The highly criticized offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, Cam Cameron has been relieved of his duties after nearly five tumultuous seasons guiding Joe Flacco and the team’s offense.
Maybe he is the team’s sacrificial lamb, a scapegoat of sorts, or maybe like millions in the area, you believe Cameron is the devil with a headset on.
Clearly the offense is dysfunctional leading to extreme inconsistencies. This move wasn’t about the Ravens loss to the Redskins at FedEx Field yesterday. This move is about the Ravens trying to gauge Joe Flacco’s market value and while attached to Cameron’s hip, they are unable to get a clear read.
Are the problems pinned to Cameron or Flacco? We really don’t know so before the Ravens sit down with their signal caller in the offseason to hammer out a new deal, they need to find out who is to blame for the Jekyll and Hyde offense.
The timing of the move is curious to some but the guess here is that the move came from the top. If Steve Bisciotti is going to get his checkbook out in March, he has to know what he’s buying in Flacco and right now he doesn’t.
This is a move that should have happened two seasons ago but Cameron was saved by the owner’s lockout. Last year he was saved because the team was one dropped pass away from a second trip to the Super Bowl. But this season, Flacco’s up and down play ushered in today’s inevitable announcement.
So Jim Caldwell is the next man up and he’ll do something that he’s never done before. He’ll be an offensive coordinator. He’s been a quarterback’s coach and he’s been a head coach but never an OC.
He won’t be a savior for the Ravens’ struggles unless he can teach the team’s linebackers how to get into their zones faster; keep Ed Reed from cheating; and improve the team’s tackling.
That said, we will learn something about Joe Flacco.
More importantly, so will Steve Bisciotti.
