Cam Cameron

Thanks for Kevin Cowherd 's recent column on Cam Cameron ("Finishing just shy of Super Bowl is no reason to can Cameron," Jan. 27). Every week our family looked forward to watching the Ravens. Their fantastic playing was due to teamwork among the coaches and players. We are sad to be losing Chuck Pagano; the Ravens were right not to let Mr. Cameron go as well. The Ravens had an outstanding year. To keep it going next year we need to keep Mr. Cameron as our offensive coordinator.

It came down to a matter of split seconds, but Joe Flacco got the ball out of his hands a little faster last season. The Ravens quarterback, whose completion percentage, passing yards and passer rating all rose from 2011, on average released the ball 2.5 seconds after the snap in 2012, which was fifth-fastest among qualifying QBs according to Pro Football Focus. In 2011, Flacco ranked in the middle of the quarterback pack at 2.62 seconds. That difference -- nearly an eighth of a second -- may not seem like much, but in some cases, it may have been the difference between a first-down pass and a defensive end crashing into Flacco.

According to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, there were only six plays from last week's win over the Texans where Flacco didn't receive a “plus” grade from the team's offensive coaching staff. Cameron, who boasted about being a hard grader, said Flacco's biggest issues during the game were footwork and ball security. Flacco fumbled once, but left guard Ben Grubbs pounced on it. “He played at an extremely high level against a very good defense,” Cameron said. “Again, that's through my eyes, and those are the eyes -- and his, us collectively -- those are the ones that matter to us, because we know what we are trying to get done.” Cameron said that there were 12 plays in the game where Flacco either audibled into the “exact audible that he needed” or made the right decision in a play-call package with multiple options.

Joe Flacco is no longer barraged with questions about former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, finding consistency or even his capability to win the big game. Now the owner of one of the richest contracts in the history of the sport and two weeks away from receiving a sparkling Super Bowl ring, Flacco's status as the Ravens' franchise quarterback will probably never be this secure. Yet as he took the field Tuesday, the 28-year-old felt no different than he did during organized team activities the previous five years.

Baltimore Sun staff members weigh in on the Ravens' decision to fire offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and replace him with Jim Caldwell. Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens reporter: As much heat as Cameron has gotten over the past couple of years, today's news is still surprising. The Ravens don't usually make drastic moves like this especially at this stage of the season. But it's clear that the frustration by the team's key offensive players was mounting. Ray Rice was furious after Sunday's loss to the Washington Redskins.

No matter how the Ravens spin this one, the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron with just three games left in the regular season smacks of panic. Panic and desperation. There's no other way to read it. We'll probably never know for sure exactly what got Cameron fired in his fifth season running the Ravens' offense. But we can guess at some of the factors. The inconsistency of the offense is obviously the main factor, especially after two dismal losses in a row to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins.

I was asked on "The Norris and Davis Show" on 105.7 The Fan this morning if I thought Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameronwould be back next season. The short answer is: I do. Sure, Cameron and his play-calling have been the subject of much scrutiny -- and scorn -- from lots of Ravens fans over the last few years. And the state of his relationship with quarterback Joe Flacco has also been endlessly debated. (For the record, I don't think it's nearly as tense and adversarial as some people think.)

Maybe if Lee Evans had held onto that touchdown pass in the AFC title game, Cam Cameron would still be the offensive coordinator of the Ravens. Maybe if Joe Flacco had a slightly faster mental stopwatch when he's in the pocket, the Ravens would be 10-3 and it would be business as usual this week at the Ravens facility. There are all sorts of things that led up to the decision to replace Cameron with quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, but if I had to guess, I think it came down to what everybody saw on Sunday at Fed Ex Field.

After the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft Saturday, Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron made a cameo at the introductory press conference for Courtney Upshaw, Kelechi Osemele and Bernard Pierce. In addition to Kelechi, an Iowa State offensive lineman, and Pierce, the big Temple back, the Ravens had just drafted him another offensive player in Delaware center Gino Gradkowski. Cameron was pleased with what general manager Ozzie Newsome had done at that point. He liked the selection of Pierce, though he said that the team is still high on Anthony Allen and Damien Berry.

In the aftermath of the Ravens' crushing 31-24 loss at Pittsburgh in the divisional playoffs, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said he still believes the Ravens can develop into a championship offense and wants to be here to help it reach that level. The Ravens offense is taking as many hits from the fan base as it did from the Steelers on Saturday. It turned the ball over three times in the third quarter, dropping two critical passes in the fourth quarter and managing 126 total yards — the fewest in the Ravens' 15-game postseason history and the third-lowest in the team's existence.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones has purchased a five-bedroom home along Falls Road in Lutherville for the price of $1.75 million. The seller is one Malcolm Cameron according to state records. He's better known as Cam Cameron, the offensive coordinator fired by the Ravens toward the end the most recent season, which ended in a Super Bowl victory. He bought the home for $1.5 million in July 2011, three years after joining the Ravens following a one-year stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Joe Flacco will need every bit of his Joe Cool persona next season. By getting that $120.6 million mega-deal from the Ravens, he's made himself a huge target for criticism every time the Ravens don't play well. Sure, he was always a favorite target of angry fans. It comes with the territory when you're an NFL quarterback. But this new contract will ratchet the pressure a hundred times more. The minute he has a bad game, the Flacco haters - and there are still a ton of them - will come out of the woodwork.

Mike Preston has taken every chance to knock Joe Flacco since he was drafted five seasons ago ("Ravens shouldn't overreact when it's time to pay Flacco" Feb. 25). He says it's not him, it's Jacoby Jones or Anquan Boldin who made the plays. Joe has to have "ideal conditions. " Did he ever look at John Unitas' offense with three Hall of Famers, or Joe Montana's offense with Jerry Rice and coach Bill Walsh? Every quarterback who succeeds has a great supporting cast. Mr. Flacco has outplayed Tom Brady three times in the last two seasons.

The Ravens are being smart and very cautious in their negotiations with star quarterback Joe Flacco. So far, they haven't caved in to the demands of Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, who says Flacco should be paid as much as Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, who are averaging more than $20 million per season. Linta is still caught up in the euphoria of Flacco's playoff performances and the former Delaware star's Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award. Flacco isn't a Manning or a Brees, or a Tom Brady, either.

More than two months since he was relieved of his duties as the Ravens offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron officially returned to coaching today, this time at the college level.   The 52-year-old, who called the Ravens' offensive plays for five seasons before he was fired by head coach John Harbaugh a day after the team's Dec. 9 loss to the Washington Redskins, was announced today as LSU 's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, reuniting him with his longtime friend, Tigers coach Les Miles . Cameron and Miles worked together for seven years on the University of Michigan coaching staff, prompting a question about whether he has any concerns working with a close friend.

When the going got tough - and things got pretty dicey in December - the Ravens didn't wilt. They didn't even wonder if a season that once seemed to have such promise was coming unraveled at just the wrong time. Or so they say. The three-game losing streak that ramped up the suspense after the Ravens seemed to be cruising into the playoffs was troubling enough to prompt a risky, late-season change in offensive coordinator, but it still wasn't enough to make John Harbaugh, Ozzie Newsome or owner Steve Bisciotti entertain a molecule of doubt that the ultimate goal was still attainable.

Somewhere in the splendor of a fall day in New England, the magic of the moment dissipated and the Ravens let a hard-earned opportunity slip away. Seven seconds into the fourth quarter Sunday, attacking at every turn, they had a well-deserved 10-point lead over the Patriots. Then, in the next 28 minutes of scoreboard clock time, the Ravens backpedaled to a 23-20 overtime loss. Repercussions are still bubbling in Baltimore. Some critics think conservatism reared its ugly head in Gillette Stadium.

When offensive coordinator Cam Cameron watched tape of the Ravens' first seven games during the bye week, one thing repeatedly stood out, and it wasn't the workload of Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice .  “We are at our best obviously when we execute, but when we get everybody involved,” said Cameron. “The more continuity we have, the more guys we keep involved. Obviously, we know Ray Rice is a huge part of that. But we're at our best when [ Anquan Boldin ] is getting the ball, when Jacoby [ Jones ]

Standing in front of his players in the team auditorium on Halloween morning, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was convinced he had the right response for an embarrassing 43-13 loss to the Houston Texans. On the Ravens' first day back from a bye week, he told players, they would have a full-contact practice. Harbaugh's announcement didn't go over well. Veteran players, particularly safeties Bernard Pollard and Ed Reed, were so frustrated that they voiced their disapproval strongly. By players' accounts, this wasn't a full-scale mutiny.

"Baltimore!" It was the first thing Ray Lewis said as he stood on the field, Vince Lombardi Trophy in hand, confetti drifting down around him. He'd said it before, three times in a row, at the Ravens send-off the week before. "Baltimore! Baltimore! Baltimore!" We are a city that believes - that wants to believe. But we are also a city with a chip on our shoulder. We get no respect from the media. People think we're just like "The Wire. " The Ravens know it, and they're proud of it. There were so many reasons to win the Super Bowl . To send off Lewis the right way. To prove that Joe Flacco is one of the league's best quarterbacks.