It's time to continue on with our "burning questions" training camp primer. If you missed "burning question #1," then just click here.
And while the Jason Taylor saga was listed by me as the first burning question, this next issue is undoubtedly the biggest on-field question that needs to be answered in training camp.
Who will be the team's starting quarterback against the Jets in week one?
This is a question that likely will not be answered until mid to late August. In fact, John Beck even confirmed that he's heard talk that the timetable for a decision to be made is the 3rd preseason game. Beck also said that he doesn't feel any of the 3 QBs have a leg up at this point.
For obvious reasons, this will be the most closely watched and most widely scrutinized position battle of them all down in Davie. But the funny thing is that the outcome of this competition could very well be the key to the Dolphins' future...or it could mean absolutely nothing at all. It's an odd situation, really.
For example, if John Beck wins the starting job and then plays very well in the regular season, this could mean that we've found our QB of the future. On the other hand, Beck could win the job, struggle mightily, and be replaced by Josh McCown at some point - only to act as a placeholder until the coaching staff feels Chad Henne is ready.
Another example. Josh McCown could win the starting job. But does anyone really think he's our long-term solution at QB? I didn't think so. So if McCown was to win the starting job, then that would probably signify that Beck isn't the player I thought he was. But it will mean nothing at all in terms of helping find a long-term solution at QB. We'd then have to wait until the staff decides to let Henne get in the game before even coming close towards answering out long-term question.
And this is why I say that this training camp battle could be the most important in franchise history - at least in recent memory - or it could mean very little in the grand scheme of things. Odd, right?
One other thing to consider here as we gear up to monitor this QB battle all training camp long is how the winner of the competition actually wins the starting job. Does he simply blow the other two out of the water? Does he look so sharp that there's no question as to who the starter is? Or does he win the starting job by default because the other 2 look simply terrible?
What I'm hoping for is not just a clear-cut starter. What I'm hoping for is for one quarterback to win the starting job because of his own effectiveness - not because of the other two quarterbacks' ineffectiveness.
Thoughts on this?