled off that spectacular come-from-behind win over the Seahawks.

A team with mediocre leadership would have folded about half-time in that one, and while there can be no question that Brian has made some very poor decisions in selecting his starting quarterbacks, his ability to lead and inspire his players is simply beyond reproach.

As long as I'm on the Billick bandwagon, I might as well ride that puppy a little farther by telling you that I like Brian Billick, on both a personal and professional level. I think he's smart (he and I agree on that), hardworking and well-intentioned. I've also found him to have a great sense of humor, which he's not the least bit afraid to occasionally turn on himself. A couple years ago, after the Ravens won the Super Bowl, I found out that Brian was hiring himself out as a motivational speaker for $25,000 a night. When I ragged on him about the high price, he responded, "Yeah, well, they've always said I was arrogant and egomaniacal. They just left out greedy."

By the time he's through, Brian may very well be regarded as a truly great coach. At this point, the worst that can be said of him is that he's pretty good, but when you're talented, handsome and self-assured, the fact of the matter is you make an awfully easy target.

As my old friend Vince Dooley used to say, "The dog with the bone is always in trouble."

John Buren