Life as an Offensive Coordinator

[lowrider]

You're right and boards light up with how much smarter 'we guys' are than the coordinators. That's why I was never too quick to bash Cam and I hope he has a smooth transition. But I also do believe it was time for a change

Yeah, I haven't been too hard on Cam either. It's easy to criticise sitting in your easy chair. All you have to do is look at the data provided in the OP and you can see it is not an easy job. At first I didn't like that they fired Cam with 3 games remaining in the regular season, but it has become apparent to me that there were some real differences going on between Cam and the players and JH. So I wish him well and I hope that people can be a little patient with Caldwell.

[Paintballguy]

I dont feel bad. Hes had steady employment with ~millionaire salaries for over a decade and a half now. Hes still going to get paid for the rest of the year.

I don't see how you can feel bad for him. Yeah he got fired but he still gets paid for his entire contract. If I got fired tomorrow, I wouldn't get paid after tomorrow.

[Kevlar]

Marchibroda!!! Marchibroda!!! Are you kidding me! You think Cam was bad, Marchibroda makes Cam seem like an Offensive genius in comparison!

When Ray Rice said, Hey Diddle, Diddle, Ray Rice up the middle where did you think that came from? Back in the Bert Jones days it was from all of us old Colt fans saying Hey Diddle, Diddle, Lydell Mitchell up the middle because he was so predictable all of the time! Ted was as rigid as they came and worse, he never adapted at all to defensive changes during a game. Also, Ted coached scared all the time and played not to lose rather than win (does this sound familiar). When he won his power struggle with GM Joe Thomas and had control over draft selections one year he picked a TE with the Colt's No. 1 pick (can't remember the guy's name) who couldn't catch a cold but was a good blocker and then said this dude was the best TE in the draft. The Browns later on used their No. 1 on another Tight End by the name of Ozzie Newsome (Yeah, that's right, the Colts could have had Ozzie Newsome).

The sad thing was that he wasn't the OC, he was the coach which was far worse!

Old Ted still has the highest ranked Ravens offense. 3rd in yards, 6th in points in 1996.

[JohnBKistler]

When he won his power struggle with GM Joe Thomas and had control over draft selections one year he picked a TE with the Colt's No. 1 pick (can't remember the guy's name) who couldn't catch a cold but was a good blocker and then said this dude was the best TE in the draft. The Browns later on used their No. 1 on another Tight End by the name of Ozzie Newsome (Yeah, that's right, the Colts could have had Ozzie Newsome).

That doesn't seem accurate.

The Browns used the 23rd pick on Newsome.

The Colts had the 25th pick and drafted Reese McCall.

By the way, the real blunder was by San Francisco, who took Ken McAfee at TE with the 7th overall pick and who was out of the league 3 seasons later...

Newsome and Montana. They may have won another ring or 3.

[s.r.genovese]

Old Ted still has the highest ranked Ravens offense. 3rd in yards, 6th in points in 1996.

Yet people still complain.

[GOTA]

cavanaugh is still int he NFL???

He's been with the Jets for years now. I know it's been discussed here before. It was pretty funny when Rex hired him.

[JohnBKistler]

Yet people still complain (about Marchibroda).

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.

[GOTA]

put me on the don't feel bad list as well, that cat made more money than I can dream of, unemployment for Cam is way different than unemployment for the regular comon folk.

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.

[JohnBKistler]

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.

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....

[PalladinInNC]

That doesn't seem accurate.

The Browns used the 23rd pick on Newsome.

The Colts had the 25th pick and drafted Reese McCall.

By the way, the real blunder was by San Francisco, who took Ken McAfee at TE with the 7th overall pick and who was out of the league 3 seasons later...

Newsome and Montana. They may have won another ring or 3.

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!

[bacchys]

Yeah, I haven't been too hard on Cam either. It's easy to criticise sitting in your easy chair. All you have to do is look at the data provided in the OP and you can see it is not an easy job. At first I didn't like that they fired Cam with 3 games remaining in the regular season, but it has become apparent to me that there were some real differences going on between Cam and the players and JH. So I wish him well and I hope that people can be a little patient with Caldwell.

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.

[SC_Raven_Fan]

put me on the don't feel bad list as well, that cat made more money than I can dream of, unemployment for Cam is way different than unemployment for the regular comon folk.

Plus, the timing was perfectly timed. College coaches are/have lost their jobs, and I'm 100% sure Cameron will be a college HC before the end of the month.

If Cam got fired after another playoff disaster, the college jobs would be filled already.

[Paintballguy]

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.

I agree, but there is a reason why Cam got fired. If a coach gets fired midseason, there is something going on.

[Shas]

I agree, but there is a reason why Cam got fired. If a coach gets fired midseason, there is something going on.

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.

[JohnBKistler]

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.

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.

This often happens when ownership steps into the locker-room in the middle of the season.

[HKusp]

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.

Shas, I don't see how you can divorce the two issues. If he had been more effective at game planning and decision making, he would have more than likely not lost the confidence of those around him. When you are making more correct calls and the results show on the field, it strengthens confidence, it doesn't erode it. If you go through long stretches of games and can't be effective and the players feel like they are doing what is being asked of them and aren't allowed to do the things that they think will work, then you get frustration. When you communicate what you as a player see is happening on the field, and then are ignored and the results are terrible, you get more frustrated and you lose confidence in what that person is asking you to do.

As athlete's we know when we screw up vs. what is being asked of us is actually what is screwed up.

[Shas]

Shas, I don't see how you can divorce the two issues. If he had been more effective at game planning and decision making, he would have more than likely not lost the confidence of those around him. When you are making more correct calls and the results show on the field, it strengthens confidence, it doesn't erode it. If you go through long stretches of games and can't be effective and the players feel like they are doing what is being asked of them and aren't allowed to do the things that they think will work, then you get frustration. When you communicate what you as a player see is happening on the field, and then are ignored and the results are terrible, you get more frustrated and you lose confidence in what that person is asking you to do.

As athlete's we know when we screw up vs. what is being asked of us is actually what is screwed up.

Here's why I think its irrelevant. Cam may have been right. Cam may indeed have correctly concluded what his receivers, offensive line and quarterback could and could not do. All the things the fans (and some players perhaps) wanted him to do maybe in fact wouldn't have helped. Maybe he really was getting the most out of the talent they have and maybe we overrate that talent? Maybe an offense that was top-ten in scoring was the best we could expect.

Do I believe that? Not really. But it's possible. Maybe we'll see the same results under Jim Caldwell and it will continue to be difficult to figure out if Cam was as terrible as most think he was.

But my point is this: it's not worth debating it. It really doesn't matter what we subjectively think of the job Cam was doing under the circumstances because the players stopped believing he was doing a good job.

Cam thought he was putting together the best plan possible each week. Some players apparently disagreed. Who is to say which side was right? I know what a lot of fans believe, but that doesn't really settle the issue.

More to the point, it really doesn't matter who is right because the relationship between coach and players (and colleagues, maybe) was broken, and it was more important for Harbaugh to step in (prompted by Bisciotti, or not -- and I'm not totally convinced that it was Bisciotti's decision) and sever the relationship, than it was for him to settle the argument.

I'll use this analogy. A bad marriage. When a couple gets to the point where they are at each other's throats over issues in their marriage (money, romance, attitude, whatever), it really doesn't matter if she's right or he's right. The only thing that matters is admitting the marriage is over and moving on, regardless of which side is right.

That's what I'm saying about Cam. It doesn't matter if he was right or wrong in how he was carrying out his duties. The bigger issue was that he had lost trust and he needed to go on that basis, above all else.

[PerpetuallyBored74]

I agree with you to an extent Shas, though I think if Cam had listened to and communicated better with the other coaches and the players, and showed more respect for their opinions, then the "marriage" could have been saved. Since those were the main reasons for the friction.

Bottomline: Cam brought this entirely on himself. So, I can't feel sorry for him. And he's sure to find a new HC/OC job somewhere anyway.

[Terpsfan82]

I don't feel bad for him, although I do believe he was conservative by nature becasue that's what his boss (Harbaugh) wanted.

[JimZipCode]

At the end of the day, it seems like Offensive Play Callers eventually burn out and get too smart for themselves. The best ones, Sean Peyton, McCarthy, McDaniels, Andy Reid way back when, Mike Holmgren even further back always get promoted to HC

Reid, like Caldwell, has never been a coordinator in the NFL. He made his name as a college O-line coach. In the NFL he coached O-line and TEs, then was QB coach in Green Bay under Holmgren. He (again like Caldwell) was hired straight from his QB coach position to be Philly's head guy.

Last time Reid was a coordinator was 1983-5 at San Francisco State.