Keeping tabs on the Beck-Quinn saga

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, May 31, 2007  |  Comments( 46 )

Miami Dolphins
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It's obviously far too early to start comparing the Miami Dolphins' newly anointed quarterback of the future, second-rounder John Beck, with his perceived nemesis, Cleveland's Brady Quinn, a first-round pick. After all, it's not even June yet, and neither player is even close to seeing any real game action.

Let's do it anyway, though, just for kicks.

Quinn, a former Notre Dame standout, has endured some rough early outings during the Browns' OTAs. Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel has publicly stated that he is not concerned with Quinn's lack of accuracy, but throwing three interceptions on the first day isn't a good sign. To his credit, Quinn was quick to point out that his first day of practice with the Fighting Irish was similarly rough and that he expects to settle in nicely once he gets a better feel for the offensive system and his new receivers. Quinn also intimated that he is not yet used to the speed of the NFL game.

As for Beck, there's really very little news coming out of Dolphins camp, which is likely a good thing; it means that the ex-BYU star hasn't done anything yet to make anyone doubt his ability. Beck was a bit shaky during his very first practice, allowing the 25-second clock to expire twice, but did not have the type of ongoing accuracy issues that often plague young quarterbacks during their first pro workouts.

Beck has to get a slight advantage up to this point, or, better yet, give Quinn the slight disadvantage. How so, you ask? Because Quinn has already begun to exhibit the accuracy issues that were the main catalyst in his draft freefall. Beck, on the other hand, has shown the accuracy and consistency that were his calling cards at BYU.

Quinn must clean up his accuracy issues immediately -- after all, he is currently the Browns' second-string quarterback behind incumbent Charlie Frye. That means he's one hit away from entering the fray this upcoming season. And if Frye struggles early, don't be surprised if Crennel makes a move to start Quinn, regardless of Frye's health status.

Beck, meanwhile, seems to have all the time in the world. Firmly entrenched behind Daunte Culpepper (or Trent Green, if he's signed by the Dolphins) and backup Cleo Lemon, Beck should have an opportunity to slowly be groomed for Miami's starting role. In fact, barring catastrophic injuries at the position, it is unlikely that Beck will start a single game as a rookie.

Once again, the advantage tends to go to Beck for the simple fact that he is not facing the prospect of being thrown to the proverbial lions in his rookie campaign.

At the same time, however, it is only May 31, and both Quinn and Beck have plenty of time to prove that they were worthy of their respective selections in the draft. In fact, the comparisons will likely be drawn for years to come.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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