Camarillo, Booker salvage good from bad

By Darrell Laurant  |   Tuesday, December 25, 2007  |  Comments( 5 )

Miami Dolphins
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By this time in any NFL season, the cream has generally risen to the top. In the case of the Miami Dolphins' Greg Camarillo and Lorenzo Booker, however, that only happened after the bottle was shaken violently.

The two California natives were buried alive on the depth chart just a few weeks ago. But wide receiver Camarillo became a minor folk hero in Dolfanland by catching a 62-yard pass in overtime that gave his team a 22-16 victory over Baltimore (saving Miami from becoming the first NFL team ever to finish 0-14), and ex-Florida State star Booker has evolved into one of the most dangerous third-down backs in the AFC.

One reason for their emergence, of course, was that the Dolphins were so bad. If a horse had stumbled out of the starting gate like the Dolphins did this season, it would have been humanely destroyed. Sure, some of those losses were close, but a definite pattern had developed by the time Camarillo and Booker got their shot.

And when a team is 0-12, what harm can it do to shake up the roster a bit?

Prior to his semi-miraculous catch and run against the Ravens (he wasn't supposed to be all that fast, but he looked like Jerry Rice on that play), Camarillo was known mostly for running precise routes and being smart. He was a strong student at Stanford -- the West Coast's version of an Ivy League school, where his father teaches history -- but played on poor football teams.

He spent his first two NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers, who cut him prior to this season. Miami picked the 6-foot-1,190-pounder up and plugged him into special teams, where he excelled.

"He's a legitimate pro wide receiver," said Miami QB Cleo Lemon, who also found Camarillo for the only touchdown in last Sunday's lost to the undefeated Patriots.

"I feel like they trust me now," added Camarillo.

Booker, meanwhile, has demonstrated his versatility over the past two weeks. He caught six passes against Baltimore, making him the leading receiver in that game, then rushed eight times for 56 yards against a stout Patriots defense.

At FSU, Booker found himself first splitting time with Leon Washington (now with the Jets), then bothered by injuries, then underused in a pass-oriented offense. His upside, as they say, is significant.

A pessimist might grumble over the fact that these two relative unknowns have outshone first-round draft pick Ted Ginn Jr., and veteran Marty Booker. The optimists among the Dolphin fan base (hey, there have to be at least a few) see Ginn, Camarillo and Booker starring next season.

Even a 1-14 team has to have a few bright spots.
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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
rai		09:00 AM
12/25/2007
Ginn will be fine next season. Let's not forget that Ginn is almost always guarded by the other team's best cover corner while...
No.2
Andy		02:26 PM
12/25/2007
And saying that Ted Ginn will be fine next year is based on what? He's still undersized. He's got fewer than 30 receptions for...
No.3
rob		08:16 PM
12/25/2007
it is possible lorenzo booker was being acclamated to pro ball; a valuable project that would develop as he got around the game....
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