You know how I've been saying for quite some time now that I think this new regime does indeed like John Beck? And remember how many people (especially the national media) believed that the selection of Chad Henne meant this new staff doesn't really like Beck? And remember how I disagreed, saying that passing on Henne at #32 was more of a signal that this regime liked Beck rather than the selection of Henne at #57 signaling they disliked him?
Alright. I don't want to get ahead of myself. After all, it's still early. However, the Miami Herald's Greg Cote throws out this little nugget which may be overlooked by some because it's in a blog post about Jason Taylor:
For what it's worth, someone I know very well knows someone who recently played golf with Bill Parcells. The subject of Beck came up. Tuna said he likes what he sees of Beck in terms of skills but needed to find out, "Does he have balls?" (Tuna's words). That means the Dolphins need to be convinced Beck is tough enough for the job and will be a leader.
That's classic Parcells, isn't it? He isn't wondering if Beck is tough enough to play the position. No, he wants to know if John has the balls to play it. Great stuff.
And to answer the question, yes. Beck is tough enough for the job. He's played through many injuries in college, including play a game on 2 severely sprained ankles that had to be taped up. Oh, by the way, he played great that day.
Can he be a leader? Without a doubt, he can be. He was in college and he's already showing that he can be at this level, as exemplified by an excerpt from miamidolphins.com:
Second-year quarterback John Beck acted the role of veteran during his first on-field workout with rookie Chad Henne and seventh-year free agent Josh McCown, pointing out certain things to the other two and helping them line up properly. Beck, a second-round pick with the 40th overall pick in 2007, seems intent on doing what it takes to earn the starting job, but he's also energized by the competition.
Yup, he's pointing things out to a 6 year veteran. Not bad.
Only time will tell if I'm right about John. But right now, I haven't seen anything to make me waver from my original thoughts on him when he was drafted. And those thoughts included the idea that Beck will be this team's franchise quarterback.