Whoever figured out that a great, experienced quarterback is almost a necessity for a championship team was a genius before his time. The recent Super Bowl confrontation between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints both had great quarterbacks-Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.
Now the University of Washington Huskies have Jake Locker back for another year to continue a tremendous re-building effort by new head coach Steve "Sark" Sarkisian.
Locker, who struggled through two futile years with the coach from nowhere whose name I refuse to even mention, finally found his proper mentor in Sark-a very successful single-caller in his own right at Brigham Young University.
Sark also coached two Heisman Trophy winners-Carson Palmer in 2002 and Matt Leinart in 2004, and mentored additional NFL-draft picks John David Booty and Mark Sanchez. All are quarterbacks.
In 2008, Locker and his teammates endured an excruciating, winless season (0-12). In 2009, with the arrival of Sarkisian, former Southern California offensive coordinator, and Nick Holt, USC's former defensive coordinator, as the new defensive coordinator for the Huskies, Locker began "schooling" as an NFL drop-back quarterback. An interested, coachable student, Locker made amazing progress and the Huskies began to improve.
Washington played LSU tough in its opener but lost, 31-23, before beating Idaho 42-23 and then upsetting Southern Cal 16-13 in a game that became national news. The Huskies lost their first road game at Stanford 34-14, and lost again at Notre Dame 37-30 after taking the Irish into overtime.
After upsetting Arizona 36-33, they stood at 3-3, and then promptly lost to Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA and Oregon State, making some fans wonder if the upbeat beginning was in for a longer season end.
Thankfully, Washington absolutely decimated its cross-state rival, humbling Washington State by shutting out the Cougars 30-zip, and then upsetting a very good California team 42-10 to end the season on a triumphant note. The Huskies' 5-7 record did not reflect how far they had come from a winless season, or how much they had progressed.
On the precipice of taking a giant leap forward in 2010, NFL scouts began drooling over Washington's centerpiece of re-birth-Jake Locker. A junior quarterback with 4.3 speed and good enough to be a starting running back, Locker was an absolute must draft because almost any coach worth his salt knew the talented Husky had enough moxie and muscle to play about 7 different positions on the football field.
Sarkisian never thought twice about moving Locker from his QB station. Sark just wanted to make him into an NFL drop-back QB, and Locker went on a steep learning curve in a hurry.
If there was ever any doubt that Locker would become a legend after his playing days at Washington, that all vanished in a heartbeat when, upon consideration, he decided to turn down millions in now money to perfect his training as a drop-back QB.
When Locker announced his decision to return to U-Dub and finish the business he started, whispered prayers of thanks could be heard floating across the Montlake Campus.
By deciding not to sell out his school, his fans, his supporters, and not to keep them waiting for months on end about his intentions, and then calling a big press conference to announce his decision, Locker has become a living legend before his final season even starts.
Locker did not even bother with the NFL application process. He walked in on Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and said "Coach, I'm staying." That's Jake Locker-an immensely talented, humble, matter-of-fact kind of guy you wish was dating your daughter.
Locker is far from your normal, money-grubbing, self-centered, all-world athlete in today's sports environment. Raised right in a home that puts God ahead of everything else, it makes eminent sense that Locker would make his decision with right thinking and right motives. There are no hidden agendas with Locker, no need to push everyone out of the way so the light shines on him. With Locker, the light comes from within.
With his return to the Montlake Campus and the field of battle, Locker will make everyone around him better. Receivers will catch more balls, rushers will make more yards because of his presence, and his linemen just might be blocking for a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Even the Husky defense will benefit because he will extend the offensive team's time on the field, or lead his team into the end zone so quickly and often that it will not matter.
So just how huge is Locker's return? Well, astronomers are not naming stars in the sky of Western Washington for football players, but they might start thinking about it, especially if they are U-Dub graduates.
Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley
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