Cam Cameron and an Unprecedented Level of Suck?
| 21
|
The 2007 season hasn't been kind to the Miami Dolphins and rookie coach Cam Cameron. No wins through eight games doesn't exactly make nice with the fans, and the grumbling has begun. The incessant noise coming from Phinville is calling for Cam's job, which, at this point, should be expected. However, even during this nightmare of a first year, which didn't exactly start off strong with the "Ginn over Quinn" pick, letting Cam go after this season isn't likely.
As a tortured fan myself, I peruse the Florida papers frequently and admittedly spend far too much time reading fodder from other fans. In the "Comments" section, you'll see a great arena for perceptions and expectations and, inadvertently, a laboratory bent on the desecration of the English language.
How, exactly, do fans form their opinions? Are they based on actual figures, a reporter's commentary, or simply accepting the voice of the majority? With the Dolphins, it's likely neither of the above, but rather the tell-all ugliness of 0-8.
So, with hopes of quieting some of the disgruntled Cameron opponents, I jumped into the data to see how coaches performed in their first seasons. Sure, the optimist could reference the great teams of the past 30 years, the legends who coached them and their efforts in their rookie years: Noll and the Steel Curtain of the '70s, 1-13; Walsh and the Niners of the '80s, 2-14; JJ and the 'Boys of the '90s, 1-15, and to a lesser extent, Belichick's Patriots, 5-11 in their first go-around. But let's hold off on chiseling Cam's mug into the Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches.
Take note that some expansion teams, specifically Baltimore, Houston and Jacksonville, have had just two coaches since inception.
First-Year Coaches and Wins | ||
Wins |
# of Coaches |
% of Outcome |
0-2 |
5 |
6% |
3-5 |
17 |
20% |
6-8 |
33 |
38% |
9-11 |
28 |
33% |
12+ |
2 |
2% |
Unfortunately for me, my research gives me little ammunition against Cam haters. Fact is, Cam is headed toward an unchartered and unprecedented level of suck. Finishing out the year with two wins sounds swell, but even then Cam would be in exclusively bad company. Like, 6 percent. Sure, he wasn't given much, and truth is that IS the reason why the Phins are struggling. But rarely, if ever, does blame fall on the players.
With that said, there are still eight games left for Cameron to hop onto the beaten path of rookie coaches from history's past. Otherwise, he and Art Shell version 2006 can spend next season poolside, sippin' Schlitz and soaking up the California sunshine. Burn that image into your mind.
