DAVIE, Fla. -- A midday, midweek workout is just under way, and the Miami Dolphins are practicing punting. The snap is waist high, the blocking is solid and a booming kick sails all the way to the goal line.
Miami head coach Cam Cameron stands off to the side and applauds, eager to commend his team for doing something right.
The Dolphins have punted poorly this season, and that's the least of their problems. Miami is tied for the league's worst record at 0-5, extending a two-year losing streak to eight games, which matches the longest in franchise history.
And Cameron is still seeking his first win as an NFL head coach. He'll try again Sunday when Miami plays at Cleveland.
"We've got to do things better, plain and simple," Cameron said. "I offer no excuses."
He could cite injuries and the lousy luck that always hounds bad teams. Or he could offer an even better alibi: The roster he inherited this year from Nick Saban was short on talent.
A decade of bad drafts has left the Dolphins in need of upgrades at almost every position. They've missed the playoffs the past five years, matching a franchise record, and there's no sign of a turnaround.
Cameron declines to blame previous regimes, but general manager Randy Mueller, who is in charge of Miami's personnel for the first time, discussed the need for roster repairs in his column in this week's Dolphin Digest magazine.
"There is no shortcut to retooling or reshuffling a roster that has been in the state that this one has been in," Mueller wrote. "You could make the case that this should have been done a few years ago, but it wasn't, so this is the hand we have to play. It's going to take a little time, and we all knew that going in."
Still, Miami's miserable start has reinforced skepticism regarding whether Cameron's up to the job. He's 18-42 as a head coach, including five years at Indiana.
Cameron landed the Dolphins job following a successful stint as offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. Mentors Marty Schottenheimer and Bobby Knight sing his praises, as do his former players.
"I think Cam has the intangibles as a coach to get his players to play for him," Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. "I think he just needs the right personnel that he can work with. Then he'll be able to get it done."
Cameron's in good company: Tony Dungy and Joe Gibbs also lost their first five games as NFL head coaches. Tom Landry lost his first 10. Chuck Noll started 1-13.
"I make no guarantees, no promises to our fans, other than we will continue to work as hard as we can to get this thing going in the right direction," Cameron said. "That's all we can give you, but we're going to give you that. We're going to see where that takes us.
"It will be interesting to see how many weeks that I'm going to have to keep saying that."
By Cameron's standards, that's a fiery speech. He's the anti-Saban, maintaining a consistently low-key demeanor with the media and his team.
Kicker Jay Feely laughed when asked to recall Cameron at his angriest.
"I haven't seen him really angry. He's pretty even-keel," Feely said.
"I don't think he could do a better job. The hard thing to do is to remain steadfast and to not panic, but that's exactly what he has done. Instead of yelling, he just demands more accountability -- both of himself and his coaches and players."
The Dolphins' aging defense has declined under Cameron, while the offense is improved. Running back Ronnie Brown has blossomed in recent weeks and leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage.
But Cameron gambled unsuccessfully on 37-year-old quarterback Trent Green, who was erratic before being sidelined by a severe concussion. And the other major offseason acquisitions -- linebacker Joey Porter, top draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. and rookie quarterback John Beck -- have yet to contribute much.
Cameron receives mixed reviews for game management. He has been creative calling plays and is 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions. Other key moves have often backfired, such as when he punted rather than attempting a 55-yard field goal with 2 minutes left in a tie game Sunday at Houston.
Cameron defended the decision to punt, even though the Texans drove for the winning score. But he second-guessed the sequence before the punt, when three plays netted 1 yard.
"I could have done a better job in the play-calling there," he said. "I'll give you that."
Cameron anticipates plenty of chances to make amends. He has said his goal is to coach the Dolphins one year longer than Don Shula, which would take him to 2033.
By then, Cameron's dismal start in Miami will be a distant memory.
"You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice after a game that he's taking it personal," Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder said. "You can tell how bad he wants us to be good. It hasn't worked out yet."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
