While Ravens Nation was still wallowing in their 31-28 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins, the Baltimore Ravens fired offensive coordinator (OC) Cam Cameron. The firing was cause for celebration for most fans.
Cameron took the brunt of the blame for the Ravens falling flat this season. He wasn’t the sole reason for their woes, but he played a big part. Even though he helped lead the Ravens to four consecutive playoff seasons, he had been a problem for quite some time.
It is ironic that the Ravens have the ninth highest scoring offense in the National Football League with 29.5 points per game using Cameron’s vanilla and predictable play-calling. He continuously strayed away from using his star running back Ray Rice. The formula is simple, the more Rice carries, the more likely the Ravens are to win the game.
Cameron never got the message; he tried to mold them into a passing team, even when quarterback Joe Flacco struggled to successfully connect with his receivers.
In previous seasons the defense carried team when the offense couldn’t get it done. This season the defense has been plagued by injuries and their absence has significantly affected the Ravens ability to bounce back and win.
The Ravens haven’t had back-to-back losses since 2009. Sunday’s loss was especially painful because they lead most of the game.
Quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell will take over for Cameron. Caldwell was previously the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, but has no offensive coordinator experience.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of the situation:
“My responsibility is to the whole team and what’s best for them right now. We need a change. Our plan and our goals are to win games, win our division and get to the playoffs.”
The Ravens aren’t known for making hasty decisions so it can only be assumed that this decision was carefully thought out and made for a reason. Many believe it was a long time in coming.
The decision was surprising, but not shocking. The Ravens did the same thing in 2006 when they fired then offensive coordinator Jim Fassel in week 7. After losing two games in a row, they let Fassel go and gave the play-calling to then head coach Brian Billick. The Ravens won the next five games and moved on to the playoffs where they lost to the Colts.
It has been frustrating to watch a team with so much potential flat line every week. They got lucky with most of their wins and the last two losses were disappointing, they are games they *should* have won, but they fell flat and did not “Play like Ravens”.
I don’t expect much change in a week, but they need to ignite a spark to end their losing streak when they face the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Zennie Abraham