Dolphins bench Beck, add twist of Lemon

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, December 13, 2007  |  Comments( 7 )

Miami Dolphins
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The John Beck experiment has turned into a worst-case scenario for the Miami Dolphins.

For whatever reason, the rookie quarterback out of Brigham Young wasn't ready when he was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Cleo Lemon three games ago. He lost fumbles, he threw interceptions and, worst of all, he failed to get the Dolphins into the end zone for 13 consecutive quarters.

Dan Marino's debut, it wasn't.

Finally, after Beck struggled mightily against the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter of last week's 38-17 loss, Miami coach Cam Cameron had to respond with a twist of Lemon. The Dolphins still slid to 0-13 on the season.

The only silver lining to what is looming as a bad season for the ages is that the Dolphins are running away with the No. 1 draft spot.

But what do they do with it? In all fairness to Beck, he may just need a few more reps. On the other hand, he did nothing to anoint himself as the quarterback of the future. At this point, his numbers are 47 completions in 86 attempts for 424 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Miami could take a gamble on draft day that Beck is still a future winner and pick Darren McFadden of Arkansas, one of the top college backs in the past decade. But what about Ronnie Brown? For that matter, what about Ricky Williams?

If the consensus becomes that Beck is not ready to be a starter, Brian Brohm of Louisville, Matt Ryan of Boston College and Colt Brennan of Hawaii could be seriously considered.

The question Miami has to answer is: Why did Beck fail after he showed so much promise in college and the preseason? Was it lack of preparation, lack of talent or a lack of support?

At any rate, Cameron has reinserted Lemon into the starting lineup against Baltimore on Sunday, probably for two reasons. Being the first coach ever to preside over an 0-16 year is not healthy for his job security, for one thing. And if Beck's psyche has been cracked by his recent tribulations, the carnivorous Ravens defense might shatter it.

"Every guy is different," Cameron said. "I've seen guys who can't let it go. I've seen other guys where it builds a resolve in them to get better."
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