E-mail from reader regarding John Beck

I read your recent blog entry and wanted to make a few comments.  First, in evaluating if and when to play John Beck, one important consideration is whether Beck can handle it.  What I mean by this is Beck mentally strong enough to handle being thrown to the wolves and likely performing at a sub-par level for an initial period of time.  A few insights regarding Beck may be helpful in this regard.

First, I've followed BYU football very  closely for 15+ years.  I personally watched every football game Beck played in at BYU.  I also have contact with various players at BYU and their families.  I've seen Beck in just about every football situation imaginable, from his freshman year with no experience to personally watching his last second touchdown against Utah his senior year.

There is one thing I can tell you about Beck in watching every one of his games:  he is the most mentally tough quarterback I've ever seen and every player who has ever played with him will tell you the same thing.  No matter what happens on the field, it won't affect Beck mentally.  If he throws an int., it won't phase him whatsoever.  He'll go in the next series and bounce right back.  Beck will not beat himself up after a mistake and will never get down on himself.  He will also never lose confidence in himself.

Thus, the point I'm trying to make is that if Beck is put in this year, I guarantee that it won't turn him into a Tim Couch or David Carr, even if he gets sacked 10 times a game.  One of the things Cameron mentioned after he drafted Beck was that he was able to make the tough plays even in the toughest pressure situations; and Cameron is absolutely right about this because he watched all of the same games I did from BYU.  Beck knows how to handle the pressure, regardless of the situation.

Keep this in mind when writing about when Beck should play.  The longer Trent Green plays poorly, the longer Cameron is wasting Beck.  Just my thoughts.