Beck goes back to bench for winless Dolphins

By | Posted - Dec. 12, 2007 at 4:13 p.m.

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

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By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- With the Miami Dolphins down to three chances for a win, Cleo Lemon will get another chance at quarterback.

Lemon, 0-4 as a starter this season before losing his job to rookie John Beck, will be back in the lineup Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

"It gives us the best chance to win this game," coach Cam Cameron said Wednesday.

The Dolphins are 0-13 and trying to avoid becoming the first team to go 0-16.

Miami lost its past four games with Beck starting. He's the highest-drafted quarterback by the Dolphins since Dan Marino, but he failed to lead the offense to a touchdown.

"John knows his job is to get us in the end zone," Cameron said. "We had struggled in that area."

Beck, who played college ball at Brigham Young, was benched after eight snaps in Sunday's 38-17 loss at Buffalo. He was sacked three times, tripped and fell for a 4-yard loss on another play, and lost a fumble the Bills returned for a score and a 21-0 lead.

Lemon's first play was a 54-yard completion to set up Miami's first offensive touchdown since Nov. 11. But he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, and he has a career record of 0-5 as a starter.

The latest change in starting quarterbacks is Miami's third this season. Trent Green started the first five games, but went on injured reserve Oct. 20 following his second severe concussion in 13 months.

When Beck was promoted to the No. 1 job, the plan was to start him in the final seven games. But he did nothing to show he's Miami's quarterback of the future, as the Dolphins hoped when they drafted him in the second round in April.

He has averaged only 4.9 yards per attempt, and his long completion in 86 passes was 22 yards. Cameron declined to predict how the rookie quarterback's struggles might affect his confidence.

"Every guy is different," Cameron said. "I've seen guys who can't let it go. I've seen other guys where it builds a resolve in them to get better. He experienced a lot of things he hadn't experienced before."