Ravens dismiss Billick as coach

Brian Billick never came close to duplicating the success he enjoyed early in his career as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and it finally cost him his job.

Billick was fired Monday, less than 24 hours after his team concluded a season of high expectations with a 5-11 record. His entire staff, including defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, also was dismissed.

“I believed that it was time for a change, I believed that we have the nucleus of a team that can get back to the Super Bowl, and we felt that in the next five years we had a better chance with a new coach than leaving Brian in that position,” said owner Steve Bisciotti.

Billick won the 2001 Super Bowl in his second season with the Ravens, but since Bisciotti took over full ownership in 2004, Baltimore was 33-33. That included two losing seasons and only one playoff appearance, a one-and-out performance in 2006.

Bill Parcells’ shake-up of the Miami Dolphins began with the firing of General Manager Randy Mueller. Assistant director of player personnel Mike Baugh and college scouting coordinator Rick Thompson also departed.

Mueller was the Dolphins’ general manager for three seasons but was in charge of personnel decisions only since coach Nick Saban left a year ago.

Parcells began work last Thursday as executive vice president of football operations.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young will be day to day this week after re-injuring his right quadriceps muscle. His status for Sunday’s AFC wild-card game with San Diego could be in question.

Young sat out the Oct. 21 game at Houston after straining his right quadriceps against Tampa Bay on Oct. 14.

He said he aggravated the muscle during the first half of the Titans’ 16-10 win at Indianapolis on Sunday and tweaked it further in the third quarter.

Atlanta, Kansas City and Oakland are involved in a complicated coin flip scenario to decide the third, fourth and fifth picks in the NFL draft in April.

The first pick will go to Miami (1-15) and the second to St. Louis (3-13). Then come the Falcons, Raiders and Chiefs, teams that finished 4-12 and tied in the strength-of-schedule factor. The New York Jets, who also had a 4-12 record, will pick sixth because they played a stronger schedule, one of the determining factors in the draft order.

The Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders all had the same strength of schedule -- they played teams that finished with a winning percentage of .516 compared to .523 for Jets’ opponents.

Because the Chiefs finished third in the AFC West with a better record in common games over the Raiders, Oakland will draft ahead of them.

So the Falcons and Raiders will flip a coin for the third spot.

Marv Levy stepped down as the Buffalo Bills’ general manager, confident he has the team headed in the right direction despite consecutive 7-9 finishes.

The announcement came hours after the 82-year-old Hall of Fame coach opened Buffalo’s final team meeting by informing the players of his decision to move on.

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Stockar McDougle was charged with pushing the owner of a landscaping company and a female clerk because of a dispute about a bill.

Detectives did not find visible injuries on the owner or employee, a police report said. McDougle was released from jail on bail Friday night.

Playoff schedule

WILD-CARD ROUND

AFC

* Jacksonville at Pittsburgh Saturday, 5 p.m., Channel 4

* Tennessee at San Diego Sunday, 1:30 p.m., Channel 2

* Byes: New England and Indianapolis

NFC

* Washington at Seattle Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Channel 4

* N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay Sunday, 10 a.m., Channel 11

* Byes: Dallas and Green Bay