Coach outlet

So, yesterday, following the Ravens' defensive collapse on Sunday that led to their losing to the Washington Redskins, the club did the appropriate thing and fired their offensive coordinator.  Apparently, their feeling is that this will serve as a warning to the defensive coaches as well.

Cam Cameron was the man fired, and you don't have to look far to see why.  Right along Joppa Rd there is a locksmith named for a famous spring holiday, and their sign along the road had a winter holiday theme the other day: "Ho Ho Ho...Cam has to go."  Cameron, shown here measuring running back Ray Rice for a new cap, bore the brunt of the fans' outrage, because the Ravens have been inconsistent on the field this year.

The NFL is an entertainment consortium, a lot like the movie industry, television, and competitive eating.  People gladly part with with what used to a good week's salary in return for being able to sit in a stadium, pay $25 for a hot dog and a beer, and watch the game.  That's all good for all concerned.

The only part of this that makes me shake the old melon a little is what I hear on the radio and television.  The people who call the sports talk shows say the funniest things in the world!  As in, "Listen, I played quarterback in high school, so I know what I'm talking about here.  What Flacco needs to do is...."

Or..."Cam Cameron don't (sic) know what he's doing.  I guarantee you, any fan could come down, put on that headset, and call the plays much better."

Here in Baltimore, we have a world-renowned neurosurgeon named Dr Ben Carson, who is the #1 man anywhere for separating conjoined twins, and removing brain tumors, and other things that require skill, training, experience, and such.  I'm not saying that sliding a scalpel into someone's medulla oblongata is on a par with deciding whether to throw the ball or hand it off to a running back, but here's one thought.

If Dr Carson's work was discussed on some sort of radio show, and someone called and said, "Listen, I took a lot of first aid training to become a Cub Scout, so I know that he should first have trepanned the dura mater so as to relieve the intracranial pressure," there would be a lot of people pointing out that these things are best left to the experts.  Cameron is a recognized leader in his field, and just because things didn't all work out during his time here, that doesn't mean that he doesn't know more about his business than old Brutus from Arbutus, quarterback for the Bulldogs back in '78.

As Ray Rice himself said yesterday morning - before the firing - on Facebook, "Man, the people are my page are polar opposites - no in between - there are the great fans who support me, my team, and our community....then there are the ones who fill my inbox with cursing, name calling, and game advice. Think you can coach or play better? Maybe the NFL overlooked you by accident.... SMH. ON TO THE NEXT!! #FOCUS"

Maybe the NFL overlooked you by accident.  Classic. 

Later in the day, he posted that he was "Thinking about visiting the workplace of an armchair QB to tell them how to do their jobs even though i have no clue. That might be kind of fun!"

If Ray Rice showed up at your workplace and told you were arresting people wrong or putting out fires inefficiently or writing legal briefs inaccurately or parking your delivery van illegally, you might suggest that you know your business better than he.

And vice versa!