Jake Locker turning heads at Titans camp

Jake Locker never made a fuss when the Tennessee Titans decided against picking up the quarterback’s fifth year option on his rookie deal. Instead, he’s worked his butt off to earn a new, better contract after this season. So far, he’s catching the eye of coaches for his effort.

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Offensive coordinator Jason Michael spoke to Titansonline.com about Locker.

"From day one, he’s worked his butt off from rehabilitation of his foot to jumping in the playbook, to how he’s gone about his preparation on the field. It’s been a frustrating go at times with his foot, but he’s never shown it. He’s a poised man. I’m excited about working with him. He does some good things that we’ve already seen.”"

Locker has struggled with injuries through most of his young career. He suffered a foot injury that shelved his season after Week 11 last season and he missed a long chunk of time in 2012 with a shoulder injury. Both seasons saw Locker show great promise, only to have it cut off by an injury. Now both Locker and his coaches hope that 2014 is the year when everything falls together.

Jake Locker had completed 60% of his passes in 2013 for 1,256 yards 8 TDs and 4 INTs in seven games before his foot injury. If we extrapolate that over a whole season, Locker would have totaled nearly 3,000 yards with about 20 TDs and half as many INTs. If the Titans want to return to the AFC playoffs, that’s exactly the kind of season they’ll need from their quarterback.