Gym Rat on Steroids

I'd seen a couple of references around the web to this Deseret News article by Dick Harmon about new Dolphins rookie QB John Beck. Supposedly Beck was having trouble learning the Cam Cameron system as he was used to some simplified color-coded nonsense at BYU. Great, another dumb QB on the roster.

Uh, no he's not. Next time, I'll just read the article first. Now that I have, I'm not worried about him at all. Yeah, it's taking him time to grasp Cameron's super-complex system but who wouldn't that be true for? Check this out:

[A]t BYU, his huddle call for a basic pass play would involve two words, usually a color and a two-digit number. With the Dolphins, who use a lot of shifts and motion, the call could involve eight to 10 words or phrases, each signaling a specific aspect of the play. For example, a Dolphin play call might require the following wordplay:

      1. A phrase identifying the initial shift
      2. The name of the formation
      3. A tag word identifying what motion leads to the formation
      4. A protection scheme
      5. Receiver pass routes, a three-digit number
      6. A tag word identifying adjustments
      7. A call identifying what a back is to do

A Dolphin pass play might sound like this: "Scatter-Two Bunch Right-Zip-Fire Right-273-Pivot-F Flat."

Got all that? Beck hasn't. Yet. But it sure sounds like he's busting his hump trying to master it all as soon as possible. (And he's not even signed yet). The guy's actually got his wife holding play sheets in the supermarket to quiz him. I like this: "Beck has put Dolphin plays on a white board, created note cards and Doman-like play sheets. He studies them like a pyramid-scheme builder with a tax form." You know Brady Quinn's not doing that!!! Maybe Miami still has a shot at a quality QB starting for them in this decade.