NFL's Ravens fire offensive coordinator

BALTIMORE, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Ravens, ranked 18th in the NFL in scoring offense, Tuesday fired offensive coordinator Jim Fassel.

Ravens Coach Brian Billick said he will take over play-calling assignments. Billick informed team officials of his decision Monday and spoke with Fassel Monday evening.

"(It's) across the board," Billick said on the team's Web site, referring to what he'd like to focus on. "We've got to protect better, we've got to run better, we've got to run better routes, we've got to read better."

Baltimore is 4-2 and leads the AFC North and while its point-per-game average is in the middle of the NFL. The Ravens are 28th in the league in total offense with an average of 271.7 yards a game, including 177.3 yards passing (27th in the NFL) and 94.3 yards rushing (24th).

Fassel, a former NFL head coach, has guided the Baltimore offense for the past two seasons. He was the league's coach of the year in 1997 and coached the New York Giants to the Super Bowl, where they lost to Billick's Ravens.

His son John is Baltimore's special teams coach.