LIONS: BACKUP BECK HANDED THE BALL
At 34, he might not be a long-term option, big arm or not
When it comes to developing great quarterbacks, GM Wally Buono has had success with players who didn’t come from rich and famous programs — Jeff Garcia from San Jose State, Montana’s Dave Dickenson, Buck Pierce from New Mexico State and Montana State’s Travis Lulay.
Jon Jennings from Saginaw Valley State and Howard’s Greg McGhee could be two more. But, for now, they’ll have to wait and watch.
John Beck, who never dreamed of playing in Canada when he was a star quarterback at BYU and played on big-stage games before being drafted by the Miami Dolphins, becomes the B.C. Lions’ most important player for the next three to six weeks.
While his longer-term future is up in the air — at 34, Beck is long past being a developmental quarterback — how well he controls the air traffic over the next few weeks could determine if the Lions land in the playoffs. With starter Travis Lulay out (knee), Beck gets the opportunity to start his first game since the 2011 season, when the former BYU Cougar was with the Washington Redskins.
“He’s got a big arm that can put the ball anywhere on the field,” head coach Jeff Tedford said. “I don’t think it’s a secret that he’s got a bigger arm than Travis, especially since Travis has come off his injury (Lulay’s latest shoulder problem). Absolutely, John has a strong, accurate arm.”
So throwing is not going to be Beck’s issue. Escaping the pressure, prolonging plays, lugging the football himself — all strengths in which Lulay trumps his replacement — will be wait-and-see developments.
“John’s an athlete. He’s pretty fast. He’s pretty mobile,” said receiver Austin Collie, another NFL veteran, recruited by Beck for B.C. “But he’s never really had to run. In the NFL, that’s not really what you want to do. When I was at BYU in my first year (2004), he was running the option a little bit. So, we’ll see.”
Added Tedford: “He’s definitely no stiff by any means. He can extend plays with his legs.”
In a CFL season continually marked by injuries to veteran starting quarterbacks, teams such as the Toronto Argonauts (Trevor Harris), Saskatchewan Roughriders (Brett Smith), Montreal Alouettes (Rakeem Cato) and Edmonton Eskimos (James Franklin) have been forced to dip deep into their reserves to see what they’ve got for a succession plan.
The Lions, who for years always had another star quarterback in the making, have more questions than answers these days. Do Lulay and Beck have a future beyond this season? Can Jennings and McGhee play? Are the Lions pursuing other quarterbacks who’ve been cut from the NFL?
The answer to that last question? Yes.
“We’re always on the lookout for players who can help us today, and for the future,” said Neil McEvoy, the Lions’ director of player personnel. “But we would have been looking at these guys anyway, regardless of Travis’s current situation.”
For now, their best possibility is the pure passer from BYU who gets a chance to become a big problem for the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday.
“I can’t fool myself,” Beck said. “I’m an older player. Sometimes older players don’t always get to stay on. The fact they’ve kept me meant a lot (to) me. I didn’t anticipate this happening. Trav is one of my best friends on the team. That last thing I wanted to see is him injured. But here I am.”
Out of shadows, with a chance to shine.
END ZONE: The Lions have deleted Keola Antolin and added former Central Missouri Mule running back LaVance Taylor to their practice roster.