Is it time for Beck in Miami?

After an 0-8 start, the hot topic for Dolphins fans this week is whether or not it is time to give rookie QB John Beck a chance to show what he can do. Well, that and wondering if the Patriots will match the 1972 Dolphins’ perfect season, but there is a lot of time to talk about that one.

The quarterback argument can be broken down fairly simply. If you think the season is a lost cause, Cleo Lemon has done nothing to show that he is a viable option for your “quarterback of the future”, and you want to see if the building blocks for the next several seasons can handle the NFL game, then you are in the Beck camp. If you think going to the rookie QB now is waving the white flag and accepting that an 0-16 season is a real possibility, while the veteran Lemon at least gives Miami a shot at winning a game or two and Beck has no shot at leading the team to a win, then you are pro-Lemon. Each side of the argument has a good case.

Miami spent a second-round draft pick on Beck, the highest the team has selected a QB since taking Dan Marino in the first round of the 1983 draft. One would think that a player selected that high should be considered your future franchise quarterback, and you need to know sooner rather than later whether or not he can handle those expectations. Given that Miami is looking at a probable top-5 selection in next April’s draft, it makes sense to think that the Dolphins’ front office should find out now if they need to use that pick on a better option for future quarterback or if they can go ahead and use that pick to fix one of the countless holes the team has. The upside is that Beck could show he is better suited to running Cam Cameron’s offense than Lemon, and that Beck and first-round pick Tedd Ginn, Jr. could start to develop timing and chemistry that could pay dividends as soon as the 2008 season. The downside, of course, is that Beck could play, well, like a rookie, and turn what is already a weak Dolphins offense into an offense that puts up stats that haven’t been seen since the Providence Steamrollers were playing.

On the other hand, one could argue that sticking with Lemon makes more sense right now. Lemon has shown at times that he has a decent grasp on Cameron’s offense, and one could make the argument that the more he plays, the better he will be. Also, Miami has a couple of “winnable” games over the next few weeks with matchups against the Eagles and Jets over the next month. A win or two in those games could give Lemon confidence that helps him blossom in the Miami offense and give the team hope that he could be a potential long-term answer at quarterback. Another thing to consider is whether or not Beck is completely learned in Cameron’s offense. If he only knows, say, 75% of the playbook, does it make sense to play him now, or should the team give him more time to get the offense down pat? Then there is the team morale issue. Going to the rookie at quarterback could show the locker room that the team has officially given up on the season, and that could lead to dissention in the ranks, especially among the older players. Would the Dolphins front office risk losing the veteran players, especially in the first year of the head coach’s tenure? It would certainly be a risky proposition for the team.

All things being equal, I think at this point in time it makes sense for Miami to stay with Lemon, at least going into the game this Sunday against Buffalo. Division games are never easy to forecast, and it is entirely possible that Miami could catch Buffalo off-guard and spring the upset. I think it is more likely that would happen with a more familiar face at quarterback, although I would expect the coaches to have a very, very short leash on Lemon. If he falters through the first quarter or half, do not be surprised to see the potential future of Miami’s offense on the field this Sunday.