As soon as coach Mike Shanahan sat him down last week, and said he’d be dividing the reps at quarterback, John Beck braced himself for the next step. He got it Saturday when he learned Rex Grossman would start.
And his three-game stint as the starter was over. There was a belief by some around the league that Beck would get the rest of the season, just to see if he could develop as a starter. Shanahan saw enough after three games to re-insert Grossman.
Was it enough time?
“That’s a tricky one to answer,” said Beck, making his first public comments since his benching. “Sometimes you only get one game. So I was able to get a couple games. I tried to prepare the best I could and play the best I could. We had times where things clicked and times where things didn’t.”
Any bitterness or disappointment by now has subsided. Beck spoke matter-of-factly about the change, though he initially didn’t want to discuss the situation. In his mind, the story is a week old. He’s moved on to his new role; or, rather, returned to his old one.
Beck was benched after three games in which the offense scored a combined 31 points. It wasn’t all on him; but whether it was his inexperience or just his talent in general, he was unable to help his teammates.
“This isn’t the first rodeo of going through adversity,” Beck said, “or being in a situation for where for whatever reason things aren’t working. We’re putting our foot down. You continue to grind. I truly do believe in the phrase that tough times don’t last, tough people do. That’s something coach preaches to us and that’s all you can do, keep working, keep believing. So my belief stays the same as it was before.”
Beck said he saw progress in his game. He also said they’d enter a week knowing he – and the passing game – had improved in one area only to need better play in another.
And when he watched film, he saw good and bad.
“That’s where I’m at in this system,” he said, “where I’m at in my role and that’s tough where we’re at right now because we’re in a position where we need things to be happening. It’s a tough spot, when you know you’re in a spot where you still need to learn. But, hey, the time’s now.”
