Cameron finds the perfect offensive coordinator—himself

By Hugo Guzman  |   Friday, March 16, 2007  |  Comments( 9 )

Miami Dolphins
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Thursday, Miami Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron announced that he will call the team's offensive plays, taking on coordinator duties himself. That makes the former Charger assistant one of a handful of coaches who call their own plays and the only one to not carry an O-coordinator on his staff.

When Cameron first made this assertion back in late February, yours truly defended the decision, citing his recent string of successful seasons calling plays in San Diego. But now that the decision is official, Dolphins fans should perhaps be somewhat concerned.

It's not that Cameron's incapable of calling plays, but his decision points to an all-too-common condition that seems to afflict many first-year coaches -- an overinflated ego.

In fact, Cameron wouldn't be the first rookie coach to be felled by his own delusions of grandeur -- there are countless examples of overly eager, overly confident head coaches making boneheaded decisions based on either lack of experience or just unbridled egoism.

It happened to former Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg, who once elected to buck a longstanding NFL trend by choosing which side to defend instead of the football after winning an overtime coin toss. (Incidentally, making a coaching error during an overtime coin toss is now termed "pulling a Mornhinweg.")

Then there's ex-Browns coach Butch Davis. The former University of Miami coach chose to pass over his own college recruit, running back Clinton Portis, in favor of current also-ran William Green.

Finally, Jets coach Eric Mangini fell victim just last year. He elected to enact all sorts of overly disciplinarian team laws, like the "five-second rule" (players are only allowed to celebrate a good play or lament a bad play before moving on), or a rule stating that any player who commits a penalty during practice must run a lap (he had two officials attend every practice to make sure the proper calls were made).

However, the Jets did double their win total in 2006, and Mangini was named AFC Coach of the Year in his inaugural season.

The point is that while many a first-year coach has bitten off more than his ego can chew, radical departures from the coaching norm aren't always a bad thing. So if Cameron thinks he can coordinate the offense, all the while keeping a pulse on the defense and special teams, more power to him. Nevertheless, Miami fans must hope that their rookie coach can hold up his end of the bargain, offensively speaking.

Otherwise, the Cameron era might end up being short-lived.

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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 9  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
phinsman		10:15 AM
03/16/2007
one thing Cam has going for him is that if his offense can generate more than 10 points per game it will seem like an improvement...
No.2
brian		10:54 AM
03/16/2007
so what happens to Mularkey, or did I miss something? does he become an observer for Cameron? or does he get his walking...
No.3
Neil Feller		12:04 PM
03/16/2007
I'm sick of all your negative comments. Keep them to yourself. Cameron is just starting out. It's a bit premature to mention his...
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