We continue our look at potential 2011 NFL Offensive Rookies of the Year with Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker, who was surprisingly taken No. 8 overall when some experts debated whether he would even go in the first round.
So will Locker be the starter when the Titans open the season on Sept. 11 against Jacksonville? Of course the Titans won’t have Vince Young then; he will be cut or released by the team this offseason – new coach Mike Munchak has already said Young isn’t in the Titans’ plans, which was largely due to VY’s fallout with former coach Jeff Fisher.
The Titans fell for Locker because of his athleticism, which is off the charts, and the fact he is a football junkie – although everyone certainly had him rated behind Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert, who was on the board when Tennessee chose Locker. The former Washington star has been knocked for his passing accuracy, which was 53.9 percent overall with a high of 58.2 percent his junior season. By comparison with two other top-10 picks, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s percentage last season was 66.1 and Gabbert’s was 63.4.
Young, the third overall pick of the 2006 draft, was 30-18 as a starter, but he fell short with coaches and management when it came to work ethic. That won’t be a problem with Locker. However, the Titans don’t really want him to start on Day 1. The plan, General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said, is to add a veteran quarterback to the roster and let Locker develop without the pressure of playing too early. Plus it will be tough for a rookie QB to start this year, in particular, with a lockout perhaps keeping camps closed for much of the summer. Locker opened at 16/1 on Bodog’s NFL odds to win 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
So will Locker be the starter when the Titans open the season on Sept. 11 against Jacksonville? Of course the Titans won’t have Vince Young then; he will be cut or released by the team this offseason – new coach Mike Munchak has already said Young isn’t in the Titans’ plans, which was largely due to VY’s fallout with former coach Jeff Fisher.
The Titans fell for Locker because of his athleticism, which is off the charts, and the fact he is a football junkie – although everyone certainly had him rated behind Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert, who was on the board when Tennessee chose Locker. The former Washington star has been knocked for his passing accuracy, which was 53.9 percent overall with a high of 58.2 percent his junior season. By comparison with two other top-10 picks, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s percentage last season was 66.1 and Gabbert’s was 63.4.
Young, the third overall pick of the 2006 draft, was 30-18 as a starter, but he fell short with coaches and management when it came to work ethic. That won’t be a problem with Locker. However, the Titans don’t really want him to start on Day 1. The plan, General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said, is to add a veteran quarterback to the roster and let Locker develop without the pressure of playing too early. Plus it will be tough for a rookie QB to start this year, in particular, with a lockout perhaps keeping camps closed for much of the summer. Locker opened at 16/1 on Bodog’s NFL odds to win 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
