Cameron’s rift with Traylor the final straw in Miami

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, December 31, 2007  |  Comments( 4 )

Miami Dolphins
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Ever since Bill Parcells was officially introduced as a member of the Miami Dolphins' front office, I've been trying to figure out a possible scenario under which current head coach Cam Cameron could keep his job.

Unfortunately, Cameron's supposed rift with veteran defensive tackle Keith Traylor will evaporate any of those possible scenarios, and it will likely land the coach in the unemployment line before week's end.

According to various sources, including teammate Joey Porter, Traylor and an unnamed teammate - Rex Hadnot and/or Vernon Carey according WQAM personality Orlando Alzugaray - were involved in an argument on the plane ride home from Boston last week. Cameron apparently got involved; the coach and player had a follow-up meeting Monday, in which Cameron told Traylor that he no longer wanted him on the team and sent him home. Upon learning of this, many of Miami's veterans complained and pushed for Traylor's return to the locker room. Cameron relented, reportedly welcoming Traylor back, but the 39-year-old Oklahoma native refused his coach's request.

Veteran Joey Porter was critical of Cameron, stating that he felt the situation was not handled properly.

Rumors of locker-room unrest have plagued Cameron for weeks, but this is by far the most alarming incident, and it could not have come at a worse time. It's alarming because Traylor is an NFL institution who was respected by all of his teammates and continued to play hard despite various ailments that plagued the 16-year veteran; additionally, it's poorly timed because it occurred in the midst of Parcells' analysis of the organization.

Parcells is synonymous with respect and professionalism, so it's hard to believe that he would retain a head coach who struggles to maintain a good rapport with his veterans.

In reality, it was unlikely that Cameron was going to stay on board either way, especially considering he has virtually no ties to Parcells. Nevertheless, this latest debacle should only serve to hasten the inevitable.

Rookie offensive duo shines in Week 17:

Dolphins rookies Ted Ginn Jr. and Lorenzo Booker continued to make plays and flash the speed and elusiveness that promises to better Miami's offense in 2008 and beyond.

Booker led the team in receiving with seven catches for 54 yards and added 33 rushing yards on seven carries, humiliating would-be tacklers and flashing impressive acceleration on multiple occasions during the Dolphins' season-ending loss to Cincinnati.

Ginn grabbed seven receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.

First-year QB John Beck got off to a rough start, fumbling a shotgun snap that resulted in a 54-yard defensive touchdown for the Bengals on his first play from scrimmage; in addition, he made several poor throws on his next drive. Beck eventually settled down, taking the team on a 13-play, 86-yard drive that was punctuated by his sneak into the end zone and adding his first touchdown pass of the season later in the game. Overall, he completed 13 of 21 pass attempts for 135 yards and a touchdown.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Whoop		02:31 PM
12/31/2007
Who cares about Traylor? Isn't he like 200 years old anyway? Yea yea, he's a spiritual leader, has a lot of heart, blah blah...
No.2
Dave		05:43 PM
12/31/2007
Mueller was the first to go and for good reasons. His awful decision to jettison Welker to the Pats among other stellar moments...
No.3
rai		02:41 AM
01/02/2008
Mueller getting a 2nd and a 7th for Welker, at the time, seemed like a good trade for Miami more than NE. Obviously, this...
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