Jake Locker

Jake Locker did not start any games during his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans last year and was just named the team's 2012 starter a few days ago. But he certainly acted like a team leader on Thursday night, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and earning a passer rating of 109.2 in the Titans' 32-27 preseason victory over the Arizona Cardinals. “He's our leader,” Titans tight end Jared Cook said of Locker, who was drafted eighth overall by Tennessee in 2011. “We had all the confidence in him. He made plays out there.” Titans Coach Mike Munchak added: "He does things that people wouldn't notice he was doing that most young quarterbacks wouldn't even think of being able to handle.

  This week's Friday edition of our NFL Google+ hangout -- "NFL Slam with Mark and Sam," with Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer and Mark Thompson of "Mark and Brian" radio fame -- covered a number of hot topics: Could Jake Locker have done what Matt Hasselbeck did last night? Hasselbeck, thrust into the starting role for the Titans because of the injury to Locker, played the role of crafty veteran in the upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. This puts conflicting pressures on the Titans.

  This week's Friday edition of our NFL Google+ hangout -- "NFL Slam with Mark and Sam," with Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer and Mark Thompson of "Mark and Brian" radio fame -- covered a number of hot topics: Could Jake Locker have done what Matt Hasselbeck did last night? Hasselbeck, thrust into the starting role for the Titans because of the injury to Locker, played the role of crafty veteran in the upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. This puts conflicting pressures on the Titans.

Who says Tom Brady isn't a great scrambler? The Patriots quarterback was scrambling all over the New England sideline Sunday in Buffalo, frantically searching for his missing helmet before his team's first possession of the third quarter. He couldn't just grab a teammate's helmet, because his is outfitted with a coach-to-quarterback earpiece. Brady finally found what he was looking for, and so did his team. The Patriots erased a 14-point second-half deficit by scoring touchdowns on six consecutive second-half drives on the way to a 52-28 blowout.

Quarterback Jake Locker announced Monday he would return to Washington for his senior season, quickly putting to rest any lingering questions about his future. In a statement released through the university, Locker said he would not make himself available for the 2010 NFL draft and instead would return to the Huskies for one more shot at restoring the program to prominence. "After a great deal of careful thought and deliberation, I have decided to return to Washington and play my senior year," Locker said.

Put aside for a moment the issue of Jake Locker's strong arm and quick feet, his knack for making things happen on the football field. Skip past his showdown with the USC defense Saturday afternoon. Go directly to another sort of question. Hey, Jake, when's the last time you swung a bat? In addition to the Washington quarterback's impressive statistics, which rank him atop the Pacific 10 Conference in passing and total offense, Locker was recently drafted by the Angels as a center fielder.

SEATTLE -- It begins with the ends. Top-ranked USC's plan to control Washington quarterback Jake Locker today at Husky Stadium involves every member of the defense, but ends Lawrence Jackson and Kyle Moore bear perhaps the greatest responsibility in terms of containment. The powerful and fleet-footed Locker, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound redshirt freshman, is the Huskies' leading rusher.

Who says Tom Brady isn't a great scrambler? The Patriots quarterback was scrambling all over the New England sideline Sunday in Buffalo, frantically searching for his missing helmet before his team's first possession of the third quarter. He couldn't just grab a teammate's helmet, because his is outfitted with a coach-to-quarterback earpiece. Brady finally found what he was looking for, and so did his team. The Patriots erased a 14-point second-half deficit by scoring touchdowns on six consecutive second-half drives on the way to a 52-28 blowout.

No. 20 Tennessee Titans: WR Kendall Wright, Baylor -- Despite a small frame at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Wright was the favorite target of Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III at Baylor. He had 108 receptions for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior season. Comment: A year after the Titans took quarterback Jake Locker, they gave him a dangerous weapon - Griffin's favorite target at Baylor. MORE Photos: 2012 NFL draft picks First round of draft is a rush to judgment NFL considers suspending Pro Bowl after 2013     NFL draft: Baylor WR Kendall Wright goes to Titans at No. 20

One awkward fall by Washington quarterback Jake Locker added another notch of anguish to Washington's already miserable 2008 season. Now the Huskies' chances of avoiding their first 0-5 start in 39 years rest with a redshirt freshman who has never started a college game. Locker will be out for up to eight weeks after breaking his right thumb in Saturday's 35-28 loss to Stanford. He was injured throwing a block in front of a 27-yard reverse run by wide receiver Jordan Polk.

Jake Locker did not start any games during his rookie season with the Tennessee Titans last year and was just named the team's 2012 starter a few days ago. But he certainly acted like a team leader on Thursday night, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and earning a passer rating of 109.2 in the Titans' 32-27 preseason victory over the Arizona Cardinals. “He's our leader,” Titans tight end Jared Cook said of Locker, who was drafted eighth overall by Tennessee in 2011. “We had all the confidence in him. He made plays out there.” Titans Coach Mike Munchak added: "He does things that people wouldn't notice he was doing that most young quarterbacks wouldn't even think of being able to handle.

A person familiar with the situation said Monday that the Jacksonville Jaguars will play multiple home games in London beginning in 2013. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL and the team are waiting to announce the deal Tuesday in Jacksonville. The person said the Jaguars will play four home games in London, one each year between 2013 and 2016. New owner Shad Khan has made it clear he wants to play games overseas in hopes of increasing the team's brand globally.

No. 20 Tennessee Titans: WR Kendall Wright, Baylor -- Despite a small frame at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Wright was the favorite target of Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III at Baylor. He had 108 receptions for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior season. Comment: A year after the Titans took quarterback Jake Locker, they gave him a dangerous weapon - Griffin's favorite target at Baylor. MORE Photos: 2012 NFL draft picks First round of draft is a rush to judgment NFL considers suspending Pro Bowl after 2013     NFL draft: Baylor WR Kendall Wright goes to Titans at No. 20

NEW YORK — We won't get fooled again. Unlike a year ago, when an early run on quarterbacks caught most NFL draft prognosticators flat-footed, most have now resigned themselves to the notion that the QB count might reach four before the first round is done Thursday night. And the first two passers are already penned in. Stanford's Andrew Luck will be the No. 1 pick, by Indianapolis, and Washington will take Baylor's Robert Griffin III second. It will be the first time quarterbacks have gone 1-2 in the draft since 1999.

Expect Washington's football team to have a new look this season. Out is the pass, since the Huskies don't have Jake Locker at quarterback anymore. In is the run, since the Huskies have running back Chris Polk , a senior from Redlands East Valley High. Polk has 2,528 yards rushing over the last two seasons, so he is no stranger to leading on the field. Off the field is a different matter. "I can't be the guy in the back anymore," he said Tuesday during the Pacific 12 Conference media day interviews in Los Angeles.

For NFL rookies, football has become a game of haves versus have-nots. Do you have a playbook or not? With team facilities shut and no contact with coaches allowed, players are left to improvise in order to prepare for the season — whenever that may come. Chances are, if a player was drafted in the first or second round, he has a playbook. But with later-round picks — selected after the briefly-lifted lockout was put back in place — all bets are off. Consider Jamie Harper , a Clemson running back taken in the fourth round by Tennessee.

SEATTLE -- Jake Locker was crestfallen. The sophomore quarterback did everything he could to give Washington a chance for an upset of No. 15-ranked Brigham Young and wound up apologizing for the Huskies' loss. Locker was penalized for celebrating a touchdown run with two seconds left and, after the 15-yard assessment, Brigham Young defensive end Jan Jorgensen blocked the 35-yard extra-point try to help the Cougars hold on to a 28-27 victory Saturday. "I just was excited," Locker said somberly, looking at the ground while facing a throng of questioners about the decisive play.

Nelson Rosario saw the ball and his instincts took over. "I put up one hand without realizing what I was doing," the sophomore wide receiver said. "I came down with the ball and it got real quiet. I wasn't used to that, so I just started running." The one-handed catch that resulted in a 58-yard touchdown ignited UCLA's comeback against Oregon State. Coach Rick Neuheisel hopes it also kick-starts Rosario's career. Rosario had six receptions for 152 yards against the Beavers, including the play in which he out-maneuvered and out-jumped Oregon State's James Dockery and sprinted to the first touchdown of his college career.

Reporting from San Diego Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini lacked quality motivational material for Thursday's Holiday Bowl against Washington at Qualcomm Stadium. Reality left him scraps. He'd need to stitch something together. Unless, somehow, he liked that his team was playing in the same bowl and same city as last year, and that the opponent, Washington, was one it crushed by five touchdowns a few months ago. But the Huskies, well, they had motivation to spare: revenge, winning their first Holiday Bowl in their fourth trip, achieving their first winning season since 2002, sending star quarterback Jake Locker off to the NFL on a high note.

Chasing around Washington quarterback Jake Locker was on the minds of UCLA players this week. Locker, who is expected to start after being out two weeks with a broken rib, will play his last game in Husky Stadium on Thursday night. "He can hurt you in many ways," UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers said. "He adds another dimension to their offense because of his speed. " Locker has run for more than 100 yards once this season. He has had two solid games against UCLA in his career.