It lasted for less than a year and resulted in just one victory in 2007. Right from the get-go, this era in Dolphins history was marked with drama, as Miami chose to pass over media darling Brady Quinn at #9 and select speedster Ted Ginn Jr. (and his family). Then in the second round, the Dolphins tabbed John Beck as their QB of the future. However, Cameron won't be around to enjoy his selections, should they become solid NFL players, because he was canned.
As many of you know, I was a Cam supporter. And I continued to support him until sometime in December, once the losing really got to me and we found out about potential bickering in the locker room. That was the final straw for me. But is this franchise really better off without Cameron?
I know, stupid question, right? Most of you will verbally assault me for even asking this. You'll point out his numerous play calling mistakes and talk about all of his bad clock management. And I can't argue those points, as they are as valid as any argument can be.
Now I won't bore you with point out all of the head coaches whose rookie seasons were quite pitiful but were able to turn it around and become top NFL head coaches. We've done that enough around here alredy. But here's what I will tell you. I'm surprised. Call me an idiot if you wish, but I'm surprised Bill Parcells and his new little puppet, Jeff Ireland (because that's what he will be), decided to fire Cam Cameron. I honestly thought Bill might have seen a little bit of himself in Cameron. After all, Parcells knows just how tough it is to be a rookie head coach in this league. He understands that there is a learning curve for a rookie head coach just as there is with a rookie quarterback.
Remember, Parcells did just win 3 games as a rookie head coach with the Giants back in 1983. In that season, he, too, made some terrible decisions; like, for example, benching Phil Simms for Scott Brunner. His team also suffered many injuries.
The difference between Parcells and Cameron, though, is that Parcells was given time to fix his own mistakes. And he did just that. Cameron was not given time ot fix his mistakes. How different would history be if Parcells was fired after just one year in New York, as he was very close to being? He may never have become who he is today. And now, we'll never know what Cam might have been.
It's funny how things work out sometimes. Fans in New York wanted Parcells fired after his first season, but management decided to give him a 2nd chance. Now, here's Cam Cameron. Fans wanted him fired, but I thought Bill would reciprocate the favor the Giants did and give him at least one more season. Now we know that's not the case.
So where does this firing leave us? It leaves us, in all likelihood, with Parcells and Ireland hiring another rookie head coach; someone Bill and Jeff can relate to in terms of philosophies and likely someone who has some experience working with Bill and/or Jeff. But consider this: neither Bill Parcells nor Jeff Ireland have ever hired a coach. They, too, are both rookies at their respective jobs.
This means we have 2 rookie executives deciding on who will be this franchise's next head coach. And it's likely going to be yet another rookie. You can choose to simply follow Parcells blindly, like some fans will probably do. Or you can think for yourself and question any and all decisions Bill and Jeff make. I, for one, am not going to be like some and simply choose to believe things will get better because Parcells is running the show now. That's being naive.
Instead, I actually think there's a better chance of failure now than there would have been if Cam Cameron was still around. Why? With 2 rookie execs preparing to hire their first head coach, more things could potentially go wrong, especially if they settle for another rookie. With Cam, the ceiling for success may not have been as high, but I do think the chance of continued failure would have been reduced at least a little bit.
What happens if the two rookies running the show fail in their selection process and bring aboard another rookie head coach who proves to be in over his head? What if Bill and Jeff hire a coach who may not be as ready as they thought but bring him aboard anyway due to past relationships? At least with Cameron, we would have a guy who now has a year under his belt and can now learn from his mistakes. With a different rookie head coach, we might actually have to relive the same rookie mistakes for the 2nd season in a row.
Is that an idea that excites you?
I'll be hoping that Parcells and his puppet are successful and hire a coach who proves he's up to the task that lies before him here in Miami. But what I will not do is convince myself everything will be alright simply because Parcells is here and he's going to handpick the next head coach himself.
So here I'll sit, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst...