DAVIE, Fla. -- The winless Miami Dolphins have decided to find out whether rookie John Beck is their quarterback of the future.
More than a few teams this year are making average defenses look like the 1985 Bears. Which leads Cris Collinsworth to believe that the biggest problem in the NFL today is a lack of quality quarterbacks. **Full story ...**
Beck will make his NFL debut when he starts Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, replacing Cleo Lemon. Coach Cam Cameron told the quarterbacks of the change Wednesday, a person familiar with the conversation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Cameron planned to wait until after practice to announce his decision.
Beck, a second-round draft pick from BYU, will become the 12th quarterback to start for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired following the 1999 season. He'll be the third starter at quarterback this season for winless Miami, following Trent Green and Lemon.
Green started the first five games but went on injured reserve Oct. 20 following his second severe concussion in 13 months. Cameron decided to promote Beck after the Dolphins lost the past five games with Lemon as the quarterback. As a starter this season, Lemon is 81-of-139 for 772 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Dolphins are only the seventh team to start 0-9 since 1990.
Beck was the first quarterback drafted in the first or second round by the Dolphins since Marino. He was the fourth quarterback drafted in 2007, selected in the second round with the 40th overall pick behind JaMarcus Russell (Oakland, 1), Brady Quinn (Cleveland, 22) and Kevin Kolb (Philadelphia, 36). Giving Beck a tryout now will help them decide whether they need to acquire a quarterback in 2008.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
