Rookie QB Carson Beck delivers efficient debut for Cardinals - ESPN

CANTON, Ohio — Carson Beck couldn't sleep Wednesday night.

Even though Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers was just a preseason game, the Arizona Cardinals' rookie quarterback lay awake thinking about getting to play football again.

Then he went out and did what his coaches wanted him to do.

Beck was clean, efficient, took what the defense gave him and finished with an impressive preseason debut in a 33-30 loss at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The third-round pick completed 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown for a quarterback rating of 125.4.

«It feels great to go in and succeed and execute within the offense,» Beck said. «And, obviously, again, there's going to be things to fix.

»You got to go watch the tape and there's always so much room to improve, even just being a rookie, being a new guy and kind of getting my first taste of the league."

Beck was poised in the pocket, commanded the play-action and showed off his touch — threading his passes in tight pockets and on the deep ball that came through on a perfect late summer night.

Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur didn't seem surprised by Beck's showing.

«It's going to be a broken record,» LaFleur said. «The same thing that I keep seeing at practice where he just gets in and out of the huddle, and he doesn't make it too big. He just lives by the play. Again, I give a lot of credit to [offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett], but really, particularly, [quarterbacks coach Matt] Schaub in terms of… just the way Schaub played was that. [Beck] worried about one play at a time and executing that play and going through your progressions, not making stuff up. If it's not there, checking it down. If we're in a bad play, a bad call, don't