Jim Hart/Pete Beathard

St. Louis Cardinals

Bob Hollway, the St. Louis coach, has a problem similar to Bud Grant's at Minnesota- two quarterbacks of almost equal talent. The only difference is that both of Grant's quarterbacks are better than both of Hollway's.

For neither Jim Hart nor Pete Beathard is anything more than merely adequate, despite the fact that it wasn't too long ago that both were considered to have significant futures ahead of them.

Beathard, now an eight-year veteran, was a No. 1 draft choice of both Kansas City and Detroit in 1964, signed with the Chiefs and sat behind Lenny Dawson until he was acquired by the Cardinals.

Hart, a six-year pro, was signed as a free agent but indicated such promise that the Cardinals decided to hand him the starting job and trade Charley Johnson.

But neither Hart nor Beathard gets a mark higher than 3 from the pro scouts in any department and Beathard goes as low as a 1 in reaction under pressure. Both were given 2’s in throwing ability.

That doesn't leave Hollway with much of a choice, which may be why the Cardinals rely so much on the running game. If either quarterback has a shot in the future it would appear to be Hart, who will be only 28 when the 1972 season opens, and could still produce.
 

 

Pete Beathard
Leadership	2
Reaction under pressure	1
Set-up speed	3
Throwing ability	2
Reading defenses	3
Total	11

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