For Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, what he?s dealing with in Baltimore is nothing new.
Cameron was in the same situation four years ago when he held the same position with the San Diego Chargers. His mission that season was to improve an underachieving quarterback, Drew Brees, and develop an inexperienced quarterback, Phillip Rivers, who was the fourth pick in the National Football League Draft in 2004.
The result: The Chargers went 12-4 ? eight more wins than the year before ? and made the playoffs, with Brees landing in the Pro Bowl. Rivers made big strides in learning the offense, as evident by the team reaching the AFC Championship game last season.
Cameron has a similar situation in Baltimore, which went 5-11 last season. He has to create an offense in which Kyle Boller, a former first-round draft pick, succeeds, yet at the same time must groom two other quarterbacks to take Boller?s place should he falter ? again.
How Cameron handles Troy Smith, the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who the team took in the fifth round of last year?s draft and Joe Flacco, who the team took in the first round this year, will be scrutinized all season.
“I think [Flacco is] a perfect fit for what we want to do,” Cameron said. “I think the other thing he knows is that he has to come in here and compete. I don?t think there?s any quarterback in this league that wants to be handed a job. So, he?ll come in and compete with Kyle [Boller] and Troy [Smith]. And, whichever guy is out there ? what we try to do doesn?t always work ? but since all three of these guys are different, we try to tailor things to what they do well.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said there will be an open competition among Boller, Flacco and Smith for the starting quarterback job. But Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said the team made a mistake when it thrust Boller into the starting lineup as a rookie. Boller has thrown for 45 touchdowns and 44 interceptions since the Ravens drafted him 19th overall in 2003.
“Well, we?ve been working the last couple of months,” Cameron said. “We?ve got a mini camp next week and then all the rookies come in two weeks. We?ll factor that all in once we get there, but we haven?t set that yet.”
Flacco, Boller and Smith each will enter the season with a lot to prove.
Flacco wants to prove he can play in the NFL despite coming from a Football Championship Subdivison (formally Division I-AA) school. Boller wants to prove he is not a first-round bust and can be a starter ? even if it?s not in Baltimore. Smith wants to prove the flashes he displayed in two starts last season was just a small glimpse of what he is capable of doing on the field.
“I think everybody has to make an adjustment ? no matter what level of college football they were playing,” Flacco said “I think I?m just as prepared as anybody else. I have confidence in my abilities. It?s not about talking about it. It?s about going out there and proving it. So, I?m anxious to do that.”
Boller also welcomes the competition.
“None of these guys would be here on our team if they weren?t competitors,” Boller said. “For me and Troy to keep pushing each other back and forth, I think it will only make our offense better ? and definitely our team better. I look forward to it. I would like it no other way.”
