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« on: April 02, 2008, 02:06:39 pm » |
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John Beck's work ethic impresses Dolphins coach
Quarterback's work ethic draws raves
By Omar Kelly
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
April 2, 2008
PALM BEACH - It's considered a good sign when the quarterback is the first player to arrive at the team's practice facility, the last to leave and one of the most regular visitors during the offseason.
That's the lasting impression second-year quarterback John Beck made on Dolphins new coach Tony Sparano.
Beck, who struggled as a starter in his rookie season, has used the offseason to get bigger and stronger, and the Dolphins coaches and executives have noticed. But the stellar work ethic of last year's second-round pick hasn't been enough to allay the organization's concerns about the most critical position, and one that has been the franchise's Achilles' heel since Dan Marino retired in 1999.
That's why the Dolphins added veteran Josh McCown to compete with Beck for the starting spot in training camp, and could add another young arm in this month's draft.
"He's probably thrown 1,000 balls a week, somewhere around there," Sparano said of Beck, who is working with quarterbacks coach David Lee to raise his low release. "Until we get out between the lines, and we really put him behind the center and start to do some of this stuff, that'll be the real test. John knows that. He knows he needs as many at-bats as he can get."
Sparano said the same applies for McCown, despite his six years of experience as a starter in the NFL.
The Dolphins targeted McCown in free agency because of his age (28), experience level, height (6 feet 4) and better-than-average arm strength. Their hope is those factors translate to more wins than the 12 McCown has in his 31 starts.
"Josh has some great characteristics you don't always see when you're out there and just watching through the naked eye," Sparano said. "With Josh, he's a competitor. He really competes hard and wants to do really well. He's got athleticism and can move around, some escapability, those kinds of things. And he has the good arm."
Despite the presence of four quarterbacks on the roster, including Casey Bramlet and recent signee Matt Baker, Sparano wouldn't eliminate quarterback from his list of team needs.
That might help explain why the Dolphins are doing their due diligence by investigating the makeup of a few of the top-rated quarterbacks — Boston College's Matt Ryan, Michigan's Chad Henne, Louisville's Brian Brohm, Delaware's Joe Flacco, USC's John David Booty, Tennessee's Erik Ainge — in this year's draft class.
"We have a lot of issues in the draft that we have to address, so if we get to a point during the course of the draft and there's somebody there we think can help us it might be an issue for us," Sparano said when asked about the possibility of selecting another passer.
Whether any quarterback the Dolphins draft would be ready to start immediately is another complicated matter, one that Sparano admits he has pondered, but isn't scared of.
"I think it's pretty hard to do. I really do, and I've seen some good quarterbacks come in in some of those situations. But yeah, I think there are some guys that have the ability to come in and start," he said. "Certainly in our situation when you're a young team, putting a young quarterback out there is not a bad thing in those situations. You get some questions answered early, one way or the other."
That will likely be the case no matter which passer the Dolphins call upon on Sundays, and they hope the fittest of the lot finds a way to not just survive, but thrive.
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