A month since he joined the Ravens, John Beck is starting to make himself at home.
The backup quarterback is feeling more comfortable in his purple jersey after recently buying the No. 12 from wide receiver Ernie Wheelwright. He is beginning to get his bearings back in Cam Cameron's system after one season of being removed from it.
Still, Beck's next biggest move - going from the Ravens' newest quarterback to becoming a legitimate contender for the No. 2 job - is not on his mind just yet.
"Right now, I have day-to-day expectations," Beck said Tuesday during the Ravens' third week of minicamps. "When I step out on the football field, I'm trying to get better that day. I'm not to the point with this offense or the familiarity with my teammates where I feel like I can look past the day that I'm in."
Beck, who was released by the Miami Dolphins on April 27 just two seasons after being drafted in the second round, will have to unseat Troy Smith to become the primary backup to Joe Flacco.
Though Beck played in Cameron's system as a rookie in Miami, he has to become acquainted with new teammates and a new coaching staff. Arriving at the facility at 7 a.m. and leaving at 7 p.m., Beck has been working hard to eliminate practices from last season (like pass-protection calls, footwork techniques and route progressions) and regain ones from 2007.
The Ravens' goal is to get Beck completely comfortable with the offense by the start of training camp, where he could truly start to compete against Smith.
But coach John Harbaugh said this battle might not be settled this summer.
"It could even be game to game, based on the game plan or who we're playing," Harbaugh said. "But right now, if we're going to say what the order was, it's Joe, it's Troy, then it's John. And that's how it's shaken out so far."
Beck, 27, signed a one-year contract with the Ravens, but team officials see him having a successful future. He has the traits the Ravens want in a quarterback - he's tough and smart - and he gets rid of the ball quickly with a compact delivery.
And Cameron, who was the Dolphins' head coach when they drafted Beck, said sitting near the bottom of the depth chart shouldn't be seen as a slight for the former Brigham Young standout. Cameron pointed out that several quarterbacks (Trent Green, Marc Bulger, Kurt Warner) have developed into solid NFL starters after being the third-string quarterback in this system.
