Beck sang songs like “Loser” and “Totally Confused.” Was he talking about the Dolphins’ Cam Cameron? Beck also sang “He’s a Mighty Good Leader,” and Miami coach now has to hope that the musician’s namesake, rookie quarterback John Beck, represents that for the 0-9 ‘Fins.
At least one game too late, Cameron finally pulled the trigger and pegged rookie John Beck to take over the Miami offense. So what’s next for Beck? Back-to-back road games in hostile Philadelphia and in Pittsburgh against the NFL’s No. 1 defense. Thanks, coach.
For no apparent reason, Cameron elected to stick with Band-Aid Cleo Lemon — and by “Band-Aid,” I mean “not a Band-Aid at all” — against Buffalo in Miami, following the Dolphins bye. The situation screamed for Beck, a winnable home game after giving him two full weeks to prepare as the starter. Making the decision even worse, Cameron later said that Beck was the signal-caller “most prepared to play, even against Buffalo.” When he realized that he had openly admitted that he played the wrong quarterback against the Bills, he reversed field and said, “He wasn’t quite ready in my view.” You can almost hear the stuttering from here.
Getting the “honor” of piloting this Dolphins attack is a little like earning the promotion of engineer to a train wreck. Though Beck gives Dolfans hope, Miami has thrown in the towel on the campaign, trading away one of the few weapons in Chris Chambers in an effort to force-feed dubious first-rounder Ned Ginn, Jr. Tailback Ronnie Brown was lost for the year during his breakout season, though the ‘Fins could get Ricky Williams back. No matter what happens, Cameron has to hope that his young signal-caller doesn’t feel like he has to “Go It Alone” (another Beck song).
The defense that is charged with bailing Beck out of tough situations features star linebacker Zach Thomas, who has missed two games after being in a car accident – the same year he missed a few others with a concussion. Plus, ‘Fins fans just got a thumbs-up report that a rookie defensive end had successful surgery – on BOTH knees. As a bonus, Miami has started five different strong safeties this year.
What does Beck have going for him? As the 40th overall pick, he represented the third-highest pick Miami has spent on a quarterback in the past 30 years for the Dolphins. The other two – Hall of Famers Bob Griese and Dan Marino – turned out all right. Unlike former ‘Fins quarterbacks, he isn’t Hebrew, his ears and nose appear to be normal-sized, and he isn’t named Sage, Cleo or Gus.
He’ll be the 12th quarterback to start for the Dolphins since Dandy Dan Marino retired in 1999 (I don’t have the stomach to name them all here; if you’re a masochist, there’s a list here). At 26 years old, he’s theoretically mature and poised enough to handle the difficult road environments and the pressure that comes with finally trying to live up to the cleat marks left by legendary No. 13.
With the Dolphins likely plummeting toward the top overall pick, Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller simply have to find out what they have in Beck. If he doesn’t appear to be the answer, the franchise will have to look hard at standabout quarterbacks like Boston College’s Matt Ryan or Louisville’s Brian Brohm or Kentucky’s Andre’ Woodson in April's draft. Plus, as a previously mentioned 26-year-old, the clock is ticking with Beck; if he doesn’t show signs that he can be “the guy,” he likely isn’t going to develop into one before the end of his career.
If Beck chokes or falls flat on his face, it’s going to be even more demoralizing for Miami fans. After all, Beck also sang “I Feel Like A Piece of Shit” … which more and more has the sound of the Dolphins theme song for 2007.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The opening photo is courtesy of FamousMormons.net. Seriously.
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