Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs summarized the sudden dismissal of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron in one word:
For Ravens coach John Harbaugh, the decision was a lot more complicated.
"There is a very human side to this. Cam is my friend," Harbaugh said Monday, via the Ravens' official website. "This is the hardest thing I've had to do as a coach."
It's also the riskiest. Harbaugh is changing gears on offense with just three weeks left in the regular season. He's moving to an offensive coordinator, Jim Caldwell, who never has called plays in the NFL. Anything short of a Super Bowl will be a disappointment in Baltimore this year, and this bold move puts Harbaugh in the crosshairs.
"It's not about fair or unfair, right or wrong," Harbaugh said.
It's about production. The Ravens never decided what they wanted to do as an offense. They would feed running back Ray Rice like crazy some weeks, then go away from him too much. Joe Flacco's development, like the offense, has been uneven. The quarterback has expressed frustration with not going to the no-huddle offense enough, too.
Pieces of the Ravens' offense are talented: Rice, Flacco, wide receivers Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin, two young tight ends and a solid offensive line. The consistency never came.
This is a move we expected during the offseason. Harbaugh is putting himself out front and taking a big risk by making the move in December.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
