Miami Dolphins Coach Cameron's fate depends on success of Cleveland Quarterback
 Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller better be very certain about the draft picks they made this past weekend. Especially the first two. The Miami Dolphins passed on the much-touted and best known quarterback Brady Quinn with the 9th overall pick and instead took an injured wide receiver. Cameron, in his news conference later on nearly got booed off the podium. Strangely enough, it is pretty certain to say that most Dolphins fans saw what happened as a possible scenario before draft day. However, it was widely assumed that Quinn would be off the board before pick 9. As it turned out, the Browns (who were projected to take him with their number 3 pick in most mock drafts), traded into the 22nd spot and nabbed him there.
The Dolphins selection of Ted Ginn Jr., the 6-foot, 180-pound wide receiver out of Ohio State University has been much scrutinized because of the above scenarios. Ginn was the second best receiver in the draft behind Calvin Johnson, and he was predicted to go to the Dolphins at number 9 on most people’s mock drafts at one point or another. However, the fact that Quinn was available completely changed the atmosphere. Cameron and Mueller were suddenly faced with a choice of taking the popular Quinn, or going with their original plan of taking Ginn and then either John Beck, Trent Edwards, or Drew Stanton.
They didn’t take Quinn and went with their original plan. Hopefully for them, they considered the fact that they will not only have to deal with how well Beck performs, but also how much success, and (most likely) how much immediate success Brady Quinn has in Cleveland as he will likely be the starter opening day over the incumbent Charlie Frye. If the Dolphins land Trent Green from Kansas City eventually, he will definitely be the starter this season while Beck will develop behind him. So, not only do you have to be weary of the possibility of Brady Quinn doing very well in Cleveland in his rookie season, but you won’t have anything to show for it for at least a year on your end if you’re Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller.
They’re not idiots though, especially not Randy Mueller. Mueller has been involved in the NFL in some capacity for about twenty years now, and has developed successful, once no-name quarterbacks as Jeff Blake, Aaron Brooks, and Jake Delhomme. He knows how the league works, and he has had a lot of success in proving that. Cameron has less experience, but in his four seasons as Offensive Coordinator in San Diego, he turned Drew Brees from a bust in his first two seasons, to a Pro Bowl star since. At the same time, he tutored Philip Rivers under Brees and sent him to the Pro Bowl in his third season and first as a starter last year. Another success story of his is Trent Green, the Kansas City incumbent, and the hopeful 2007 starter for the Miami Dolphins. Cameron was Green’s quarterbacks coach in Washington in the late 1990’s.
The point is that they know what they’re doing. It should be reasonable to trust that taking Beck in the second round and Ginn with the first pick was the best possible combination. The Dolphins get a top-tier wide receiver and a possible top-tier quarterback, rather than a top-tier quarterback and a 2nd-tier wide receiver, or offensive lineman, or some other position in the second round. It was an easy bet that Drew Stanton, Trent Edwards, and/or John Beck would be available with their first second round pick. It just so happened that all three were there and John Beck was the top quarterback on their scouting list. So, they took Beck. They were happy, but the showers of boos from Dolphins fans would suggest otherwise.
 Ask yourself this question: Had Brady Quinn not been available with the 9th pick, how differently would you favor the Dolphins draft? I believe most Dolphins fans would raise their grade by a whole letter (i.e. from a C to a B). Why is this? Does one player who wasn’t taken have this much impact on the players who actually were taken? This is what I don’t understand. The Dolphins got excellent value for their first two picks, and then filled a bunch of needs with their remaining eight, and Dolphins fans are unhappy because the QB’s jersey says Beck instead of Quinn.
Cameron’s skin better be tough if Quinn succeeds in this league because the wrath of the South Florida fan base and media will be upon him unless Beck turns into the next Dan Marino (Beck was actually only taken 10 picks lower than Marino). Yet, even if he is the second coming, the fact that Beck is already 25 is another reason for Dolphins fans to boo.
It’s hard not to. This franchise has been through a lot and the fans expect results. It just so happened that results meant taking Quinn with the 9th pick rather than taking the whole draft into consideration. Look, Dol-fans, this isn’t a Mario Williams, Reggie Bush situation as it was last year with Houston. The Dolphins now have a very good young quarterback who threw for 32 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions last season while rushing for 6 more TDs. He was a highly touted prospect who will have the likes of Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, and Ted Ginn Jr. to throw to.
What we really should be bickering about is our offensive line.
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