It simply had to happen. At some point, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti listened to his gut and just knew he had to make the move. At some point, Bisciotti had collected too much evidence to reach any other conclusion.

And, by changing his mind and deciding to fire Coach Brian Billick and his staff after a disastrous, 5-11 season, Bisciotti stepped up with his first, bold stroke since taking the reins of the team nearly four years ago.

How could Bisciotti go in any other direction?

Watching the Ravens flop around, awash in key injuries and a lack of discipline and inspiration as that numbing, nine-game losing streak grew like a malignant tumor, was more painful than any other season in team history.

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When I think of this edition of the Ravens, I think of linebacker Bart Scott losing control at the end of a heartbreaking loss to undefeated New England, and throwing a penalty flag into the stands. I think of that idiot, backup linebacker Nick Greisen, drawing a 15-yard penalty for spiking the ball in front of the Ravens bench in Sunday’s 27-21 win over Pittsburgh.

When future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis complained publicly in the locker room early in the season about Billick’s play calling, then went on his own radio show a week later with verbal guns blazing, you could feel the anti-Billick frustration building within the team. Lewis was not just speaking for himself.

And this was before the injuries really started to pile up.

But Bisciotti didn’t need to interview players to gauge their feelings. He listened to the advice of general manager Ozzie Newsome and team president Dick Cass, before pulling the trigger.

Yet, with all of the opinions and logic swirling in his head, Bisciotti the competitor could not avoid the obvious.

The Ravens of 2007 were a penalty-laden mess, once again unproductive on offense — in a year when a banged-up defense really needed some help for a change — and Billick could not make up the difference. His lack of play-calling ability, clock management and creativity could not be overlooked.

The glut of turnovers is more of a players’ issue. The slew of penalties and mental mistakes? That arrow points back to the head coach. Remember, it was only two years ago the Ravens drew an astounding 21 flags in Detroit. It’s not as if this was a new trend.

It became pretty clear as this season dragged on that the Billick message had grown stale in Owings Mills, and that players had begun to tune him out.

Ultimately, Billick’s dismissal comes to down to this. Forget about the solid, 85-67 record and the Super Bowl title seven years ago and dissect the numbers.

The Ravens have missed the playoffs four times since winning the big one. Three times since Bisciotti took over, they have watched the postseason. Billick has not won a playoff game in six years.

And if you take away the Super Bowl run and last year’s 13-3 finish, Billick’s regular-season mark over the other seven seasons is a mediocre 55-57.

“You have to take chances in life in order to succeed,” said Bisciotti, who no doubt took plenty of them while building a business that made him a billionaire. “In order to take chances, you have to go with your gut. When you get the answer, you go with it.”

Sometimes, the unknown is preferable. When the Ravens fired Ted Marchibroda after a 6-10 finish in 1998, they were a team with a rising defense in search of a coach who could elevate them. That guy was a hot, offensive coordindator named Brian Billick, who had never been a head coach.

Nine years later, that guy could be another hot offensive coordinator, such as Dallas’ Jason Garrett. Or it could be a familiar face in former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, who I think would be an excellent gamble.

One thing is certain today. The owner of the Ravens will not settle for mediocrity.

The message is as clear as it is fitting.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.