Quarterbacks struggle early for Dolphins

By Jeff Dickinson  |   Tuesday, July 29, 2008  |  Comments( 16 )

Miami Dolphins
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Because the players are simply settling in, there usually isn’t a lot of scrutiny paid to them when NFL training camps open.

That is, however, unless you are a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.

As camp broke for the Dolphins over the weekend, almost everyone – coaches and fans – seemed intently focused on the three-way quarterback battle. Head coach Tony Sparano announced that two of the three quarterbacks will alternate taking snaps with the first team each day, while the third signal-caller will wait until the next day.

On Sunday, John Beck and rookie Chad Henne got the action with the first team, while newcomer Josh McCown waited in the wings.

For McCown, it turns out that waiting might have been the best thing to enhance his chances of getting the starting job. While McCown waited to prove himself, Beck and Henne did everything they could to hurt their chances.

With Sparano and offensive coordinator Dan Henning watching their every throw, Beck and Henne struggled mightily in their time with the first-team offense. By the time Beck headed for the showers, he had thrown three interceptions and no touchdowns. While Henne’s stats weren’t quite as dismal as Beck’s, the rookie second-rounder from Michigan still tossed one interception and no scores, also missing badly on a number of throws.

All the while, McCown had to be smiling on the inside watching his competition struggle.

Starting quarterback assignments are obviously not won or lost after one camp practice, but it can’t give Sparano and Henning warm feelings knowing that two of their three QB options looked lost on the field.

Sparano told NFL.com that he would ideally like to have a starting quarterback in place by the second preseason game; however, he said that it doesn’t seem things will pan out that way for the Dolphins.

If the start of Dolphins training camp is any indicator of how the rest of it will go, there should be plenty of interesting news to report. And while there are obviously other position battles taking place, the quarterback race is at the forefront.

If Miami is going to improve on its 1-15 record from last season, one of the three passers is going to have to step up and win the derby, not have it handed to him by default.

Training Camp: An entirely new kind of fantasy game!
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About Jeff Dickinson

I have been writing and editing professionally for 18 years. I spent the first three years of my career as a sportswriter for a daily newspaper in Alabama and got to cover sports and get paid for it! It was great until I got married and then it wasn't too much fun being away from my wife every...
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