Beck to start for Cardinals in Hall of Fame Game

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Rookie quarterback Carson Beck thought he'd play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Carolina Panthers, but he didn't know he'd be the starter for the Arizona Cardinals. With the Cardinals resting regular-season starter Jacoby Brissett and his backup, Gardner Minshew, Beck will get the nod. "I had no clue I was going to start," Beck said Tuesday. "I really didn't have any expectations of going into any of this. Obviously, our schedule is absolutely crazy right now, practice, meetings with training camp and whatnot," he added. "But, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm really excited." The Cardinals' third-round pick said he doesn't get nervous for games and that will carry over into this week's nationally televised game, the only national game Arizona has this season. The last time Beck said he was nervous before a game was 15 years ago when he was 8 before a Pop Warner city championship. "I don't know, it's a game at the end of the day, get to go out there, have an opportunity to have fun, play with your teammates, and again, play the game that I love," he said. "So, again, it's what I love doing. So, not really any nerves, more excitement than anything." A productive day for Beck won't necessarily be if the Cardinals win or lose. "Great execution. It all starts with that position, being able to call the play, comfortable with the play, make sure everybody's getting up to the line, great cadences, kind of all those little basic steps there, and then just smart sound decisions," offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. "I mean, the guy's been working really hard. I think everybody's really excited for this first opportunity to have an extra opportunity. So, it'll be fun to see him go out there." With Thursday night being the first of four preseason games for Arizona and, obviously, not counting toward the standings, Beck's operation will be the most important part of his showing at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Field in Canton, Ohio. "I think the biggest thing for me, especially just as we're going through training camp and we're still building the chemistry with the guys, is can we be on the same page as an offense? Are my eyes in the right spot? Am I making the right decisions? Am I making the right reads? Am I getting through my progressions quickly?" Beck said. "I think that's success for us. And, then, ultimately getting in and out of the huddle and doing things the right way at a very high level. So, that's what success is for me and I think our offense when we're out there operating." Beck couldn't put into words how different the NFL game has been than college but said it's "100 percent" different. The concepts are similar, he explained, but yet they're also different. However, his time at Georgia under Kirby Smart and at Miami under Mario Cristobal -- both Nick Saban disciples -- prepared Beck for the rigors of an NFL training camp. "Two coaches that came from that Saban tree and kind of that Saban way of doing things, which is, I mean, your fall camps are just hell," Beck said with a smirk. "So, it's very similarly structured from how we did it in college. So, again, it's the nature of the beast and it's what you got to do to eventually get ready for the season." Beck's approach to training camp, thus far, has been to be process oriented instead of results oriented. He said it sounds cliché but explained that, to him, training camp is the time to try things and make mistakes. For example, he said, if the defense drops into zone coverage, typically, in a regular-season game, he'd check down and live to see another down. But in camp, he may try to make a throw he normally wouldn't try to see if it's possible to make, even if it results in an interception. "You'll never know if you can make that throw or test [new] things," Beck said. "And, again, it's all trial and error, trial and error. And, for me, again, being new in this offense and just continuing to develop as a rookie and as a new guy, I think these learning moments are so huge and getting little things out of the way now is incredible and important."