Posts tagged CamCameron at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Things are looking up in Miami, which is welcome news for an outfit that went 1-15 last season. Randy Mueller and Cam Cameron are out, replaced by Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano; the Dolphins have a franchise left tackle (although some are skeptical); Ricky Williams is again excited to be playing football; Jason Taylor has decided to put off his Hollywood dreamz for another season; and Ronnnie Brown, the team's 2005 first-round pick, expects to be completely healthy by the start of the season.

Brown, who's coming back from a torn ACL, thinks he can return to the form that saw him average 5.1 yards per carry through Week 7 of the '07 season.

Are those expectations too high? Based on other backs returning from ACL injuries, the results are mixed:

[Edgerrin] James averaged 4.4 yards per carry the year before (2000), 3.6 the year after (2002) but 4.1 and 4.6 in '03 and '04. Terry Allen (4.5 year before, 4.0 year after) and Jamal Anderson (4.5, 3.6) also fell off initially but still topped 1,000 yards in their first year back. (Anderson tore his other ACL a year later.)

But Jamal Lewis, who tore his ACL in 2001 training camp, had virtually no fall-off (4.4 in 2000, 4.3 in '02, 5.3 in '03). Ex-UM star Willis McGahee, who sat out his rookie NFL season (2003) after tearing his ACL and two other knee ligaments in the Fiesta Bowl, averaged 4.0 in 2004, the second-best of his career.

In his weekly "Snap Judgments" column, SI.com's Don Banks has an interesting nugget on the Ravens and their ever-elusive search to find a competent starting quarterback:

If the indications coming out of Baltimore are correct and former Heisman winner Troy Smith does win the Ravens starting quarterback job this preseason, new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is likely to be in line for much of the credit.

Not sure what "indications" Banks has picked up on, but this is the second time in a week that Cameron, fresh off a 1-15 run as the Dolphins head coach, has garnered praise from the media. In a story about rookie Joe Flacco, the Baltimore Sun's Jamison Hensley wrote of Cameron's willingness to fit the offense around a quarterback's strengths. Novel idea, that.

Apparently, the same holds for Smith, according to Banks' source:

"Cam's very good at figuring out a player's strength, figuring out what he does well, and then tailoring the offense around those skills,'' the Ravens source said. "He's got Troy moving around and doing a lot of the same things he had success doing at Ohio State.''

So after years of not having a legit starting quarterback, the Ravens suddenly have two, neither of whom are named Kyle Boller. And to think, all it took to turn Baltimore into a QB factory was to get rid of Brian Billick. Shocking.

There are very few cases of NFL quarterbacks having much success as rookies. Ben Roethlisberger is the obvious exception, and Vince Young played surprisingly well after replacing the irreplaceable Kerry Collins. More often, though, these players struggle with the speed of the games, the voluminous playbooks and the defensive schemes devised to confuse them.

Kyle Boller is the perfect example, which explains why, after five less-than-spectacular seasons, the Ravens have drafted the next franchise quarterback, Joe Flacco. But unlike Boller, who, in retrospect, never had a chance with Brian Billick serving as his career counselor, Flacco will be mentored by Cam Cameron.

Cameron was rightfully canned after a forgettable 2007 season in Miami; although he may not be head-coaching material, he's a proven offensive coordinator, and has a solid track record in developing quarterbacks.

As Flacco continues his crash course in Baltimore's offense, the chance that he finds his way onto the field this season increases.

Mike Lombardi is the former Raiders personnel executive-turned-teevee talking head. A few days ago, he lamented the fact that Oakland, like 30 other teams, missed out on the Tony Romo phenomenon (if there had only been a long-drive competition as part of the combine!).

And today he writes that Ravens second-round pick, Ray Rice, could be the blue-chip back that Willis McGahee isn't. (Or, more specifically, that Lombardi doesn't think McGahee is; while Bills fans might agree, I suspect Willis and Drew Rosenhaus feel differently.)

Although Rice may have been overlooked by some teams because of his size, Lombardi says that's a mistake.

Too often scouts make a big deal about a running backs height, but height is really not a factor in the run game, just if you want to extend the back out of the formation. Short backs are effective if they have a great lower body and can possess great balance. Our west coast scout in Oakland told me I was crazy for liking Maurice Drew-"he is a midget" was his first comment.

Lombardi points to this Baltimore Sun article as evidence new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is smitten; I'm not so sure, but I do agree that small backs shouldn't be summarily dismissed because, well, they're small.

Warrick Dunn's made out okay, and with virtually every team going to a back-by-committee approach, having a smaller, shiftier runner makes sense. Lombardi thinks Rice could be bad news for McGahee; I think it could extend McGahee's career, all else equal. Either way, it's good news for the Ravens' offense.

I mentioned yesterday that Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter was hedging his bets and playing nice/working hard for Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano. Apparently, there are other Dolphins players who prefer Sparano's "frankness and approachability" to that of the guy he replaced, Cam Cameron.

"You like to know where you stand all the time," said tight end ... Fassano ... "It's good for the team not to have any doubts or wonder how he's feeling. You might need some tough skin now and again, but in the long run it's good for you."

Defensive end Vonnie Holliday thought his first meeting with Sparano would last five minutes. Instead, it went for more than a half hour. Holliday, one of Miami's team leaders, has met extensively with Sparano since.

"He wants to know you as a person and that's important," Holliday said. "It's not a facade. He wants guys who can play ball, are good guys and not a problem. I think you can see that in terms of some of the guys he's gotten rid of around here."

It's worth pointing out that Anthony Fasano has been in South Beach for all of two months, so it's not clear what he's talking about. But Holliday's story underlines an important point, often overlooked when teams go searching for head coaches: there's a big difference between being a great coordinator and running the whole show.

The coaching landscape is littered with "can't miss" coordinators who missed badly, usually because they couldn't relate to their players. It sounds like Sparano is off to a swell start, but all the goodwill will go out the window if the Dolphins are still losing games in '08 like it's '07.

In a lot of ways, Cam Cameron was set up to fail when he accepted the Dolphins head coaching job early in 2007. And fail he did. Spectacularly. Miami finished the season 1-15, owner Wayne Huizenga hired Bill Parcells to fix the mess, and Cameron soon found himself out of a job. (Happy ending, though; Cameron landed in Baltimore as the team's new offensive coordinator. And not just in name only.)

Tony Sparano was hired as Cameron's successor, and some four months into the gig he already seems to have the respect of his team, something Cameron struggled with during his short tenure. In fact, Cameron's biggest critic -- at least publicly -- Joey Porter, hearts both Sparano and Parcells.

Coach Tony Sparano said he's ''very proud'' of Joey Porter on several levels, and Porter makes one thing clear: There's no excuse if he doesn't deliver.

''I'll have a chance to silence them,'' Porter, 31, said Thursday of his critics. 'They will say, `What will be his excuse now? He cried about the defense last year.' I'm telling you, I'm honestly happy with the defense now. If I don't do what I'm supposed to, then you fire up the pistol and beat me up in the media....

Porter said he and Bill Parcells have ''a great relationship.'' Porter said he is on his best behavior: ``You want to make sure you don't rub anybody the wrong way.''

Unlike the offensive coordinators under Brian Billick, Cam Cameron, the guy new head coach John Harbaugh has charged with revamping (creating?) the Ravens offense, will have the run of the place. So in contrast to Rick Neuheisel, who held the OC title but had little to do on game days outside of keeping Kyle Boller's spirits up, Cameron will not only install his offense, he'll be calling plays on Sundays.

Novel idea, that.

The hope, unchanged from the time the Browns relocated to Baltimore, is that the offense can serve some purpose other than offering the defense a quick breather. Cameron has a track record of fielding high-powered offenses, which is something Matt Cavanagh or Neuheisel could never claim.

The issue, of course, is if Cameron can have the same success in Baltimore that he had in San Diego. The biggest difference between the Ravens ahd Chargers is personnel. There are only one LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates (although Willis McGahee and a healthy Todd Heap ain't bad), and Drew Brees had his best season in San Diego under Cameron. Maybe the most underrated group was the offensive line, who allowed the skill players do do what they do.

Between waiting for Joe Flacco and giving Freddie Mitchell a look-see, the Ravens have allegedly been busy inquiring about "Dancing With the Stars" loser, Jason Taylor. First-year head coach John Harbaugh admits to knowing nothing of such plans, and the Sun-Sentinel adds some background:

A deal with the Ravens seems unlikely because of Taylor's age, salary and his tenuous relationship with Cam Cameron, the Ravens' offensive coordinator who coached the Dolphins last season.

Baltimore hasn't ever shied away from signing older players to big-money deals, and frankly, previous administrations didn't seem all that fazed by the player-coach dynamic, either. But Harbaugh isn't Brian Billick, and he doesn't seem interested in giving the slightest indication that the inmates could run the asylum.

That said, I don't think Taylor and Cam Cameron wouldn't be able to co-exist. It's not like he's T.O., circa 2005. Taylor is, by all accounts, a good guy, and before this whole weird, dancing thing, a team leader.

But the Ravens already have Ray Lewis for that (no way two guys can lead the pregame "Any Dogs in the House?!?"), and Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce to play defensive end. There's no real need for Taylor, particularly since he's expected to make $16.5 million over the next two years.

It seems like just two days ago that we were discussing Chad Henne's prospects of winning the starting job in Miami. It made sense at the time; he'd taken part in one full day of minicamp. After yesterday's practice, however, John Beck's not-so-firm status as the team's No. 1 quarterback seemed suddenly less tenuous.

Dolphins rookie quarterback Chad Henne seemed to be working on mental overload as he wrapped up the final practice of the three-day rookie minicamp Sunday.

At one point, he was told to run a lap after blowing an assignment. "I forgot the snap count," said Henne, the 57th overall draft pick. "I went on one instead of our second count. I deserved it."

Brilliant. Henne added that the last time he had to run laps was in high school for cursing. Presumably, he also had to wash his mouth out with soap afterwards.

That Henne struggled isn't really news; he was drafted last weekend, and he's having to learn an entirely new (and much more complex) offense, with a bunch of guys he's never seen before (save Jake Long).

"We threw a lot at [Henne]," coach Tony Sparano said. "We wanted to see exactly how much sticks. He might've struggled just a little bit, but I thought he threw the ball pretty well at times."

These experiences will all help make Henne a better player, and you have to wonder where Keith Traylor might be right now if Cam Cameron had forced him to run laps instead of just suspending him after a game of dominoes went horribly awry.

The Ravens have barely started off-season workouts, but there seems to be a sense that for the first time, well, since the team arrived in Baltimore last decade, the offense will actually try to score points next season.

Brian Billick -- and Rick Neuheisel, Jim Fassel and Matt Cavanaugh before him -- is gone, and the newest offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron, is in. So far, so good.

Ravens TE Daniel Wilcox had this to say about new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron: "I don't think he is going to let a defense dictate what we are going to do on offense." Wilcox told PFW he expects the Ravens to take a more aggressive approach on offense, something he says suits an offense that wants to prove it is better than it has shown. "We think we are oversaturated with talent," Wilcox said.

Even though Cameron had a forgettable one-and-done head-coaching stint with the Dolphins last year (and to be fair, I don't think anybody could've succeeded in that environment), he built a solid track record as an offensive coordinator with the Chargers.

Of course, Billick, before coming to Baltimore, was hailed as something of an offensive mastermind with the late-90s Vikings, primarily because of Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Randall Cunningham. I suppose you could make a similar case for Cameron, Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, but for now the players seem genuinely happy about the change in philosophy. And if this happens, they'll be even happier.