Jake Locker was named the Tennessee Titans’ starting quarterback over veteran Matt Hasselbeck on Monday, Aug. 20. It was no surprise to many fans, as the Titans drafted Locker with the 8th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Many thought that Locker might oust Hasselbeck for the starting job last season, but Hasselbeck kept the job. The veteran QB had a pretty good season in 2011, so Locker had to compete for this season’s head quarterback position – unlike most first round quarterbacks nowadays.

The Titans have the 28th ranked schedule in the NFL, play four playoff teams from last season and face seven potential playoff teams. How Locker will play this year is a big topic of discussion leading up to the Titans’ opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 9.

As far as making progress is concerned, Jake Locker benefitted greatly from sitting behind Hasselbeck last season. In hindsight, sitting Locker during his rookie year was probably best for the future of the Titans organization because, thankfully for Locker, he wasn’t being thrown into a fire early on in his career. The skills Locker learned from Hasselbeck definitely showed in the quarterback’s second preseason start.

During last Thursday night’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, Locker completed 11 out of 20 passes for 134 yards and two touchdown passes – one to Kendall Wright and another to Nate Washington. Throughout the game, Locker showed great poise in the heat of pressure. ESPN NFL Analyst Trent Dilfer commented on Locker’s progress during the game. To paraphrase, “Jake Locker has shown a great ability in pure progression. He goes through all his reads and then makes a decision on where to throw the ball. I can guarantee you he learned that from Matt Hasselbeck.”

Locker did have a good game. However, his good play came in the midst of a lowly Cardinal defense. Against top 10 and even possibly top five defenses, Jake Locker will have to play well if he wants to help his team win. Naturally, one player cannot have the pressure of doing everything to ensure success.

One way that pressure can be taken off of Locker’s back will be the improvement of the run game and defensive play. On the offensive side of the ball, Chris Johnson and the offensive line must pick up the running game. If the defense can also play well, Locker will have more confidence facing turnover-hungry defenses such as the Packers, the Steelers and the Bears. In terms of actually dissecting defenses, Locker will do well. The Cardinal defense that he faced has somewhat similar schemes to the Packers, the Steelers and the Texans.

Jake Locker will perform well in the starting job as long as he trusts his coaching and continues to work hard. Although he has done well in the past, expect some growing pains. The NFL is a tough league and making the adjustment to become the face of the franchise could give him struggles.

Now as the leader of the offense, Locker will have to take the reins from Hasselbeck. There is no doubt that Locker is competitive. His competitive nature will help him lead the offense, as well as the team. So far, there is no single player that has control of the locker room, so this is a great opportunity for Locker to step up.

Overall, Jake Locker will have a pretty good season. Expect statistics in the area of 25 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and 3,400 passing yards on the side. The Titans won’t win the AFC South, but they will make significant progress for the future. Now that Locker is officially the face of the franchise, he needs to take advantage of the role that he’s earned.

Image courtesy of titansgab.com