Beck struggles on Day 2 of camp

[DolFan619]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2008/07/27/0727fins.html

Beck struggles on Day 2 of camp

By EDGAR THOMPSON
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Sunday, July 27, 2008

DAVIE — Dolphins quarterback John Beck already was having a bad day.

As Sunday's practice neared a close, he'd clearly taken a step back in the team's heated quarterback competition.

Then Beck made things worse, tossing back-to-back interceptions, and nearly a third one, during his final series of snaps.

"It wasn't the best practice," Beck said after he came off the field, following a 15-minute autograph session with fans at the team's practice facility. "Now it's time to go back on film and learn from it."

Beck won't like what he sees.

But no one who watched Sunday's practice had reason to feel optimistic about Beck's chances to put last year's miserable rookie season behind him.

He threw three interceptions in the two-hour session, including a long pass that slipped out of his hand and fluttered down into the hands of safety Jason Allen. Beck also overthrew some open receivers down field.

Beck rarely threw spirals and seemed confident firing the ball only on a check-down routes in the middle of the field to running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

"The ball didn't look smooth through the entire practice," said former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Theismann, who attended Sunday's session. "It had what I call 'wings' on it."

Beck saved his worst throws for last.

On his first interception, Beck threw several yards outside his intended receiver and right into the hands of cornerback Nathan Jones.

On the next play, Beck tried to force a pass that cornerback Will Allen picked off.

Cornerback Will Billingsley jumped an out pattern on Beck's next thrown and nearly came away with the ball.

Beck said some of the mistakes came from practicing in 98-degree heat with so many different receivers in so many different formations.

"Some of it as the day wears on guys get a little bit worn, so you have to go through your progressions just a hair slower," he said. "But that's just part of training camp."

Another key element of training camp is for a player to put a bad practice behind him.

Beck, the No. 40 pick in the 2007 draft, will have to do it with all eyes on every snap he takes.

Fellow quarterbacks Josh McCown and Chad Henne also are gunning for the same spot under center when the team opens the season on Sept. 7 at home against the New York Jets.

"It can't carry over," Beck said of the bad day. "The same way I approach practice after a good practice is the same way I approach practice after a bad practice. Same way, same person, same everything.

"That's the way it's got to be."

Today, Beck will have the chance to show himself, teammates and coaches whether he can put Sunday behind him.

It isn't easy, but it's essential, McCown said.

The sixth-year pro, is familiar with the psychology underlying a quarterback competition, having been in them at three previous stops - Arizona, Detroit and Oakland.

"You just have to move on. It's hard because we're competitors and perfectionists," McCown said. "The natural reaction is to go out and press.

"You start aiming or holding the ball to make sure guys get open, but that's only going to make it worse.

"The best thing is go out and practice as hard as you can and overcome it."

The Dolphins have two practices scheduled today.

Beck will be asked to make plenty of throws during at least one of those sessions. In the team's three-man quarterback rotation, coaches designate two players to handle snaps in team drills.

Beck was paired with Henne on Sunday.

Henne, a second-round pick in April who signed with the team Saturday afternoon, was nothing special and tossed a bad interception of his own. He forced a pass into quadruple coverage that ended up in the hands of safety Renaldo Hill.

But Theismann, who led the Redskins to a win over the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, said he likes the way Henne throws the ball. He couldn't say the same for Beck.

With training camp entering Day 3, there's still time for Beck to change people's minds.

"You're going to make mistakes in this business," Theismann said. "It's what you do with the mistakes. Do you get better from the mistakes? Can you evaluate the mistakes?

"The most important practice for John Beck is tomorrow."

[DolFan619]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_seasonticket/2008/07/fins-becks-day.html

Fins: Beck's day

John Beck had a rough one today.

He looked flustered, his passes fluttered and defensive backs kept jumping routes.

It's just one practice, and it's silly to overreact.

Still, I have ongoing concerns about Beck, mostly related to his size. He's intelligent and hard-working, but I am still not convinced that he is a first-stringer in this league.

Some small quarterbacks have excelled in the NFL, most recently Drew Brees.

What, in your view, is Beck's upside?

> Posted by Ethan J. Skolnick at 8:52:39 PM

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/miami-dolphins/story/620014.html

A throwaway practice for Dolphins' Beck

By JEFF DARLINGTON
Miami Herald

This, of course, wasn't the way Dolphins quarterback John Beck had hoped his bid for the starting job would unfold on just the second day of training camp.

After a solid offseason, Beck never anticipated throwing that first interception Sunday, the one that slipped from his hand and fluttered toward safety Jason Allen more like a punt than a pass.

He certainly didn't imagine throwing a second interception, either. Or a third.

''During all of the offseason minicamps and [organized team activities], I think I had only one pick in over 200 throws,'' Beck said. ``Yet [Sunday], I had 10 throws and three of them got picked.''

Can somebody please reach for the reset button? It's safe to say Beck wouldn't mind getting a new beginning to this new beginning.

Naturally, the team's second-year quarterback will have plenty of time to prove Sunday's struggles were an aberration from his actual ability. Still, since Beck's best asset should be his accuracy, he can't afford many more days like this one.

''One of them, I didn't even see the guy,'' Beck said. ``The other one, it slipped out of my hand. And the third one, I thought the receiver was going to do something else. There's always a reason. You find the reason and you fix it.''

For Beck, his second day running with the first-team offense is likely most disappointing because his improvement up until this particular practice had been steady.

Even Saturday, although not overly stellar, Beck appeared comfortable during team drills, a result of a vigorous offseason that improved his confidence.

PICKS A TEAM EFFORT

A day later, the quarterback never seemed comfortable, as a few other throws sailed long over the heads of his receivers. Poor timing like that, however, might not only be the fault of the quarterback.

''When you watch, you might think it's either the receiver not running the right route or the quarterback making a bad throw,'' wide receiver David Kircus said. ``But in reality, it's more likely a combination of things. Everyone just needs to get on the same page.''

More often than not, it seemed pretty clear that Beck's misfires were his own doing. There were still other times when it was also potentially the fault of an inexperienced receiving corps.

Beck, although generally faulting himself, did note at least one bad route might have contributed to an interception.

''On one of them, when the receiver is supposed to go outside and he goes inside, there's nothing I can do about that,'' Beck said.

Some of the issues plaguing Beck on Sunday will likely be simple to iron out. For instance, as wide receivers become more accustomed to the South Florida humidity, they likely won't tire as much toward the end of practice, which will contribute to more consistent timing between them and the quarterback.

UNDER SCRUTINY

Still, it will be interesting to see how Sunday's practice will sit in the minds of the team's decision-makers, like coach Tony Sparano. Don't expect Sparano to overreact as a result of one bad day, but the candid coach also isn't likely to discount it, either.

Sparano, who addressed reporters Sunday morning, was not available for comment after practice.

Beck likely will need to wait until Tuesday to prove the latest practice was a case of early-camp rust, since the practice rotation should have Josh McCown and rookie Chad Henne sharing most of the repetitions Monday.

As part of a rotation that distributes reps almost evenly among the three quarterbacks, Henne also practiced a considerable amount Sunday. He wasn't necessarily impressive either, as he threw an interception into heavy traffic that was caught by safety Renaldo Hill.

No doubt, the weekend's start to the quarterback competition wasn't as productive as anyone hoped. But seeing how Beck responds to one tough practice might be more indicative of his ability than the actual practice itself.

Beck seemed calm and patient after Sunday's three-interception practice. He noted that he would review the plays he messed up and make the appropriate adjustments.

''I mean, it's only the second day of training camp,'' Beck said. ``So I just can't let it carry over. . . . The same way I approach a good practice is the way I approach a bad practice. Same way. Same person. Same everything.

``That's the way it has to be.''

[Brian Fein]

Poor John Beck's head is on the chopping block.  these reporters can't WAIT for him to screw up.

its the 2nd day of camp people - who did everything perfect on their second day of work?

[DolFan619]

Poor John Beck's head is on the chopping block.  these reporters can't WAIT for him to screw up.

its the 2nd day of camp people - who did everything perfect on their second day of work?

  If anything, the good news for Beck is that neither Henne nor McClown has stood out all that well either.  So, Beck does have some time to redeem himself.  Regardless, he can't have too many more days like this, or else his starting days are pretty much over.

[Jim Gray]

Poor John Beck's head is on the chopping block.  these reporters can't WAIT for him to screw up.

its the 2nd day of camp people - who did everything perfect on their second day of work?

I don't think his head is on the chopping block.  This team should have 3 QBs and I expect Beck will be one of them.   To be fair, Beck's problem isn't just today's camp.  It goes back to the 5 games he started last year.  He was terrible, scoring 1 TD while turning the ball over 8 times.   Rookie or not, you have to do better than that.

All that aside, I agree with you - it's only the 2nd day of camp.

[fyo]

Judging from camp reports thus far, it seems that Beck is the best quarterback... unless he faces pressure and then he turns into Kurt Kittner. He has just about 1 month to get over it, then it's pretty much bye-bye. Henne is displaying some of the same problems, getting happy feet when pressured, but then he's a true rookie and (probably, hopefully) won't be expected to start this year, so he gets some more slack.

Beck needs to step up NOW. It's great that he can throw the perfect pass, but if he can't do it with a pass rush in his face, then it's worthless.

[Brian Fein]

my point is that none of the QB's had spectacular camp but the reporters all write articles about how terrible Beck is.

Everyone else gets the "2nd day" free pass, but Beck is expected to be a superstar on day 2?

[fyo]

Beck did throw 3 interceptions. That's an easy stat to grab hold of.

Plus, I really do think Beck is the one with the greatest amount of pressure on him. McCown is the veteran journeyman. He is pretty much a known quantity and no one expects great things of him. Chad Henne is the promising young rookie. Great things may be expected from him, but not this year. He gets, and should get, a free pass (just like Beck should have last year).

For Beck, however, now is the time. He's no longer a rookie and if he is ever going to become a starting quarterback in the NFL, he simply has to step up.

All in all, I think it's fair to be a bit tougher on Beck than Henne or McCown.

[Brian Fein]

I agree that this should be his job to lose.  I agree that he needs to step up.  But, like you said, Beck should have got a free pass last year and he didn't.  There's a journalistic bias against him (from what I read) based on last year's pathetic performance.

Free pass, you say?

[Sunstroke]

my point is that none of the QB's had spectacular camp but the reporters all write articles about how terrible Beck is.

If Henne goes out there and does terrible, expect the reporters to say he was terrible... Beck was terrible yesterday, and the talking heads called it like they saw it. If Beck launches a 15 yard wobbler to a receiver that's 25 yards downfield, what should the reporters call it... "innovative?"

There's a journalistic bias against him (from what I read) based on last year's pathetic performance.

Good to see you putting in the effort to balance that bias out...

[dolfan13]

new system, new terminology, new players, new coaches, etc... its going to take some time for the offense to come together. obviously the qb position is going to be under a microscope, but this offense as a whole has to start to gel first and foremost.

[Brian Fein]

Good to see you putting in the effort to balance that bias out...

If I were writing blogs and columns for the newspaper for all to read, you might have a point.  I'm posting on a message board, not quite the same.

[Sunstroke]

If I were writing blogs and columns for the newspaper for all to read, you might have a point.  I'm posting on a message board, not quite the same.

Bias only exists in blogs by major publications? Damn...what was I thinking?

[dolfan13]

armando salguero was just talking about beck on 790... says whispers going around saying that things seem "bigger" than him (whatever that means), and not just from a physical aspect. i guess he means with respect to the huddle, general presence, leadership, etc...

also said he went into excuse mode after yesterday's terrible performance, and that was what bothered salguero the most. basically threw everyone under the bus, and came off as very immature for what the qb position calls for from a leadership perspective.

all in all it was just day 2 of practice, but man it didn't sound too good.