Time To Move On; Jake Locker Should Start In Tennessee

Everyone knew this day would come sooner or later. Finally, it could be upon us. Now that the Tennessee Titans are likely out of playoff contention and Matt Hasselbeck is banged up, it is time for the Jake Locker era to begin in Tennessee.

Sunday was a day that Titans fans would rather just forget. It was the perfect storm of poor play and key injuries. It’s never fun to be beaten by the last team in the NFL without a win, especially this late in the season, but the loss should allow the Titans to look towards the future.

At 7-7, the Titans are still only one game behind the New York Jets for the AFC’s last playoff spot. While the Titans are still technically in the hunt, realists tend to agree that even that one game is too big of a slope to climb, especially considering the Titans close out the season against the Houston Texans.

So, is it time for the Titans to start Jake Locker over an injury slowed Matt Hasselbeck? Yes — Absolutely — Without a doubt.

Matt Hasselbeck may not have been the only reason that the Titans were beat by the Colts on Sunday, but he was a big part of it. Quite simply, he provided no added energy to that offense. Chris Johnson was never able to get going, and some unfortunate turnovers ultimately doomed the Titans.

Jake Locker will provide that missing energy. They play the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend, and there’s no better team to let Jake Locker have a shot at. First off, they’re a divisional rival that’s also starting a rookie quarterback. The Jaguars don’t score many points, and that would lighten the pressure on Locker to make big plays.

The Jaguars’ secondary has been depleted by injuries, especially at cornerback. By starting Locker now, you can give him a look at a decent defense, but not an invincible one. He may have to deal with the Texans in weak 17, so experience now against a lesser opponent can’t hurt his efforts down the road.

The last reason, and maybe even most convincing argument to start Locker Saturday, is that Jake Locker will have the entire Tennessee crowd behind him if he’s allowed to start against the Jaguars. Titans fans are eager to get to their future. Why not give it to them in the Titans’ last home game of the season? Not starting Locker seems irrational to me at the very least.

Starting Jake Locker now wouldn’t be giving up on the playoffs. He’s played pretty well in relief duty for Hasselbeck with limited time in the first-team offense during practice. He should be taking the majority of the snaps this week in practice, and he should lead the Titans onto the field on Saturday. The fans want it, analysts want it, and I’d be surprised if the Titans’ ownership didn’t want it too. The future looks bright at quarterback for the Titans. They should start the future now. It’s time.

Follow @smaclemons on Twitter

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.

Quantcast