Earlier this week, everyone and his grandmother went to town on University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker for his pathetic performance against Nebraska.
Yesterday, two former UW quarterbacks stepped forward to defend Locker from the criticism.
First, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times noted that Hugh Millen said that Locker graded out much better than his 4-20 passing line would indicate at first glance.
Millen said he wanted to make it clear that it was "still a poor day’’ for Locker. However, he said taking a more in-depth view of Locker’s performance makes it clear that the passing game struggles were a team-wide failure (a point UW coach Steve Sarkisian also made today). Millen said that throughout the game, UW’s receivers got "absolutely no separation’’ from Nebraska’s defensive backs, rarely giving Locker anyone to which to throw.
He said the coverage by Nebraska "was a big factor’’ and that it appeared that Nebraska’s defensive backs were "running a 4.2’’ while UW’s receivers were running "a 5.0.’’
Meanwhile, Brock Huard wrote on MyNorthwest.com that he totally understands the struggles that Locker is going through because he went through similar strugggles.
That’s why I empathize with Locker, his family and his friends. I watched him go through the worst game of his collegiate career on Saturday against Nebraska and I know exactly how he feels. The world is squeezing in on him. All of this pressure and all of this hype and all these expectations are hovering over every snap and every move. Unfortunately, it’s sapping some of the joy of the game: the smiles, the celebrations, the enjoyment of playing college football.
But unlike my last year at Washington, Locker has nine games left to continue writing his script. I sure hope last Saturday was a chapter we don’t visit again, and the joy of being a Husky can come through.