Tinker:
Oh, I feel like a very lucky guy. When I read anything that is passed along with the words about the lords love.
Because I was touched by people who did believe in the lord. All of my life.
And of course they tried hard to teach me all about how gods love for people, was an attitude.
That was of course passed on from one person to the other. Until almost the entire earth population, knows a little something about the lord love for humanity. Jesus simply said love one another.
Surely we don't think that we can out love god. Do we?
------------
If Christ once walked with us before. I surly should not fear evil now. His rod and staff should comfort me. If the men and women with human frailty like the Pope, fall and sometimes fails. Because of the harm, pain, and suffering to the human body, affecting us now on this planet everyday. Then why is that a big surprise to anyone then, when one of us breakdown.
That Pope Benedict XVI told everyone that he is simply too old to keep working at the Pope's job. That he is stepping aside. Then what is so wrong with that. How does that reflect badly on Pope Benedict XVI faith in his religion. Or his god?
So to as Jesus did. We can simply carry the weak and fallen along too. Whoever they are. For the Lord is my shepherd. Christianity, is about the lord. What made Jesus so brave in the face of all his suffering. As the roman soldiers once again torture and cruelly executed yet another victim of man's inhumanity to man. How did this one person overcome that vicious force of Roman rule. Was he made out of rock, wood, steel. Or some substance that was without nerves.
No! But rather he was just like you and I.
I start hollering if I stump my toe. And I am always trying to be careful about not burning, or cutting myself. And if I get a tooth ache. I simply have a fit. I go seek out a doctor as fast as I can get to where they are, when I am in pain. I thank god all the time about the relief I feel taking narcotic . Relieving my suffering. Suffering is a terrifying experience. Feeling sick is simply horrible. So how did Jesus withstand the suffering that he felt as he slowly was dying, hanging from a wooden cross.
My goodness all that whipping from the Roman lash alone would have killed me. Much less the rest. So how did this man endured through such a horrible cruel execution?
Jesus taught me that the Father and Mother, Son and Daughter, could be one in the same spirit. Made in the image of the lord. That if we stay true to our faith. We can one day be with the lord in spirit.
What do I mean, you say? He endure through it all. Because in reality Jesus indeed died a very painful death that day.
Jesus stayed true to his lord spirit. He did not deny his belief in his fathers love. His fathers attitude. The Roman soldiers killed Jesus body. Inflicting a great deal of pain. But did not kill his person. Nor Tarnish his personality. Or stop Jesus attitude.
Jesus said: " father forgive them for they know not what they do."
As much as our body failed us so then to can we learn from Jesus example how to understand our religious faith. Embrace your religion. Stay true to your faith in god.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death; I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies: thou anointest
my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life; and I will dwell in the
house of the Lord for ever.
psalm 23 - bible - psalm of david
--------------
Everyone and anyone can pray to the lord,
and perhaps feel like me.
That in spite of everything,
when I pray sometimes,
even when I don't feel good.
I sore like a eagle.
Because the lord spirit is real,
to me.
Very real.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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Sports:
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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/
Yahoo! sports
Cameron: Miles' friendship makes LSU a perfect fit
By BRETT MARTEL (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Cam Cameron shared a cramped,
windowless office with Les Miles when the two were assistant coaches at
Michigan.
They started working together in 1987 - before texting and email were common - so when they weren't speaking to one another, they could not help but overhear each other's phone conversations with everybody else.
''You get to know a guy pretty darn well,'' Cameron said Friday, shortly after Miles had introduced him as LSU's new offensive coordinator. ''I know exactly what I have an opportunity to be a part of here.''
Cameron, who was fired as the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator late in the 2012 regular season, gushed about his opportunity to not only return to the college game after 12 seasons in the NFL, but also to rejoin a longtime friend.
He said sees no need to overhaul the offense Miles currently has in place, but hopes to improve execution in a passing game that ranked 11th in the 14-team Southeastern Conference, and to tailor his schemes and play-calling to his players' strengths.
Cameron also rejected the notion that working for a close personal friend could get complicated if results don't come as expected or philosophies diverge at crucial junctures of a season.
''We know how things in football or just in general can play out, but it is an opportunity of a lifetime to work with people you care about,'' said Cameron, who stood in Miles' wedding two decades ago. ''There's no downside to it in my mind because the relationship still always trumps everything, and for me and my family it doesn't get any better than this.''
Cameron said he's watched every LSU game since Miles took over eight years ago, and that the process of moving to Baton Rouge is a ''special time'' for him and his family.
Cameron's arrival comes as Miles shuffles his coaching staff on the offensive side. Cameron takes over for Greg Studrawa, who stepped in unexpectedly as offensive coordinator in the summer of 2011 when Steve Kragthorpe was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Kragthorpe, hired as offensive coordinator months before his diagnosis, remained on staff as quarterbacks coach, but is now moving to non-coaching, administrative position in LSU's football office. Studrawa remains as offensive line coach.
Miles said Studrawa stepped up to take on more responsibility when LSU needed him, and did well. But with Cameron re-entering the job market, Miles saw an opportunity to improve the offense, and said Studrawa was on board.
''Stud has always been a very team guy,'' Miles said. ''I think he was very comfortable with this move.''
Cameron dismissed the idea that there might be tension between him and Studrawa.
''It's a huge advantage for us, and for me, to have a guy who's been in my shoes and a guy who brings great expertise,'' Cameron said. ''We'll work together. That's the way it'll be. I can lean on him for a variety of situations.''
Cameron described current LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger as a highly talented passer who's been followed by top NFL scouts for several years. He said he ran into Mettenberger in the hall of LSU's football building on Thursday and told the quarterback that he is ''all ears.''
Given that Mettenberger is heading into his senior season, Cameron said he wants to listen to what Mettenberger likes to do and let that become a central part of the offense.
''You really need his input and get feedback from him,'' Cameron said. ''You owe it to your offense to allow your quarterback to do things he does best.''
Miles and Cameron worked together from 1987-93 as assistants under Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller at Michigan.
Cameron was head coach at Indiana from 1997-2001. He never had a winning record with the Hoosiers, but his offenses with Antwaan Randle-El at quarterback were productive.
He then spent five seasons as offensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers, developing a prolific offense with Drew Brees as well as with Phillip Rivers, who took over as Chargers quarterback in 2006 when Brees went to New Orleans.
That helped Cameron land the job as Miami Dolphins head coach in 2007, but he was fired after one 1-15 season.
He joined the Ravens in 2008 and helped develop quarterback Joe Flacco, who was MVP of the Super Bowl won by the Ravens in New Orleans earlier this month.
Cameron said he has already received a congratulatory text from Brees. Miles, meanwhile, said Cameron's work with NFL stars will give him credibility with LSU quarterbacks and recruits.
''Cam is going to be a guy that walks into a home of a quarterback and says, 'I know how to teach you the things that you are going to need to be great in college and then to demonstrate that to the NFL,''' Miles said. ''That mom and that dad and that family will say, 'I want my son to be with that guy.'''
He'll even have a Super Bowl ring to show off. Cameron said Ravens coach John Harbaugh has texted him, asking for his ring size.
Cameron said he loved his five years in Baltimore and would not trade it for anything.
While Cameron was settling in to watch the Super Bowl with friends in San Diego, he said he received texts from Ravens players and coaches who said they were thinking of him.
As he watched them celebrate in the Superdome, he said he felt ''nothing but joy.''
He said his ability to part ways with the Ravens gracefully after Harbaugh decided to replace him is an example of why he didn't hesitate to work for a close friend at LSU.
''Decisions like that don't destroy relationships,'' Cameron said. ''I'm not going to let that happen.''
They started working together in 1987 - before texting and email were common - so when they weren't speaking to one another, they could not help but overhear each other's phone conversations with everybody else.
''You get to know a guy pretty darn well,'' Cameron said Friday, shortly after Miles had introduced him as LSU's new offensive coordinator. ''I know exactly what I have an opportunity to be a part of here.''
Cameron, who was fired as the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator late in the 2012 regular season, gushed about his opportunity to not only return to the college game after 12 seasons in the NFL, but also to rejoin a longtime friend.
He said sees no need to overhaul the offense Miles currently has in place, but hopes to improve execution in a passing game that ranked 11th in the 14-team Southeastern Conference, and to tailor his schemes and play-calling to his players' strengths.
Cameron also rejected the notion that working for a close personal friend could get complicated if results don't come as expected or philosophies diverge at crucial junctures of a season.
''We know how things in football or just in general can play out, but it is an opportunity of a lifetime to work with people you care about,'' said Cameron, who stood in Miles' wedding two decades ago. ''There's no downside to it in my mind because the relationship still always trumps everything, and for me and my family it doesn't get any better than this.''
Cameron said he's watched every LSU game since Miles took over eight years ago, and that the process of moving to Baton Rouge is a ''special time'' for him and his family.
Cameron's arrival comes as Miles shuffles his coaching staff on the offensive side. Cameron takes over for Greg Studrawa, who stepped in unexpectedly as offensive coordinator in the summer of 2011 when Steve Kragthorpe was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Kragthorpe, hired as offensive coordinator months before his diagnosis, remained on staff as quarterbacks coach, but is now moving to non-coaching, administrative position in LSU's football office. Studrawa remains as offensive line coach.
Miles said Studrawa stepped up to take on more responsibility when LSU needed him, and did well. But with Cameron re-entering the job market, Miles saw an opportunity to improve the offense, and said Studrawa was on board.
''Stud has always been a very team guy,'' Miles said. ''I think he was very comfortable with this move.''
Cameron dismissed the idea that there might be tension between him and Studrawa.
''It's a huge advantage for us, and for me, to have a guy who's been in my shoes and a guy who brings great expertise,'' Cameron said. ''We'll work together. That's the way it'll be. I can lean on him for a variety of situations.''
Cameron described current LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger as a highly talented passer who's been followed by top NFL scouts for several years. He said he ran into Mettenberger in the hall of LSU's football building on Thursday and told the quarterback that he is ''all ears.''
Given that Mettenberger is heading into his senior season, Cameron said he wants to listen to what Mettenberger likes to do and let that become a central part of the offense.
''You really need his input and get feedback from him,'' Cameron said. ''You owe it to your offense to allow your quarterback to do things he does best.''
Miles and Cameron worked together from 1987-93 as assistants under Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller at Michigan.
Cameron was head coach at Indiana from 1997-2001. He never had a winning record with the Hoosiers, but his offenses with Antwaan Randle-El at quarterback were productive.
He then spent five seasons as offensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers, developing a prolific offense with Drew Brees as well as with Phillip Rivers, who took over as Chargers quarterback in 2006 when Brees went to New Orleans.
That helped Cameron land the job as Miami Dolphins head coach in 2007, but he was fired after one 1-15 season.
He joined the Ravens in 2008 and helped develop quarterback Joe Flacco, who was MVP of the Super Bowl won by the Ravens in New Orleans earlier this month.
Cameron said he has already received a congratulatory text from Brees. Miles, meanwhile, said Cameron's work with NFL stars will give him credibility with LSU quarterbacks and recruits.
''Cam is going to be a guy that walks into a home of a quarterback and says, 'I know how to teach you the things that you are going to need to be great in college and then to demonstrate that to the NFL,''' Miles said. ''That mom and that dad and that family will say, 'I want my son to be with that guy.'''
He'll even have a Super Bowl ring to show off. Cameron said Ravens coach John Harbaugh has texted him, asking for his ring size.
Cameron said he loved his five years in Baltimore and would not trade it for anything.
While Cameron was settling in to watch the Super Bowl with friends in San Diego, he said he received texts from Ravens players and coaches who said they were thinking of him.
As he watched them celebrate in the Superdome, he said he felt ''nothing but joy.''
He said his ability to part ways with the Ravens gracefully after Harbaugh decided to replace him is an example of why he didn't hesitate to work for a close friend at LSU.
''Decisions like that don't destroy relationships,'' Cameron said. ''I'm not going to let that happen.''
http://www.andthevalleyshook.
SB Nation
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIREIt's widely known that Cameron and Les Miles are very old friends from their days as Michigan assistants (I believe one stood in the other's wedding, or something along those lines), and many have often wondered whether this would inevitably happen as Cameron's tenure in Baltimore became more tenuous.
My best guess would be that Cameron will sign on as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, effectively taking Steve Kragthorpe's spot on the staff. He would likely move on to some sort of administration position, likely so that he can maintain his health insurance as he fights his battle with Parkinson's Disease. Greg Studrawa would, ostensibly, move back to coaching the offensive line full-time, though he might maintain some sort of cursory title like "running game coordinator" to justify his salary. We'll get to that later.
The oddest fact that I could probably tell you about Cameron is that he's only 52. That seems odd, but he's been a name in the coaching profession for so long that you tend to picture him as a much older guy. Made his name as a quarterbacks and receivers coach at Michigan from 1985-1993, dovetailing the end of Bo Schembechler's time and Gary Moehler's tenure as head coach. During that time, Cameron developed future NFL players like quarterbacks Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac and Todd Collins and receivers like Amani Toomer, Derrick Alexander and Heisman Trophy Winner Desmond Howard. From there, he joined Norv Turner's staff with the Washington Redskins from 94-96, where most notably he's credited with developing Gus Frerotte and former eighth round pick Trent Green. Frerotte, of course, made the Pro Bowl the year after Cameron left. From there he spent five seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Indiana. It wasn't all that successful a tenure, but his teams did break some school offense records and had multi-purpose dynamo Antwaan Randle-El, whom Cameron used in a variety of positions.
His return to the NFL in 2002 is where things got interesting for Cameron. During another five seasons on Marty Schottenheimer's offensive coordinator with the San Diego Chargers, Cameron is largely credited with blossoming players like LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates and, of course, Drew Brees. After some seasoning in 2002/03 (remember when the team drafted Phillip Rivers to replace Brees?), this unit consistently made the NFL's top 5 in scoring and top 10 in total yards. Brees made the Pro Bowl in 2004, Gates became the best receiving TE in the game, and Tomlinson would go on to break the league touchdown record in 2006 and earn MVP honors. Cameron was named the NFL Assistant of the Year in 2005 by Sports Illustrated.
Afterwards, there was a single-season disaster as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and Cameron went back to coordinating on John Harbaugh's staff with the Ravens. His impact there was immediate -- the Ravens went from 24th in scoring offense to 11th in 2008 despite a rookie quarterback in Joe Flacco and a running game that featured Le'Ron McClain and an injured Willis McGahee. His offenses in Baltimore were consistently in the top half of the league, but clearly dissatisfaction set in and reached a boiling point this year, when Harbaugh let Cameron go after a week 14 overtime loss to the Redskins.
What exactly happened? I sought some opinions from some Baltimore sources. Bruce Raffel of the SB Nation Ravens site Baltimore Beatdown was good enough to offer his:
If you ask most Baltimore Ravens fans, former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron should have been the former offensive coordinator a lot sooner than after week 14 of the 2012 regular season. Most fans were calling for his head after the end of the 2011-12 season, as his play-calling seemed to be too predictable and was reported to be part of the reason QB Joe Flacco's progress was not nearly what fans thought it should have been at this point of his career. Rumors floated about friction between the two on the amount of leeway Flacco had to call audibles and Cameron's apparent reluctance to put more on Joe's "plate."Now, far be it from me to contradict Bruce -- the Ravens are his team, and he's certainly watched them more than any of us, Poseur exempted. But looking at Cameron's overall track record, I still think there's cause for excitement.
You know it has to be scary when we sat in our seats at Ravens games and called out the plays before the ball was snapped, thinking that if we knew the plays, then what about the opposition? Most people don't think it was a coincidence that when Jim Caldwell took over as offensive coordinator, Flacco's performance changed dramatically as he led the team on a run that ended with a Super Bowl victory.
I would of course quote the gospel of Breesus, but Poseur beat me to that one. But among some thoughts on Cameron from the always helpful Chris Brown of Smart Football (which is always a must-read):
He's basically a Coryell/Norv Turner guy and had some success, especially with the Chargers, but also has worked to do more with less at times, particularly when he was at Indiana with Antwaan Randle-El as his quarterback. That was pre-zone read and such, but they mixed in some pro style stuff with some true option, including triple option, and drop-back game.Links to some highlights of Cameron's IU offenses here, here and here (also thanks to Brown).
The interesting thing about Cameron is that he coached with Les at Michigan in the days of yore. Honestly to me the big question about Cameron is not so much whether he's an upgrade or not -- he probably is, but his resume is honestly similar to Kragthorpe and coaches I know think Greg Sturdwa is a great coach -- but I think the identity issues at LSU are top down. Will Cam's experience, reputation and rapport with Les going back to Michigan help him be more autonomous? And will he be able to tailor his offense to college kids after more than a decade in the NFL?Here are some facts on Cameron. The man clearly knows something about quarterback development. Despite the knocks on him about Ray Rice, has shown a willingness to ride his best horses (fun stat - Rice averaged all of one more carry per game under Jim Caldwell than he did under Cameron). The Ravens were in the top half of NFL offenses under Cameron at the time of his departure. Even at the advanced level, they were 16th in the Football Outsiders' DVOA metric. Since the firing, that metric increased all of three spots to 13th. The Ravens improvement was as much about perception and Cameron's departure serving as a rallying point as it was anything. It's certainly clear that there was a personality conflict, and that likely had as much to do with anything.
I think he's at core an NFL/pro-style person but it's encouraging that he adapted his offense around Randle-El. Those Indiana teams had little talent outside of Randle-El, but he tore it up in a bunch of ways. It's interesting to wonder how he would've done if they had some of today's technology -- zone reads, shotgun spread, etc.
I've always said that LSU doesn't need some supersonic Air Raid/spread option/super fancy offense, they just need a handful of things that they do well and fit together, and some really good coaching for the players. Cameron should help with that, but time will tell.
Is he a perfect coordinator? No. But if you know one of those, by all means, do pass his name on. A true fact we never really think about with coaches, is that they're hired to get fired. Coordinators have a thankless job. Offense or defense, we tend to ignore their successes and focus on their failures. Did Cameron have some in Baltimore? Sure. But the truth is, the Ravens have been a franchise built around defense, and Cameron began to change that with Flacco, Rice and Co. In the entire history of the NFL, only a handful of running backs have had more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage in an entire season, and Cameron has coached two of them (Rice and Tomlinson). Did things go bad? Sure. But they always do. Not to pick on Bruce's criticisms, but they're no different than the complaints every fan base has about their coordinator. You're only as good as your last game, and coaches fall out of favor, or make mistakes, all the time.
Go ask Georgia fans about Mike Bobo. There are plenty of Alabama fans that didn't care for the job Jim McElwain did as he netted them two national championships. Hell, perhaps the Tide's most important assistant during this recent run has been Joe Pendry, and he was hired a year after his Houston Texans offensive line set a new league record for sacks allowed. Tennessee fans are still waiting to shout "THIRD AND CHAVIS" basically anytime LSU gives up a third-down conversion Sean Payton was once stripped of his playcalling duties with the New York Giants, and still had to share them at his next stop with the Dallas Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson took several years to warm up to Troy Aikman, and at one time burned a first-round pick to take Steve Walsh in the supplemental draft. The way a coaching tenure ends does not always have to define it. Mistakes are made and (hopefully) learned from. The bottom line is that Cameron achieved a lot of positives in Baltimore. That, combined with his time in San Diego and previous college stops gives reason for excitement.
Cameron comes from the Norv Turner branch of the Air Coryell offense family tree. The Coryell style (for those that don't know, named for longtime coordinator/head coach Don Coryell of the San Diego Chargers in the late 70s and early 80s), of course, was defined by the development of what we now know as the "NFL route tree" consisting of nine basic patterns, a play calling system built around those numbers (ex. "525 F Post Swing" -- the numbers indicate routes for the 2 WRs and TE) and an offense built around high-octane, downfield passing outside of the hash marks while using tight ends and backs underneath and over the middle of the field. It's also a conceptual approach in the Ehrhardt-Perkins sense, using multiple formations and personnel groups to run a lot of the same plays and create matchup problems for the defense (with Coryell's Charger teams, this usually meant for Kellen Winslow). With the Dallas Cowboys in the early 90s, Turner combined this passing game with Emmitt Smith's powerful running. Those teams were never insanely productive through the air (Aikman never topped 3,500 yards in a season), but they were incredibly efficient -- the very quality the Tigers lacked last season.
This fits the style of play LSU has, at least in theory, attempted to use under Miles: lean towards balance as an end, passing to score and running to win. More importantly, Cameron is a coach that Miles has both a tremendous personal relationship and a professional kinship. The general structure of the Tiger attack likely won't change: multiple formations, a power- and zone-based running game with a passing attack heavy on play-action. Cameron brings a pedigree, even with his time in Baltimore taken into account. A guy that will never have problems finding work in the NFL as a quarterback coach or coordinator.
That relationship will probably get a lot of play in local media and message board chatter in the coming days. "Les trusts him." "Les won't meddle." All of the ways that further the narrative that if the offense is struggling, it must be because Miles is "calling the plays" or "influencing the gameplan" as though it's some sort of anomaly. Listen folks: game-planning and play-calling are always collaborative processes, on every coaching staff at every level of the game. Offensive line coaches help choose the run plays and protections that will fit a specific opponent. This helps determine formations and pass play selections. Backs and receiver coaches influence personnel choices based on how they perceive individual matchups, and yes, a head coach will have input as well. In-game, they may also suggest plays, weigh in on tempo ("lets pick up the pace" or "let's see if we can grind ‘em down a little here," for example) and of course, make calls on fourth-down decisions. They'll even throw in a play-call or veto one every now and then. Sometimes, if the head coach makes it known that they're using all four downs, it influences the third-down play-call. This is a natural process that every single staff in the country goes through every game week -- casting it as some sort of tyranny of the head coach over the offense is an oversimplification, a rationalization of confirmation bias (notice how this never comes up after a good offensive game?) and fly in the face of logic when it comes to Miles. If he were such a micromanager, he'd never be able to bring in veteran coaches, especially former NFL guys like Cameron and Adam Henry. Just because a play worked or didn't work, doesn't mean that Les Miles called it or forced it on his offensive coordinator. Every coach may have an offensive style they want to see, and just because a coach may favor the run does not make him a walking Woody Hayes speech.
What's more, this hire appears to allow Stud to move back to the offensive line, which frankly, is what he does best. The job he did this season of cobbling together a senior backup with bad knees and two freshmen into an offensive front that held Jadeveon Clowney without a sack and pushed around the nation's best run defense is incredibly underrated. He also happens to be one of the more popular coaches with among his individual players. Personally, I'm glad he'll stick around, assuming that is the case. As for Steve Kragthorpe, I hate that LSU never got to offer him some professional redemption, but he has a much bigger battle on his hands with Parkinson's Disease. And with the news that schools can now expand football staff beyond the nominal assistant caoches, LSU can find some sort of role for him as a scout or analyst of sorts. He certainly paid dividends on the recruiting trail in this recent cycle.
But look, let it not be said that this suddenly brings LSU's offensive struggles to an end. We've spent too many years watching LSU sit in the bottom of the national offense rankings to believe that any one man can bring that to an end. Every team is different and every struggle is different, but that does not change the fact that there have been struggles and they've popped up too many times. But giving a proven football mind like Cameron a now-experienced quarterback group of receivers, a running back corps with power and speed and a big and athletic offensive line, and things are certainly looking up. Some of the progression has to come from the players themselves -- concentration, focus and work ethic. There's nothing wrong with tempering some expectations right now, but this is a hire that would give anybody reason for optimism.
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http://theadvocate.com/sports/
Miles, Cameron share a lasting bond
Two decades before LSU coach Les Miles tabbed Cam Cameron with the
duty of overseeing the Tigers’ offense, Cameron bailed out his friend in
the early stages of Miles’ courtship of his future wife.
As the lone bachelor on Michigan coach Bo Schembechler’s staff in the late 1980s, Miles arranged a first date with Kathy LaBarge, a former Central Michigan point guard and new assistant on the women’s basketball staff. The activity was mundane, a mid-morning run. And given the nature of their profession, punctuality might have been assumed.
Yet the next day, Miles found himself waiting in a gymnasium filled with women and LaBarge nowhere to be found. So, Miles waited. He checked his watch. Fifteen minutes — that’s the most time he could grant himself. At the stroke of 9:15 a.m., Miles bailed. Five minutes later, LaBarge strode in.
“She walks in at 9:15 (a.m.) and figures I stood her up,” Miles said. “I left early, figuring she stood me up.”
Cameron, the Wolverines’ quarterbacks coach, bumped into Kathy and lofted out a quip to uncoil the snagged wires.
“I wouldn’t have waited for him either,” Cameron told Kathy. “He doesn’t run very fast.”
On Friday, Miles and Cameron fielded scores of questions about enhancing an LSU offense prone to sputtering at times last season, ranging from queries about adjustments in terminology to quarterback development to whether Cameron will have autonomy in play-calling.
The replies were laced with generalities, but Miles and Cameron, fired a month ago after five seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator, underscored their history and six seasons sharing a cramped office on Schembechler’s staff. Whatever the structure or mechanics of the arrangement turn out to be, there’s a reservoir of shared experience and bonding that produces an abiding trust.
“It was one of the great, great times as a young coach to grow and learn,” Cameron said. “When you can come to work and leave and feel good about yourself and the people you’re working with and getting better at what you do, it doesn’t matter. No amount of money can give you that.”
By now, Cameron’s offensive tendencies, rooted in employing a variant of the Air Coryell, are well-known in stints at Michigan, Washington, Indiana, San Diego and Baltimore. So is his track record tutoring top-flight quarterbacks in Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Heath Shuler, Antwaan Randle-El, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers and Joe Flaaco.
Yet his résumé also contains a 1-15 season at the helm of the Miami Dolphins, which ended in his firing after the 2007 campaign. And his five seasons in Baltimore ended in December when Cameron was fired and coach John Harbaugh promoted quarterback coach Jim Caldwell to lead a unit considered wildly inconsistent.
Cameron, 52, found a quick suitor in Miles, who said he texted his friend immediately.
“I knew when Cam became available there might be an outside chance he might be available to us,” Miles said. “It fell together exactly right.”
Wasn’t there some hesitation in risking a long-standing bond in the crucible of elite college football? Not for Cameron.
“We understand things in football and things in general can play out,” Cameron said. “It is an opportunity of a lifetime to work with people you care about, and there’s no downside to it in my mind. The relationship still, always, trumps everything.”
Whether it placates handwringing by LSU fans is uncertain after the Tigers’ offense finished 87th in total offense nationally and No. 57 in scoring. Obviously, Cameron’s work with senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who ranked ninth in the SEC at 200.7 passing yards per game and 11th with a 128.3 passer rating, also will get scrutiny.
On that front, Cameron didn’t profess a desire to overhaul the playbook but passed on delving into specifics.
“We want to improve on what we’re doing,” he said. “I need to know everything that Zach knows. I need to know what our guys know. I’ve seen a lot of games, and it’s a great system. I just want to build on it.”
The trust placed in his hands by Miles was forged working for Schembechler, sharing an office so small that no phone conversation was truly private and no detail of the other person’s life easily concealed.
“What a great experience two young coaches had following Bo Schembechler, listening to everything he said,” Miles said. “It’s an amazing thing how well you know somebody but don’t talk about it. You grew in a like position.”
The nature of those chats remains known only to both men, but LSU fans will have to invest faith that it produces a fruitful outcome.
Parsing their statements about a working relationship, there’s a history of a give-and-take between Cameron and Miles. Those days in close quarters explain why Cameron — publicly, at least — didn’t seem to hold fast to the notion that he requires sole discretion in play-calling.
“The head coach has a vision and a vision for how each game needs to be won,” Cameron said. “We’ll obviously adjust and adapt that plan as the game goes along, but I’d be crazy (to question) working with Les — as the game plan is put together, as the game is called — (because) he has a natural feel for the game.”
And Cameron knows where it all began, too.
“I was in a tiny office with that guy, one of the toughest guys around,” Cameron said. “I know what he brings to the table.”
As the lone bachelor on Michigan coach Bo Schembechler’s staff in the late 1980s, Miles arranged a first date with Kathy LaBarge, a former Central Michigan point guard and new assistant on the women’s basketball staff. The activity was mundane, a mid-morning run. And given the nature of their profession, punctuality might have been assumed.
Yet the next day, Miles found himself waiting in a gymnasium filled with women and LaBarge nowhere to be found. So, Miles waited. He checked his watch. Fifteen minutes — that’s the most time he could grant himself. At the stroke of 9:15 a.m., Miles bailed. Five minutes later, LaBarge strode in.
“She walks in at 9:15 (a.m.) and figures I stood her up,” Miles said. “I left early, figuring she stood me up.”
Cameron, the Wolverines’ quarterbacks coach, bumped into Kathy and lofted out a quip to uncoil the snagged wires.
“I wouldn’t have waited for him either,” Cameron told Kathy. “He doesn’t run very fast.”
On Friday, Miles and Cameron fielded scores of questions about enhancing an LSU offense prone to sputtering at times last season, ranging from queries about adjustments in terminology to quarterback development to whether Cameron will have autonomy in play-calling.
The replies were laced with generalities, but Miles and Cameron, fired a month ago after five seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator, underscored their history and six seasons sharing a cramped office on Schembechler’s staff. Whatever the structure or mechanics of the arrangement turn out to be, there’s a reservoir of shared experience and bonding that produces an abiding trust.
“It was one of the great, great times as a young coach to grow and learn,” Cameron said. “When you can come to work and leave and feel good about yourself and the people you’re working with and getting better at what you do, it doesn’t matter. No amount of money can give you that.”
By now, Cameron’s offensive tendencies, rooted in employing a variant of the Air Coryell, are well-known in stints at Michigan, Washington, Indiana, San Diego and Baltimore. So is his track record tutoring top-flight quarterbacks in Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Heath Shuler, Antwaan Randle-El, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers and Joe Flaaco.
Yet his résumé also contains a 1-15 season at the helm of the Miami Dolphins, which ended in his firing after the 2007 campaign. And his five seasons in Baltimore ended in December when Cameron was fired and coach John Harbaugh promoted quarterback coach Jim Caldwell to lead a unit considered wildly inconsistent.
Cameron, 52, found a quick suitor in Miles, who said he texted his friend immediately.
“I knew when Cam became available there might be an outside chance he might be available to us,” Miles said. “It fell together exactly right.”
Wasn’t there some hesitation in risking a long-standing bond in the crucible of elite college football? Not for Cameron.
“We understand things in football and things in general can play out,” Cameron said. “It is an opportunity of a lifetime to work with people you care about, and there’s no downside to it in my mind. The relationship still, always, trumps everything.”
Whether it placates handwringing by LSU fans is uncertain after the Tigers’ offense finished 87th in total offense nationally and No. 57 in scoring. Obviously, Cameron’s work with senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who ranked ninth in the SEC at 200.7 passing yards per game and 11th with a 128.3 passer rating, also will get scrutiny.
On that front, Cameron didn’t profess a desire to overhaul the playbook but passed on delving into specifics.
“We want to improve on what we’re doing,” he said. “I need to know everything that Zach knows. I need to know what our guys know. I’ve seen a lot of games, and it’s a great system. I just want to build on it.”
The trust placed in his hands by Miles was forged working for Schembechler, sharing an office so small that no phone conversation was truly private and no detail of the other person’s life easily concealed.
“What a great experience two young coaches had following Bo Schembechler, listening to everything he said,” Miles said. “It’s an amazing thing how well you know somebody but don’t talk about it. You grew in a like position.”
The nature of those chats remains known only to both men, but LSU fans will have to invest faith that it produces a fruitful outcome.
Parsing their statements about a working relationship, there’s a history of a give-and-take between Cameron and Miles. Those days in close quarters explain why Cameron — publicly, at least — didn’t seem to hold fast to the notion that he requires sole discretion in play-calling.
“The head coach has a vision and a vision for how each game needs to be won,” Cameron said. “We’ll obviously adjust and adapt that plan as the game goes along, but I’d be crazy (to question) working with Les — as the game plan is put together, as the game is called — (because) he has a natural feel for the game.”
And Cameron knows where it all began, too.
“I was in a tiny office with that guy, one of the toughest guys around,” Cameron said. “I know what he brings to the table.”
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