John Beck For A Song…So Where Is The Dance
By Brian Miller
Perhaps this is a tip of the hand. Perhaps it’s nothing more than an insider’s speculation. Perhaps, perhaps…Perrrrhaps.
(scroll down for todays mock poll)
According to John Clayton, who I trust more than anyone else at ESPN, the Miami Dolphins are willing to trade John Beck for a song. O.k. anything. The Phins want more draft picks come April 25th and 26th and Clayton says that all a team has to do is simply make an offer. Is that the dance?
So why all of a sudden has the former 2nd round pick become so expendable? Surely he has learned something being in a real system behind a real QB like Pennington? He has little guaranteed money to tie him down and make expendable for cap space. He is the 3rd QB which puts the Phins in a “no need” situation at the position. So, why?
2 things pop into my head. 1, there is a QB in the draft that Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland have seen and they want him. Perhaps…there’s that word again…as a developmental prospect to challenge Henne in 2010 when it’s widely speculated that Pennington will be gone. The Phins would then have their number 1 and 2 QB’s on the roster and both would have learned from CP whether CP intended to teach them or not.
The problem with that theory is this. The QB market this year is one of the thinnest in recent memory. Outside of the top 4 or maybe, and I stress MAYBE, 5 QB’s. The list seems to die off rather quickly. Which brings me to reason 2. Pat White.
Now, I realize that White is a QB listed in this draft so in a way he should be included in the above reason 1. And he is, to an extent. However, Pat White is not the future of the Miami Dolphins at QB and in reason 1, the Phins would be looking for someone to “compete” with Henne next year. White is not that guy. White is that all around “Wild Card” that fits into the “Wild Cat“.
A pass catching WR…check. A versatile running back…check. A strong armed QB…check. For the Dolphins a player like Pat White would make perfect sense for moving John Beck instead of simply trying to get another 7th rounder for him.
On game days, Beck would be listed as the emergency 3 QB which essentially means he carries a clipboard and stands on the sideline. He takes up a roster spot and doesn’t contribute between the chalk. Pat White would not be listed as the E3 QB. Instead, the Phins could list him as anything they wanted. WR, RB, QB, TE, whatever. He takes up a roster spot and touches the grass between the lines during the game and that isn’t walking off the field.
Let’s understand this. I am not a John Beck hater. In fact, I’m the opposite. I like the guy. Even now, I still like the guy. I like his attitude, his desire, his drive, his arm strength. Everything. The problem with John Beck is that Cam Cameron absolutely ruined him. Possibly for good.
Beck was never prepared to play in the NFL in his first season and Cameron never gave the rookie the time to learn the offense. Literally throwing him to the wolves. On the Wednesday before his first game, Beck was running the scout team and taking a mere 5% of the teams 1st team drills. Then, Cameron made the move. Beck was lost on the field and Cameron did little to insure that his QB of the future wouldn’t fail. He replaced him with another ineffective Cleo Lemon, got his first and only win, and then threw Beck back into the den.
John Beck has likely learned a ton from Chad Pennington and this coaching staff. There are a lot of things you could argue about Beck but his mental makeup is not one of them. His dedication to be a cerebral QB isn’t one of them. That may not, and apparently doesn’t translate to the field…right now, but it’s not for a lack of trying but more a lack of opportunity shot down early by a 1-15 1 year head coach who was more last than the QB’s that he rotated.
It will be interesting to see if John Beck finds a suitor. Very few teams have a need for a 3rd string QB. Let alone one with little experience. Still Beck has started in the NFL and he is now officially a product of Bill Parcells if by no other reason than he got schooled by a BP QB…Pennington. So where might he go? The Dallas Cowboys would likely have been a landing spot but they signed a veteran free agent so they no longer have interest. It seems a 7th round pick these days isn’t worth a QB who started a few games in the face of stupidity. The list is not long by any means. In fact only one team seems to be a potential landing spot and that may simply be for no other reason than name alone. Baltimore? Perhaps.