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Thread: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
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12-12-2012, 10:26 AM #27Veteran Poster
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
It's funny...although the record doesn't show it, I thought Ted was a much better coach when he was with the Ravens than with the Baltimore Colts.
His offense was "explosive", and he had absolutely nothing to work with on defense (other than a young Ray Lewis). He laid the foundation for the Super Bowl team.
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
I'm with you. People fired from my firm get nothing. Not even a day of severance. The business just can't afford it. Cam will get paid the same amount whether he's working or not before he even has to think about unemployment. I'll save my sympathy for those of us who really are in financial difficulty. I know people who lost their businesses and more from Sandy. They're the ones I'm worried about.
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12-12-2012, 11:14 AM #29Veteran Poster
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
Well, I can't speak for Shas, but I made a similar point in another thread...and to clarify.
I don't "feel bad" for Cameron at all. The millions he's earned, nature of the business, pales-in-comparison to others in the "real world", etc., etc., etc. is all true and on-point.
Who I do feel bad about are his kids in school, his wife (although one could claim that she married into the business, so-to-speak), others that are impacted by this decision who had no control over it.
And to further clarify. I AM NOT TELLING ANYONE ON THIS BOARD HOW THEY SHOULD THINK OR FEEL. My only objection is that when a coach gets fired and those in the media make a sport out of it. "Cam is fired. Early Christmas present for Ravens fans." You hear this type of stuff more in sports radio than in the traditional print/internet media. And it is done without any regards to the innocent people impacted by this decision. Especially when it is a head coach getting the axe and upwards of 50+ lives are impacted. I don't think that is right, and that is why I said what I said.
Last word from me on this topic....
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12-12-2012, 09:06 PM #30Pro Bowl Poster
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
Reese McCall, that's the guy! Big! Could block and couldn't catch anything! Funny how Ted also traded for Raymond Chester to be his TE. Chester was one of the best pass-catching TEs and an All Pro at the position at the time. So instead of having him play to his strengths Ted immediately turns him into primarily a blocking TE. Chester was later traded back to the Raiders and, surprise, surprise, became an All Pro again once he got away from Baltimore. Ted always seemed to have a fixation with TEs that should/would block first rather than catch passes!
And I always thought that Cleveland picked after Baltimore that year. My mistake!
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
I've been hard on him, but a lot of the criticism has often been nuts. A play isn't a bad call because it didn't work. It isn't a great call because it worked. Sometimes players make plays and bail a playcaller out even though he's made a boneheaded call. They can also make him look like a moron even though he's called the Annexation of Puerto Rico.
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12-12-2012, 11:28 PM #32
Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
After 5 years of early exits, the journey is finally complete.
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12-13-2012, 08:10 AM #33Legendary RSR Poster
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
Undoubtedly. But I'm not sure Cam was fired for the same reasons most fans wanted Cam fired. It is pretty clear he was not fired because the Redskins game was the final straw in terms of calling a bad game. The team said as much, and actually he called a pretty decent game.
The crux of Cam's firing, I think, was that he had lost the trust and respect of too many people around him.
Whether or not his game plans and decisions were any good is irrelevant. That's because the players and coaches under him, the guys who he needed to execute those plans and decisions, had grown frustrated and had lost their desire to follow him.
I hate to make analogies to war, but we've all seen movies where the lieutenant is a dick and the men under him refuse to follow him into battle.
It doesn't have much to do with whether his men think he's giving the right orders, its more about a growing frustration and a general sense that they don't want to fight for him. It doesn't matter how clever a strategist he is at that point, he can do no right in the eyes of his men.
I think that's the gist of what Harbaugh had to come to grips with with Cam. Harbaugh is naturally a team-spirit, attitude, faith kind of guy. Loss of spirit, attitude, faith would be Number One on his list of problems that need to be addressed. I don't think he would ever come to the conclusion that Cam didn't know how to call a game. He would however come to the conclusion that Cam was taking the soul of his team in the wrong direction.
Of course I wasn't in any of the conversations and am only speculating, but I am speculating based on bits and pieces I've observed.
In a lot of respects it's the exact same thing that happened to Brian Billick. By most accounts he was a great coach, but he sort of wore out his welcome with the players. As more and more pressure was put on him to fix the offense, he grew more and more self-reliant, and increasingly stopped listening to everyone around him. The communication broke down. And that's a big no-no for an owner like Bisciotti, we learned.
I get the sense that Cam thought he had all the answers -- and personally, I think he may have had more answers than most people here believe -- but he became so poor at accepting input from his staff and from others on the offense, be they Flacco, Boldin, Rice, etc., that he lost their trust.
Everyone--even after the firing, even Harbaugh--praised what Cam had taught them as a coach. They all said they think he has top-notch X's and O's abilities, and I think they all believe it.
But this issue of listening to those around them was brewing for a long time...all the way back to when Al Saunders, Hue Jackson and Jim Zorn were bumping into Cam over at the facility (and all names, by the way, I wouldn't be surprised to hear come up as potential coordinators for the Ravens next season) and causing friction. With Flacco due to get a long term commitment, they couldn't afford that friction.
Bisciotti wanted to see "Cam under fire." I think he got his answer. Cam under fire, much like Billick under fire, performed worse, not better. Under pressure they both became more insular and arrogant and obstinate. And that -- not ability -- became their downfalls.
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12-14-2012, 11:45 AM #35Veteran Poster
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
Shas...I agree with most of your post, except the part above. I don't think Harbaugh had any intentions of firing him during the season. I suspect he would have jettisoned him in the off-season, but was going to ride it out with Cameron the remainder of this season.
Then ownership intervened. That's a big problem now for Mr. Haubaugh. You said it yourself....
It doesn't have much to do with whether his men think he's giving the right orders, its more about a growing frustration and a general sense that they don't want to fight for him. It doesn't matter how clever a strategist he is at that point, he can do no right in the eyes of his men.
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12-14-2012, 12:07 PM #36Veteran Poster
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Re: Life as an Offensive Coordinator
Whether or not his game plans and decisions were any good is irrelevant. That's because the players and coaches under him, the guys who he needed to execute those plans and decisions, had grown frustrated and had lost their desire to follow him.
As athlete's we know when we screw up vs. what is being asked of us is actually what is screwed up.
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