THE RAVENS WILL have as much as $17 million in salary cap room this offseason, but the biggest improvement the team can make is finding someone who can help direct the offense, manage the game as well as the clock and use personnel.

The Ravens have a lot of other needs, like a big-time receiver, a right offensive tackle, a defensive lineman and possibly another cornerback, but it's time to fill a void that has been missing the past four years: The Ravens need to find someone who can control the offense.

Coach Brian Billick hasn't been able to do it since he arrived in Baltimore for the 1999 season, and neither has Matt Cavanaugh, his offensive coordinator the past four years.

It's time for general manager Ozzie Newsome and owner Art Modell to start probing more into the offensive failures and asking questions about some top assistants who might become available.

Billick has been reluctant to move in another direction, partly because of his ego and his loyalty to Cavanaugh, a friend. But Billick doesn't have to fire Cavanaugh, just add a fresh pair of eyes, ears and another voice. The old ones have become stale.

The Ravens need to juice up an offense that has been ranked No. 24, 16, 14 and currently 29. The Ravens have been around the bottom of the trash heap offensively most of this season.

It's been downright depressing, and the low point came Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Several times in the second half the Ravens had opportunities to put the Browns away, but they couldn't because the top two coaches who run the offense, Billick and Cavanaugh, don't have a "feel" for the game.

All they want is balance. Forget about an identity. They don't know when to slow it down or crank it up. They don't know when to take the ball and just hand it to running back Jamal Lewis, a 231-pound nightmare.

Take the Cleveland game, for example.

No runner has punished the Browns more in the past three years than Lewis. Last Sunday he should have touched the ball a minimum of 25 times, but Lewis had only 21 rushing attempts, only nine in the first half when the Ravens should have been sending the Browns a message with Lewis early.

Once the Ravens took a 13-7 lead on Matt Stover's 43-yard field goal with 5:03 left in the third quarter, the Browns should have gotten nothing but a steady diet of Lewis for the remaining 20 minutes.

Instead, the Ravens tried to have balance, and they threw with Jeff Blake, who throws as hard as Nolan Ryan on short passes. Twice on first downs, in the last seven minutes, they threw instead of going to Lewis, and failed to use up any of the clock as the passes fell incomplete.

How about the Indianapolis game?

Trailing only 10-6 on the road with 1:01 left in the half and the ball at the Ravens' 16, the Ravens had Chris Redman throwing. Another poor decision.

A Redman pass was picked off at the Colts' 48-yard line and returned to the Ravens' 40 with 22 seconds remaining. One play later, Mike Vanderjagt was kicking a 50-yard field goal. The Ravens lost, 22-20. That's two games that would have made a huge difference.

These types of problems recur every year, and have several times this season. How about the first Pittsburgh game? With the Ravens trailing 28-3 at the half, the team failed to go to the hurry-up offense in the second half, taking more time to get to the line of scrimmage than it did for the United Nations to finally get inspectors back into Iraq.

Nearly a month ago, I wrote a column stating that the University of Maryland's Ralph Friedgen was a better X's and O's and game-day coach than Billick. Of course, it drew the ire of Billick fans. But under Billick, the Ravens have gone through eight quarterbacks in four years, and this season went 25 possessions without a touchdown.

When was the last time you saw the Ravens run a successful two-minute drill?

St. Louis' Mike Martz may not be a great head coach, but it's interesting watching that offense. It's fun watching the Rams' scheme and to see a receiver wide-open and catching a 30-yard pass in stride. The Ravens' best offensive pass play this season has been nothing more than a jump ball to tight end Todd Heap.

That's a great game plan and scouting report. The Ravens' deep passing game depends on the height of the cornerbacks and safeties.

Defenders of Billick will say he hasn't had the talent, but there are four No. 1 draft picks - tackle Jonathan Ogden, Heap, Lewis and wide receiver Travis Taylor - on offense. In contrast, the Ravens lost eight defensive starters from a year ago and still are ranked No. 19 in defense.

The offense has been Billick's Achilles' heel. Even in the Ravens' Super Bowl season of 2000, the team went five straight games without a touchdown. He might not be able to get away with that again, even in the parity-driven NFL.

Billick has done a good job of teaching this young team this season. Motivation, discipline and organization are his strengths. But a great coach knows his weaknesses well. He knows how to compensate. Over the years, Billick has said several times he is accountable for the offense. That's fine and dandy. Let's give him a standing ovation for being a stand-up guy.

But a person who is truly accountable just doesn't take the blame, he fixes the problem.

It's time for Billick to correct the offense regardless of whether it means adding another coach, or getting rid of one.