John Beck on deck
There are fewer teams in the NFL with a more uncertain future than the Miami Dolphins. Miami, a team that has been neither horrible nor wonderful in recent seasons, has struggled at quarterback. After trading for Dante Culpepper, a former Minnesota Vikings star, the Dolphins seemed to have found the answer. Until, yes, this answer became a question again when the season began. Culpepper not only started off with a lackluster performance, he ended up on the injured reserve list.
The events of last season left the Dolphins without a quarterback of the future, forcing them to recruit someone to fill the job. After receiving criticism for passing on Brady Quinn, the Dolphins took John Beck. Beck, the former Brigham Young quarterback, was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 2007 draft. Taken with his second pick, Beck was ranked 40th overall.
Born in Hayward, California, Beck attended high school in Mesa Arizona, where he was a football star. During his junior and senior years, he led his team to a 25-2 record, including a state championship. This led to a host of honors, including All-State First Team, USA Today All American Honorable Mention, Offensive Player of the Year, Outstanding Male Scholar Athlete honors, and All-School Football Player. Arizona High School of the Year.
Beck was recruited by BYU and began his career as a true freshman. During his sophomore year, he earned All-Mountain West second-team honors and broke BYU’s single-game sophomore record and the Mountain West Conference record with 67 pass attempts against UNLV. This season he also averaged 233 yards per game, topping 3,000 yards. In the game against San Diego, Beck received a quarterback rating of 204.8.
During his junior year, Beck saw his stock take off when he received All-Mountain West Conference first-team honors and the team’s Most Valuable Player award. Ranked fifth nationally, Beck averaged 309 yards per game. He was ranked as one of the top 30 players in the Mountain West Conference by college football news and ranked in the top 40 quarterbacks in the US by College Football Preview.
In Beck’s senior year, ESPN ranked him the second best quarterback in the country in efficiency. After leading BYU to a 10-2 record, Beck was a finalist for the Unitas Golden Arm Award and was even mentioned in some Heisman talks. Beck’s senior year and his college career ended when BYU beat Oregon 38-8 in the Las Vegas Bowl. During this game, Beck threw for 375 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 26 yards and a touchdown.
As for this season, Beck will likely see little, if any, playing time. Once his rookie season is under his belt, he might surprise some people, leaving Dolphins fans asking “Brady who?”