Carson Beck made his NFL debut Thursday night for the Arizona Cardinals in their first preseason game against the Panthers. Beck got the start and had a marvelous game that will make both Georgia and Miami fans wonder why he didn’t play that good for them in college.
Beck threw for 188 yards and one touchdown while completing 15 of 19 passes. Most notably he didn’t turn the ball over, and that was the biggest issue Georgia and Miami fans had with Beck throughout his last two years in college.
Georgia and Miami fans wish they had the Carson Beck that showed up in his NFL debut
Beck threw 12 interceptions during his final season with Georgia and in his one year with Miami. His accuracy was an issue at times with both teams, but he showed elite ball placement and strong decision making throughout his NFL debut with the Cardinals. Georgia and Miami fans who watched this game Thursday night likely were wondering why he didn’t do more of that in college.
Carson Beck to Jalen Brooks. WOW.@ProFootballHOF Game on NBC
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Instead Beck threw critical interceptions when the game was on the line. Most notably Beck threw an interception in the national championship game this past year which sealed Indiana’s victory over Miami. Beck did that a couple times throughout his career as Georgia’s starter too when Georgia was hoping he’d lead them on game-winning drive.
Beck was a very strong quarterback at Georgia and Miami. He had many great moments at both schools that left no doubt that the potential to be great was there, one of the things that was missing though was consistency. His consistency will be one thing Arizona is watching now because after Thursday night he earned the right to continue starting for the Cardinals going forward.
Carson Beck’s consistency will be challenged in future NFL starts
Beck had his impressive moments both at Georgia and Miami, he however struggled playing at his best for an entire season. It really shouldn’t be surprising to see him play well in his debut, but a big question hanging over his head is if he can repeat that performance.
Beck has struggled some throughout training camp with his control. This was the exact problem that surfaced both at Georgia and Miami, so at least during training camp his consistency still isn’t as good as it needs to be. He however did not struggle with his control and decision making at all Thursday night, but only time will tell if he can put another good performance together in his next outing.
Georgia fans love to cheer on former Bulldogs in the NFL, but after Beck left Georgia he lost a good portion of his fans in Athens. He did smooth things over with Georgia toward the end of last season, so at this point Georgia fans may not dislike him like they once did.
They may not want to cheer hard for him though.
Beck’s next chance to prove himself with Arizona will come on Aug. 13 against the Raiders. He deserves to get the start again, and if he shows good consistency throughout the rest of preseason he’ll have a good shot to be the Cardinals week one starter.
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