Ready or not: Dolphins open camp with three unproven QBs

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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2008/07/26/a1b_dolphins_0727.html

Ready or not: Dolphins open camp with three unproven QBs

By CARLOS FRIAS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, July 26, 2008

DAVIE — Almost all other news at Dolphins camp pales compared to the revelation that the Miami Dolphins may well have No. 13 starting at quarterback.

Alas, Dan Marino still is retired, and the Dolphins face opening the season with the 13th different starting quarterback for Miami since the legend said goodbye.

No other issue has dominated the minds of Dolphins fans and coaches since 1999 like finding an answer to the revolving door at quarterback. Three other head coaches have tried. And there has been competition for the spot over the years, but never has the starter seemed more in doubt than it does this offseason.

Rookie head coach Tony Sparano now tries his hand. John Beck, Josh McCown and rookie Chad Henne - who signed Saturday after missing the first half of two-a-day practices - all seem equally likely to win the starting job as Miami opened training camp this week. That is to say there is no front-runner, Sparano said, no player who distinguished himself in 20 previous off-season workouts.

The Dolphins aren't wishing for a star. Sparano has said he wants to find which among the three will manage games and won't have to be counted on to win one. And so, with the season a month a way, the team will try to determine who best fits that bill: McCown, a six-year veteran free agent; Henne, the supposed quarterback of the future; or Beck, last year's quarterback of tomorrow.

But just looking at the numbers, it seems the Dolphins, too, are divided on which player deserves most of the attention. The three split the repetitions in off-season practices almost evenly. Of the 733 passes the quarterbacks threw, Sparano said Beck threw 257 (35 percent), McCown threw 246 (34 percent) and Henne threw 230 (31 percent).

Training camp will be more like tryouts for the three. Sparano said he will feature two quarterbacks each day with the first team so he can see how each handles a series of 10 or 12 plays. Meanwhile, the odd man out is eager for the next day when it is his turn to try to impress the coaches. All three will participate in the stripped-down 7-on-7 passing drills.

"(Beck) and I were just saying that it's like ... you're running in a race and you feel like someone's gaining ground on you," McCown said.

Sparano said he would like to see a clear-cut leader by the end of second exhibition game Aug. 16 against Jacksonville - less than three weeks away.

"We're going to put them in critical situations and as we get them out here in critical situations, we'll watch them and see how they respond and try to make practice harder than the games," Sparano said.

Going in, the favorite would seem to be McCown. He has 31 NFL starts to his name, and has seen a host of different offenses and defenses in playing with three different teams. On the down side, he has just a 12-19 record as a starter and could easily have been poisoned by playing on three losing teams, the Raiders, Lions and Cardinals. But he exudes positive energy and drive - two attributes Sparano cherishes - and, given the right environment, he could provide the Dolphins the stability they crave.

He and Beck also have been working with quarterbacks coach David Lee since the voluntary workouts ended.

"They've been meticulous about how even the reps have been," McCown said. "I feel like (I'm getting) a fair shot."

Beck, the 40th selection in last year's draft, could easily have been lost in the coaching change. All he had to his name was seven fumbles, three interceptions, one touchdown and a winless record in the four games he started. He is statuesque in the pocket and, because of an injury at BYU, got into the bad habit of throwing low passes that were batted down at the line.

But since January, he has been relentless in his pursuit of self-improvement. Beck threw more than 7,500 passes before the Dolphins officially opened their voluntary workouts, worked with Lee to change his arm angle and proved his dedication to becoming a relevant NFL quarterback.

"It was just, 'OK, go prove yourself,' " Beck told himself after the coaching change. "You're not only competing with the guys on your team, but with everyone in the league who's playing your position."

If the Dolphins favor Henne's potential - clearly they believe in his talent given that they spent the 57th overall pick on him - his inexperience may be the best reason to leave him on the bench.

The Dolphins loved that he was a four-year starter at Michigan, but starting the first game of the NFL season as rookie is tough proposition. Plus, he was the last of nine players to sign and didn't benefit from working with Lee since the voluntary workouts.

But that doesn't mean he won't see the field this year. Sparano, and his boss Bill Parcells, have often exposed unknown commodities to action early. As recently as 2006, when Parcells was coaching the Cowboys and Sparano was the offensive line coach, the Cowboys opened the season with veteran Drew Bledsoe starting and Tony Romo - signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 - holding the clipboard.

Romo saw his first action in the third game of the season, started the second half of the game three weeks later and was named the starter the following week.

It's hope for Dolphins fans and coaches who are waiting for the next big thing from their quarterback.

"I'm going to do the best I can out here and prove to them I can play," Henne said.