Beck's ability at QB has to be determined

[DolFan619]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-flsphyde25sbjul25,0,7646338.column

Beck's ability at QB has to be determined

Dave Hyde
Sports Columnist

11:28 PM EDT, July 24, 2008

There should be no doubt the newest Dolphins regime wants John Beck to win the starting quarterback job in the coming weeks. Why? One reason. And maybe it can be viewed better by asking this:

Do you see the Dolphins winning a title with Josh McCown at quarterback?

In his seventh year, McCown is on his fourth team. He's being passed around like table salt. So the stars would have to align for him suddenly to turn into a championship quarterback.

And can the Dolphins contend someday with Beck?

We don't know.

That passes for a positive as the Dolphins prepare to open the kind of training camp Saturday that they've never had. Any glint of hope will be labeled as a full nugget. There are two dirty little secrets the three previous regimes tried (and failed miserably) to hide this time of year from everyone, including themselves:

• The Dolphins never were playoff contenders. Each previous regime thought it was close. Part of that was simple survival. If they weren't contending, their jobs might be lost (which happened anyhow). But that thinking brought expensive gambles like Daunte Culpepper, Trent Green, Joey Porter, A.J. Feeley …

• They need to be in an all-out, clear-cut, batten-down-the-hatches, check-back-in-three-years rebuilding mode.

Bill Parcells had no choice but to embrace these facts, as much as it goes against form for him. He's typically a fixer, a turnaround specialist, someone who comes in to kick some tail, move around some furniture and — voila! — create a playoff product.

This is a job he'll have to put down roots to succeed. That's part of the storyline. Can he do that? Will he last for his full contract? He had no choice but to rip the roster down to bare walls and mortar. It was almost there anyhow.

Judging the roster and his work, Parcells figures he inherited, at best, five players to build with for the future: tackle Vernon Carey, center Samson Satele, receiver Ted Ginn Jr., running back Ronnie Brown and Beck. That's it. That's a mess.

Jimmy Johnson didn't have to rebuild the roster like this. He inherited Dan Marino and a playoff team. Dave Wannstedt ground his good inheritance into rubble. Nick Saban tried to draft well, and failed, then tried to add expensive parts and failed there, too.

Eventually, the grade on Randy Mueller will be better, as his draft picks and trades prove themselves. One of them is Beck. Which brings us back to the basic idea of why this regime wants Beck to start. It's a football and philosophical issue.

Beck is in his second year and unproven. Forget last year, if you can (try hypnosis!). When Beck was shoved into the season, unprepared by Cam Cameron, he had no talent around him. Expecting rookie quarterbacks to win runs against history. Expecting Beck to prop up a lost season was impossible.

But Beck's public stock has dropped to the point McCown has become the people's choice. That's silly. In Buffalo, Trent Edwards is seen as The Man, despite merely accompanying the Bills to some wins last year. And he was picked after Beck. So don't throw out Beck with the 1-15 bath water.

Of course, this story is as much about Parcells as Beck. Parcells usually marries his quick U-turns to veteran quarterbacks like Vinny Testaverde in New York and Drew Bledsoe in Dallas (which slowed Tony Romo's development).

That can't be Option A here. It doesn't much matter if the Dolphins go 4-12 or 6-10 this season. They need answers, and the initial one is about Beck. First, if he can win the job. Second, if he can do the job.

If not, McCown is a good insurance policy this year while Chad Henne is groomed for next season. A popular thought is that Henne is the quarterback of the future simply because Parcells drafted him. The better thought is the quarterback of the future is anyone who can do the job.

If it's not Beck this year, Henne gets the shot by next year. If not Henne then, it will be the quarterback they take in the next draft.

The only sure thing on the edge of training camp is that Beck is the guy the Dolphins want to win the job. No one knows if they can win big with him. But no one knows that they can't, either.

[Sunstroke]

From Dave Hyde


Do you see the Dolphins winning a title with Josh McCown at quarterback?

In his seventh year, McCown is on his fourth team. He's being passed around like table salt. So the stars would have to align for him suddenly to turn into a championship quarterback.

And can the Dolphins contend someday with Beck?

We don't know.

That passes for a positive as the Dolphins prepare to open the kind of training camp Saturday...

It's this sort of sneaky journalism that makes me shake my head sometimes. It makes me want to ask why McCown has to win a title, but all Beck would be asked to do is "contend someday?" If the question had been "Do you see the Dolphins winning a title with either Josh McCown OR John Beck at quarterback?" it would have made more sense, though it would have negated the purpose of this article, as the clear (at least to me anyway) answer would still be "no chance in hell."

[Phishfan]

I tried to hold out hope for Beck. Now I just hope Henne turns into our future QB and one of these guys can be surviceable until that day.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

McCown was brought in to provide insurance in case Beck can't go.  Henne is our QB of the future.... unless he's another 2nd round QB bust.