I don't follow college ball that much (at all, actually), but I saw a reference to Jake Locker somewhere... is he legit? By that, I mean is he even worth paying attention to?
I read his Wiki entry and watched some Youtube clips. I can't remember where the fata I heard his name, though. I just kinda got the feeling this was like Crosby playing in Rimouski or something, which is why I looked him up.
Btw, if it turns out me asking college football fans about this guy is like someone else asking golfers about Tiger Woods, go easy on me.
He's one of my favorite players in CFB today.
Locker was great his freshman year (2007), I think he snuck up on people a bit.
Last season he came back down to earth a little with teams having tape on him, and I believe coahes tried to make him more structured in his approach to the game.
This year is really the test of how good Locker can be, IMO. I just hope he survives the first game of the season against a team that can contain and punish him in LSU. I'll be there to see the whuppin' in person!
Last edited by Montana Moe; 08-05-2009 at 06:16 PM.
He was a stud 2 years ago with Washington. He was pretty much the only thing to watch on that team. Last year the Huskies were miserable so he didn't really have a chance to much of anything.
I would say he's not even in the remote ballpark of Crosby. He's good, but not that good.
What I really remember about him was the boneheaded unsporstmanlike penalty that basically cost Washington what would have been a huge win.
Bonehead by the ref maybe, not by Locker. He flipped the ball up in the air, nothing that isn't done countless times every saturday. I hate the Huskies, but that was a BS call.
As for Locker, he's a good college QB, but he's not dominant and doesn't seem likely to translate well to the NFL. He still has time to develop though, so you never know.
Since clearly no one knows, Locker only played 3 games last year due to injury.
He was definitely highly regarded coming into his freshman season and didn`t disappoint. He had a promising start to last season, but, as I mentioned, got injured in the 1st quarter of his 4th game.
Losing Locker basically was losing the entire offense for the Huskies and completely ruined the season. With Locker healthy, the Huskies won`t be great, but they`ll win some football games.
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i have read that "A QB with the body and toughness of a LB, Locker was dubbed 'The Tebow of the West'. But Locker, a junior, played only 4 games last season because of a broken right tumb. Chris Polk didnt even last that long, undergoing surgery after the second game because of a shoulder injury; he received a redshirt (medical), and will retain his freshman status. If they are both healthy it will make Washington a much better team"
Seems like Washingotn could use an improved O-Line.
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That has to be the worst call I've ever seen in any football game. What's next, a penalty for excessive smiling?
IIRC, it was a technicality call. The ball was thrown upwards, instantly garnering him a personal foul. Yeah, crappy call, but I'm a fan of the Barry Sanders "don't spike, hand the ball to the ref" line of thought. I'm just old.
That has to be the worst call I've ever seen in any football game. What's next, a penalty for excessive smiling?
Bad call, but it didn't cost them the game. The PAT was blocked, not missed - meaning it would have been blocked anyway. A kicker doesn't change their kicking angle for a 35 yard field goal.
Bad call, but it didn't cost them the game. The PAT was blocked, not missed - meaning it would have been blocked anyway. A kicker doesn't change their kicking angle for a 35 yard field goal.
I'd say the chances of blocking a PAT and a 35-yard field goal are very different.
Let's remember these are college kickers here, not the pros. At that level, 35-40 yarders are not the gimmies they almost always are at the pro level.
Not to mention the momentum and energy level of a team defending against a 35-yard field goal vs one defending a PAT is also very different.
Not when that PAT would tie the game with 2 seconds on the clock.
I wasn't saying that the 35 yard FG was a gimmie. I'm just saying that the kicker doesn't change his kick for a 35 yarder, in other words, this kick is still blocked whether it's a 35 yard kick or a 20 yard PAT attempt.
If he changed a few letters around so his name was Jock Laker, than he'd definitely be destined for greatness.
A 20 yard PAT and a 35 yard FG are different kicks. On the 20 yard kick the kicker has the luxury of putting some air under the ball, whereas from a greater distance he has to keep the trajectory lower to get the distance. 15 yards might not seem like a big deal, but it's an extra 87.5% of distance. I might be able to kick a ball 20 yards through uprights if I have a running start at it. I probably can't do it from 35 yards.
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whereas from a greater distance he has to keep the trajectory lower to get the distance.
Not really for a 35 yard FG. Every kicker in that high of a league can easily kick the ball 35 yards with enough trajectory to easily clear an outstretched hand at the line of scrimmage.
Plain and simple, the kicker missed his kick, and very easily could have missed it the same way for a shorter kick. He wasn't forced to kick with a low trajectory.
So to be clear....you're saying that kickers kick extra points with the same trajectory as they would for a 35 yard F.G? Just because they can put enough air under a 35 yard kick doesn't mean the two kicks are approached the same.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
Not really for a 35 yard FG. Every kicker in that high of a league can easily kick the ball 35 yards with enough trajectory to easily clear an outstretched hand at the line of scrimmage.
Plain and simple, the kicker missed his kick, and very easily could have missed it the same way for a shorter kick. He wasn't forced to kick with a low trajectory.
Clearly you don't watch much NCAA football because there's lots of kickers out there that routinely struggle with 35 yarders.
Perkins, the Huskies kicker, was only 4 for 6 on 30-39 yard kicks and didn't attempt a single kick longer than 39 yards. Clearly jumping from 20 yards to 35 yards is a big deal for a guy like that.
Jake Locker: For Real?
