Beck gets chance for Dolphins
No wonder Donovan McNabb was so shocked after the Eagles made University of Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb their first pick in the April draft.
Not only did head coach Andy Reid select a quarterback at No. 36, but the big guy liked Kolb so much he passed on fellow Mormon and Brigham Young University alumnus John Beck to get him.
Beck, 26, was older after having served a three-year mission in Portugal from 2000-2002 and arguably more polished for the pro game than Kolb, although neither player was considered a first-rounder.
With a well-documented affinity for bringing in fellow Mormon players, most figured Reid would turn to Beck, not Kolb, if the Eagles decided to draft McNabb's heir apparent.
Instead, Kolb became the Eagles' quarterback of the future, while Beck slipped to No. 40 and will become the quarterback of present for the winless Miami Dolphins (0-9) Sunday against the Eagles (4-5) at Lincoln Financial Field.
"I think he's a very good football player," Reid said of Beck. "I know him personally because he went to BYU, but you put that aside. The people you talk to will tell you he's a heck of a player and has an opportunity to be really special at that position."
Ironically, Beck is getting his first start during Week 10 -- the same amount of time Reid waited to install his prized rookie McNabb in 1999.
"Obviously, I am excited and I want to make the most of it," Beck said. "We want to win football games, and it came to the point where coach (Cam Cameron) is giving me this opportunity to go out there and try to help the team win. I just want to be smart with everything I do. The first game, you don't want to try to do too much, but also you can't hold back. I'm going to try to find that balance."
The entire dialogue of Kolb over Beck would be moot had the Dolphins chosen Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn with the ninth pick of the first round instead of Ohio State wide receiver/punt returner Ted Ginn Jr.
And if Miami safety Brandon Meriweather still had been available to the Eagles at their original draft slot (No. 26), McNabb probably would not have to worry about 2007 possibly being his final season in Philadelphia.
Beck will become the second of the 11 quarterbacks drafted to start a game this season. Trent Edwards of the Buffalo Bills is the other.
Kolb mopped up the 56-21 rout of the Detroit Lions Sept. 23, but he did not attempt a pass.
Yet, of the top five quarterbacks taken in April -- JaMarcus Russell/Raiders, Quinn/Browns, Beck/Dolphins and Drew Stanton/Lions, Kolb is the only one to take a regular-season snap.
Now, Beck gets his turn against a battered Eagles secondary that slipped to 23rd in the NFL against the pass following Sunday's poor performance in the 33-25 victory over the Redskins.
"I just think the timing is right," Cameron said. "Obviously, when we haven't won a football game you make a change. John gives us a chance to win. I believe that. This is about this year. I think he's earned the right to play. I think you know how I believe that. It's not about next year."
The NFL reinstated running back Ricky Williams yesterday after he had been suspended for more than 18 months following a fourth violation of the league's drug policy.
However, the 30-year-old Williams has yet to officially rejoin the Dolphins and will not be eligible to play against the Eagles Sunday.
Williams will meet with Cameron today.
"He and I had a phone conversation of probably five or six minutes, and he'll be here (today)," Cameron said. "I think it's important you sit down with a guy one-on-one and look each other in the eye. I think phone conversations can be very misleading and why go down that road when you don't need to?"
The player many Eagles' fans begged the front office to draft instead of McNabb in 1999 has played in only 12 games since the 2004 season. He applied for reinstatement Oct. 1 after one year in the Canadian Football League.
The league said Williams, who also has been treated for social anxiety disorder, can attend team meetings and begin practicing immediately if Cameron gives the go-ahead, but the earliest he can be activated to play will be Nov. 26 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
The Dolphins will be granted a two-week roster exemption once Williams starts practicing.
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