Ted Ginn was the center of controversy when drafted by first (and his only year) head coach Cam Cameron. Ted Ginn was his very first draft pick in the 2007 NFL draft and boy did that cause a firestorm as just about everybody thought Miami would draft college star QB and now CBS analyst Brady Quinn.
Miami was in desperate need of a QB and it was quite obvious that first time HC Cam Cameron was clueless thinking he could calm that crowd down after taking a WR/Return man with Miami’s first pick. Cam Cameron was vehemently booed by the Dolphins fan base at the draft party as he came out to try and explain the pick.
His infamous last words were “We drafted the TED GINN Family” as he was trying to explain that Ginn also brought good character to the team. Well that did not set well with a QB starved fan base that wanted Brady Quinn. Shocked would be an understatement with that pick.
Now to Ginns credit he did add value to the team as a return specialist but he never really developed into a WR deserving of a first round pick and after a 3 year career in Miami he was traded in 2010. He did last longer than Cam Cameron who was fired at seasons end.Here is the complete story or both Cam Cameron , Ted Ginn Jr. and Brady Quinn from my favorite source (Wikipedia)
In 2007 Cam Cameron was interviewed for a number of head coaching jobs, including the Houston Texans and St. Louis Rams vacancies following the 2005 season but was not hired. Cameron also interviewed for the head coaching jobs with the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons in January 2007 but Miami was the only club that made an offer.
By the time Cameron arrived, the Dolphins were coming off the resignation of their head coach Nick Saban, despite repeatedly saying he would stay in Miami and denied rumors of him taking the Alabama head coaching job. His 2007 Dolphins lost 13 consecutive games to start the season, before beating the Baltimore Ravens in overtime on December 16 for their first and only win that season.
The Dolphins ended the 2007 season in last place in the AFC East with a 1–15 record, the worst record in the NFL that year and the worst in the team’s 40-year history.[5] On January 3, 2008, newly hired general manager Jeff Ireland announced Cameron had been fired along with most of his staff.[6]
Ted Ginn was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Many were expecting the Dolphins to select Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn with the Dolphins in need of a quarterback, although they would end up drafting BYU quarterback John Beck in the second round. Although Ginn was considered the fastest, and one of the most athletic picks going into the draft, Miami’s selection of Ginn was booed heavily by Dolphins fans at the draft and was criticized by football pundits and even teammates. Jason Taylor said he was in shock when Ginn was selected instead of Brady Quinn.
Even Ginn himself was surprised by the pick. Saying “For sure when Brady Quinn was there, and you know Miami is hurting for a quarterback right now, and Brady Quinn is a great quarterback, to be in competition with him and for me to beat him out was good. I guess the coaches saw something in me that they liked.
2007 season
Although Ginn wore #11 in the team’s initial minicamp, it was announced he would wear #19 during the regular season to honor his father, who wore the number in high school.[24]
Ginn eventually reached the end zone for the first time in Week 8 against the New York Giants on a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cleo Lemon.[25]
In the second quarter of a November 18 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Ginn returned a Saverio Rocca punt 87 yards for a touchdown.[26] It was Ginn’s first career touchdown return and tied for the longest punt return in franchise history. Ginn, who had never had more than three receptions or 37 receiving yards in any game prior, also set career highs with four receptions for 52 yards against the Eagles. For his performance, Ginn beat out four other candidates for the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week. He received 40 percent of the fan votes. Also, Ginn was voted by his peers as the third alternate to the 2007 Pro Bowl as a kick returner.[27]
Ginn finished his rookie season with 34 receptions for 420 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 24 punt returns for 230 yards and a touchdown, 63 kick returns for 1,433 yards, four rushes for three yards, and three fumbles.[28]
2008 season
At the start of the 2008 season, Ginn was removed from his return duties and was replaced as a starting wide-receiver.[29] In the season-opening loss to the New York Jets, Ginn had two receptions for 17 yards, a rush for two yards, but also had a fumble.[30] He had a breakout game in a win against the Buffalo Bills, totaling 175 yards on seven receptions, including a 64-yard reception.[31]
After scoring on a 40-yard end-around run and converting a crucial late-game fourth down play against the Oakland Raiders Ginn ended the season with 56 catches for 790 yards and two touchdowns, 32 kick returns for 657 yards and seven punt returns for 54 yards, two rushing touchdowns on five attempts for 73 yards, and five fumbles.
2009 season
Ginn started the 2009 season slowly by catching two passes in his first game against the Atlanta Falcons. Ginn then seemed to have a breakout game against the Indianapolis Colts on September 21, 2009, catching a career-high 11 passes for 108 yards. Although a career game, he was criticized for dropping two potential touchdown passes, one in the final minutes of the game.
The next two games, Ginn dropped several passes and caught only one 4-yard pass and had a 22-yard run. In Week 5 against the rival New York Jets, Ginn had just two catches, but one was a 53-yard touchdown against to help the Dolphins win. New Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne was hoped to improve Ginn’s game. Ginn however continued to struggle in the passing game and was demoted to backup wide receiver after Week 7. Ginn said he was angry and embarrassed about the benching entering Week 8 against the rival New York Jets. Although Ginn caught no passes in the game, he was given full-time kickoff return duties, and took out his frustrations by tying an NFL record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns, one of 100 yards and the second of 101.
Those touchdowns are the only two of that distance in the same game (the previous record was 2 touchdowns of 97 yards in the same game), and the first time a player returned two kickoffs in the same quarter since 1967. Ginn won special-teams player of the month for his efforts. The next game against the New England Patriots, Ginn again dropped several passes that included one in the fourth quarter during a last minute potentially game-tying drive. In the week 10 game against Tampa Bay, Ginn had zero catches despite several attempts and was ineffective in the return game.
Ginn would finish the year fourth in dropped passes.
For the 2009 season, Ginn had 1,826 all-purpose yards, including 1,324 return yards and 502 yards from scrimmage, with two fumbles.
2010 season
On April 16, 2010, Miami traded Ginn to the San Francisco 49ers for a fifth-round pick (Nolan Carroll) in the 2010 NFL Draft.
That ended Ginn’s Dolphin Career but he would go on to play in the NFL for a total of 14 seasons and even though he got a raw deal in Miami due to something he had no control over (his draft status) Some will argue that his receiving skills were below average and I will counter that his return skills was above average and special teams plays a huge part in winning games.
By the way Brady Quinn never amounted to very much as a Professional QB and lasted 7 years but his career stats says it all:
| TD–INT: | 12–17 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards: | 3,043 |
| Passer rating: | 64.4 |
The Irony of it all was he last was on the Dolphins Roster in 2014 his final year but never played for Miami.
So who was right, Cam Cameron or the Fans?
That is a hard one to answer because who really knows if Miami had drafted Cameron what he would have accomplished because I honestly feel it matters where a player is drafted. The Cleveland Browns were a dumpster fire back then and that is where he was drafted.
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