Does Jake Locker Return For One More Year?
(photo via Wikimedia Commons)
By Nick Haswell –Contributing Writer-Northwest Football Reporters Online

If last Saturday’s game versus California was Jake Locker’s last game as a Washington Husky, then he turned in quite the finale as a collegiate athlete. Locker completed 19 of 23 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. For good measure, he added 77 yards rushing and another two touchdowns. Locker displayed an NFL ready arm and athletic ability on several occasions on Saturday. His first pass of the game was a beautiful 40 yard touchdown on a post pattern to Jermaine Kearse. Early in the third quarter, Locker connected with Devin Aguilar for a 21 yard touchdown that was perfectly delivered on Aguilar’s back shoulder on a fade pattern. And then, Locker showed his great athletic ability on his 19 yard touchdown run in the second quarter in which he outraced the Cal defense down the sideline once he turned the corner on a designed draw play.

Based on his early season production and his performance in his past two games, one can see why Jake Locker is held in such high regard by NFL scouts and personnel people. But he also is far from a finished product. Although he did greatly improve his accuracy from his first two seasons, Locker still only completed just over 58% of his passes in 2009. His decision making was a little inconsistent during the season, especially during the middle of the 2009 season. His 11 interceptions were second most in the Pac 10, only trailing USC true freshman Matt Barkley (12). All being said, Locker still has a bright future as an NFL signal caller. Whether his NFL career begins in 2010 or 2011 remains to be seen. Let’s take a look at the pros of Locker deciding of returning for his senior season at Washington versus the pros of him declaring himself eligible for the 2010 NFL Draft:

Pros for Returning to UW
1. Locker has the opportunity to learn for another year under Steve Sarkisian’s pro-style offense. Sarkisian has coached NFL quarterbacks in Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, and Mark Sanchez while at USC and can provide Locker a better opportunity to succeed when he reaches the NFL under Sarkisian’s tutelage.
2. He will get another year of game experience at UW, which would be much more beneficial to him to be an NFL ready starter at QB. At this time, Locker is still raw as a quarterback, and I do not see him being ready to start right away as a quarterback in the NFL.
3. Locker will be able to finish what he started in turning around the Husky football program. Locker came into the Husky program and was immediately labeled the “Savior” of the Husky football program. The Huskies have not reached a bowl game since 2002, and Locker was expected to lead the team back to one. He has yet too. If he should return, he would have a great opportunity to lead the Huskies back to a bowl game in 2010 after the Huskies 5-7 season in 2009.
4. He would be a leading candidate for the 2010 Heisman Trophy.
5. Although, he could be a top draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, he could cement his status as a number one NFL prospect in 2011 by returning to UW and having an outstanding season in 2010.
Pros to Leaving for the NFL
1. Money, money, money. Last year’s number one pick, Matthew Stafford, signed a six year contract where he will receive about $12 million per season, with $41.7 million guaranteed. Number 17 overall pick, Josh Freeman, signed a five year contract that will pay him more than $7 million per season, with $10.245 million of it guaranteed. There’s no reason to believe that Locker would not be picked somewhere in the range of 1 to 17 overall and could earn a similar contract.
2. Locker is a NFL talent and will be drafted in the first round. Why should he chance that by returning for another season and possibly getting injured? Look at what happened to Sam Bradford. Had he came out in 2009, he possibly could have been the top pick. Now, for the 2010 NFL Draft, he is still a first round draft pick, but he put draft stock in jeopardy by returning and getting injured.
Jake Locker has until January 15 to declare for the 2010 NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see what Locker decides to do in the next six weeks.

Can UW Go From Winless to a Bowl Team?

By Nick Haswell-Contributing Writer-Football Reporters Online

2008 was a forgettable year for the sports teams in the city of Seattle. The Seahawks had one of the worst records in the NFL at 4-12, ending the team’s consecutive NFC West run after 4 seasons. The Mariners finished with the 2nd worst record in Major League Baseball, behind the Washington Nationals. The Sonics fled town to Oklahoma City. The Washington Huskies basketball team underachieved and lost in the First Round of the College Basketball Invitational to Valparaiso at home. And then there was the Washington Husky football team. No one expected the Huskies to compete for the Pac 10 Conference title in 2008, but to think UW would finish the season without a victory would have been almost ridiculous. But the Huskies did finish the 2008 season with the school’s worst record at 0-12. That led to the firing of Head Coach Tyrone Willingham after 4 seasons that included a record of 11-37 with no bowl appearances. The Husky program had fallen on hard times, and it was hard to believe that in just 2000 that the program had finished with a #3 ranking after a Rose Bowl victory over Purdue. But since the firing of Rick Neuheisel in the summer of 2003 for lying about his participation in a NCAA Basketball Tournament office pool, UW has failed to record a winning season or make a bowl game.

The Huskies were determined to find a leader for their football program that could replicate the success of Don James. For anyone to achieve the level of success that James did at UW (153-57-2 record, 15 bowl games in 18 years, 6 Rose Bowls, and a 1991 National Championship) would be difficult. After conducting interviews with Fresno State Head Coach Pat Hill and Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach, UW hired USC Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian. The University of Washington Head Coaching job is a tough first assignment for a rookie head coach. But after just 6 games as head coach, it looks like the UW athletic department hired the right man to lead the program.

Going into the 2009 season, most prognosticators pegged UW to win 3 or 4 games. After 6 games, the Huskies have already won 3. A bowl game seemed like too much to expect for a team that went winless a season ago, was breaking in a new head coach, and had to compete in the Pac 10 Conference. But Steve Sarkisian has instilled a new attitude with these Huskies. One year ago, there was no fight left in these dogs. In 2009, one could see this would be a different team in the first game of the season, and this new fight in the Huskies was no more prevalent than in this past weekend’s game versus Arizona. Down 33-21 with less than 3 minutes left, UW came back to score 2 touchdowns in 18 seconds and held on to win 36-33.
With half the season left to go, has a good opportunity to reach the 6 win plateau and reach a bowl game for the first time since the 2002 season. Other than an almost certain win versus Washington State in the Apple Cup, though, the rest of the remaining schedule is not a cakewalk. The next four games will be a test to see where the Huskies can finish in 2009. There is only one home game, a visit from rival Oregon, in the next four games. Winning two of those games would go a long way toward helping the Huskies reach a bowl game. That might seem like a tall task to achieve, considering the Huskies have yet to win a game outside of Husky Stadium in 2009. But with Jake Locker at QB, and the new confidence brought to the Huskies by Steve Sarkisian’s staff, I wouldn’t bet against these Huskies.

His Stock is Falling Fast By Nick Haswell-Football Reporters Online

With one swing of his fist, Oregon RB LaGarrette Blount might have lost himself a lot of money. The difference in guaranteed money for a late first round draft pick and a late round draft pick is $5-$6 million for the late first round pick and $25,000-$75,000 for a late round draft pick. Had Blount stayed out of trouble and produced on the field in 2009, Blount could have been one of the first running backs taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. But after he connected his punch with Boise State DE Byron Hout last Thursday night, Blount saw his NFL Draft stock drop dramatically. He is now projected as a 7th rounder or undrafted free agent.

In 2008, LaGarrette Blount rushed for 1,002 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry. He also broke Oregon’s school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 17. One of the lasting images of the 2008 Oregon Ducks season was Blount’s final touchdown run versus Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl, where he hurdled a defender, bounced off two tackles, and stiff-armed a final defender en route for a 29 yard touchdown. Following the Holiday Bowl, Blount contemplated declaring for the 2009 NFL Draft, but LeGarrette ultimately decided to return for his senior season at Oregon.

Blount’s scouting report reads that he is a big back at 6-1, 240 lbs. that is tough to bring down. He also has decent quickness and athleticism (he routinely hurdles defenders in the open field) and a great nose for the endzone. But his speed is not great, as he gets caught from behind in the open field, and he is not the most patient runner. He has almost no experience as a receiver out of the backfield and is very passive as a blocker. Also, his off the field problems had been a concern before his altercation against Boise State. He was suspended during the spring in 2009 for his poor attendance at voluntary workouts in the winter. He then showed up to spring practice overweight, and appeared slow and overweight in the 2009 opening game versus Boise State.

Before being suspended for the remainder of the 2009 season, I projected LeGarrette Blount as a 5th or 6th round prospect in the NFL Draft. After his inexcusable actions in Boise and being suspended for the remainder of the season at Oregon, I can’t give Blount a higher grade than being an undrafted free agent. If I were an NFL team, I couldn’t afford to risk a draft choice on him. It’s unfortunate that Blount likely ended his collegiate career with that punch. It would have been interesting see if he matured from the incident and continued to showcase his talent. As of now, it seems unlikely that he would be able to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility. For whoever picks up Blount for 2010, it is definitely a buyer beware situation.

2009 Pac-10 Predictions
By Max Baez For Football Reporters Online

While much of the country sees the Pac-10 as USC and nine others, every year lately it has been just that: nine other teams trying to knock off USC as the conference champion. USC has held at least a share of the conference title every year since 2002, and with consistent top five recruiting classes and an absolutely loaded roster, it is easy to see how they are able to achieve this. However, USC is not invisible, as they have not gone undefeated in conference play since 2005 and Oregon State was one game away from winning the title last year. However, will this be the year USC is finally not at the top?

And with the predictions, USC is at the number one spot. While USC lost some key talent, including QB Mark Sanchez and all of their starting linebackers (two of whom were first round picks), they have reloaded as they always have someone waiting in the wings. Freshman QB Matt Barkley has been given the starting job, and QB Mitch Mustain, who went 8-0 as a starting QB as a freshman at Arkansas in the SEC, is a third stringer, which just shows how loaded their roster is. There are really no weaknesses on the roster at all, and S Taylor Mays is certainly one of the best defenders in America.

Now, for the rest of the rankings:

2. California. It’s tough to choose between Cal and Oregon for the two spot, but coach Jeff Tedford has Cal in a great position to succeed this year. The defensive backs are the best in the Pac-10, especially at corner, and RB Jahvid Best may just be the best running back in America. With 17 starters returning, Cal looks solid to challenge USC. However, they should fall just a bit short, especially since Cal’s passing game, led by QB Kevin Riley, leaves something to be desired.

3. Oregon. Former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly steps in as head coach and he certainly has some weapons to play with up in Eugene with a great running game and QB Jeremiah Masoli, who showed towards the end of last year that he has the skills to run Kelly’s run-oriented spread offense very effectively. Oregon is lucky in that they have the Pac-10’s best home field advantage and host both USC and Cal, but unfortunately they are just not at the same level as either of the two.

4. Arizona. Arizona was disrespected at the Pac-10 media day, where they were selected to finish 8th in the conference after making a bowl game for the first time in a decade last year. While key players QB Willie Tuitama, OT Eben Britton, and WR Mike Thomas departed, the core of the defense remains in tact, which should be one of the Pac-10’s strongest. The big question mark is at quarterback, where neither Matt Scott or Nick Foles has been able to solidify the starting job. However, whoever wins the job will have many weapons to work with, including TE Rob Gronkowski, one of the nation’s best, and 1000 yard RB Nic Grigsby. Arizona should be the surprise of the conference, and that means a similar win count to last year.

5. Oregon State. The Beavers were very close to winning the Pac-10 last season, beating USC early in the year and leading the conference until losing to Oregon in the season finale. Sophomore RB Jacquizz Rodgers was the Pac-10 offensive player of the year award last season, and the diminutive back is a pain for defenses to take down, but only three starters return on defense, so growing pains are to be expected in Corvallis.

6. Stanford. The academic powerhouse has turned into a recruiting destination under coach Jim Harbaugh, who recently brought in a top 20 recruiting class. RB Toby Gerhart is solid, QB Andrew Luck was very highly touted out of high school, and the defense is strong in the front seven. However, the defensive backs are a major liability, and while this team could potentially end up making a bowl game, they aren’t among the conference’s best, but Harbaugh has the team headed in that direction.

7. Arizona State. The biggest problem with Arizona State is the offensive line. It’s simply not very good. Rudy Carpenter got killed last year, and there’s little reason to believe things will be better for new starting QB Danny Sullivan. The strength of the team is on the defensive line, which is solid all around. ASU’s defense will also get a boost if standout freshman LB Vontaze Burfict qualifies, but that’s a major question mark at this time.

8. UCLA. Lots of people are very confident UCLA will have a major improvement this year, but I think they are still a year away. Coach Rich Neuheisel has built winners before, and based on how he’s recruiting, it looks like he’s on that track at UCLA. However, the offensive line is still likely to be terrible, the running game will probably still be awful (it was a dreadful 116th in college football last year), and starting QB Kevin Prince has no collegiate experience. The defense should be solid, but UCLA is going to have a lot of problems putting points up on the board.

9. Washington. The good news: QB Jake Locker is back. He could be the best QB in the Pac-10 this season. Also, coach Steve Sarkisian has gotten off to a great start recruiting, and the school is becoming confident that success is on the horizon. However, success will not come this year. But it could be worse, they could be…..

10. Washington State. This program is seriously a mess. Second year coach Paul Wulff has a major rebuilding job to do, and based on early recruiting measures, it doesn’t look like he’s bringing too much talent in. The Cougars aren’t strong in any area, and the fact that they had open tryouts on campus for QB last year just says it all. It will be a long season this year in Pullman.