What Will Cameron Do?

HYDE: Cameron gets his guy, now what?

Published June 6, 2007

Trent Green seems like a nice enough guy if you've read the dozens of stories out of Kansas City we've been subjected to over the past few months. He's Midwestern-friendly. He's straight-talking. He'll sign autographs for fans all day, if they want.

But as near as I can tell, the Dolphins were intent on gambling next season on the 37-year-old Green and his concussed mind rather than 30-year-old Daunte Culpepper and his bum knee because of one simple, potentially screwy reason:

New coaches choose their guys.

You see it all the time in football. Just look at this trade. Green is new Dolphins coach Cam Cameron's guy, so they reunite in Miami. And Green wasn't second-year Chiefs coach Herm Edwards' guy, so he's out of Kansas City.

Cameron wanted someone he knows, respects, has worked with, has worked with his coaches and -- all together now -- "knows the system" to keep the quarterback position warm until incoming rookie John Beck is ready.

No matter that knowing-the-system is as overrated as apple pie. You don't think any good, veteran quarterback could learn a new system? And shouldn't a 30-year-old like Culpepper who's thrown for 39,000 yards have more potential upside than a 37-year-old whose light is clearly dimming?

Of course, here's the thing: Culpepper doesn't inspire more than a sliver of trust or hope, either. That's the box this new regime inherited. The only quarterback controversy around was whether Cameron and General Manager Randy Mueller could find a quarterback for next year.

It's not just Culpepper's knee. Here's a story: Turns out ESPN's Steve Young was right in reporting how last year's coaches didn't think Culpepper studied the game or worked hard enough. Here's another story: After his latest surgery, Culpepper was required to write a letter of apology to some medical people for how he behaved toward them.

But the larger point to understand is that, if Nick Saban were still coaching here (cross yourself three times), Culpepper would be discussed as a recovered quarterback hungry for a comeback year. In fact, many of the people running interference for Green today would be saying the same for Culpepper.

But just like Saban cleared out Dave Wannstedt's roster, just like Jimmy Johnson turned over Don Shula's roster, Cameron and Mueller are erasing much of Saban's roster. Especially on offense.

In most ways, it's easy to connect the logic in this new regime's thinking, considering the Dolphins ranked 29th in offense last season. They had to do something. And they've done about as much as possible in one offseason to point the way to the future.

Still, hovering above every move are the cautionary, draft-day words of team owner H. Wayne Huizenga: "They'd better be right."

No one knows quite how to feel about the trade for Green: Happy it's finally done? Ambivalent about what it means? Doubtful how it will work out?

The good news is Cameron and Mueller have started down the road with exactly who they want. Their plan won't fail for lack of getting their desired players. They got Ted Ginn Jr. for his speed, Beck for his future and now Green because he played for Cameron in Washington and with quarterbacks coach Terry Shea in Kansas City.

For the past three months, the Dolphins' quarterback situation hung like a stench over this team. On Friday, when the next minicamp opens, that will be gone, just as Culpepper surely will be soon.

Finally, the overdone chase for Green is over. The whole saga reminds me of that George Clooney movie, Syriana, in which you walked out of the theater wondering what happened and why.

In this case, the why comes down to this: New coaches bring in their guys. And Green is Cameron's guy.

Dave Hyde can be reached at dhyde@sun-sentinel.com.