True, but at least give him some NFL-quality receivers at least. The only WR on UW’s team that might have an NFL career right now is Kearse. He’s Locker’s main weapon and UW’s best reciever. But he was completely shut down by Nebraska in both games.
You also have to realize that UW’s offense has been crippled all season by the lack of a Tight End. We had a stud TE in Middletown coming into fall practice, but he was dismissed for violation of team policy. The next up was Izbicki and despite the fact that he was a very highly ranked TE coming out of high school he’s been a bust. He’s had two receptions all year. It’s been so bad that he’s been benched and UW’s had to rely on a converted linemen to just block. A good TE is a quarterback’s best friend, especially against teams like Nebraska.
Sarkisian’s also big in USC’s pro-style offense, which is obvious since he ran it for a bunch of years. But UW is also lacking a decent FB, which is crucial for a USC system.
Look, he’s not perfect, but the kid is special. Yes, he needs work. We’re hoping he gets drafted late because the odds are he gets in an Aaron Rogers situation where he’s not needed to save the team and play immediately. Instead, he can sit a few years and learn behind a quality NFL starter. And it’d probably be good if he got away from Seattle, as much as we’d love him to be a Seahawk. Staying close to home just seems like a bad idea, ala Jake Plummer at Arizona.
I’ve also read draft specialists all remark he’s also the most frustrating prospect to evaluate because of the team around him. You have to keep context in mind. Football is a team sport; and the fact is that Willingham gutted this program. You couldn’t do more damage if you were intentionally trying to sabotage things. His recruiting was awful (he’d rather spend time on the golf course), his player development was awful, and he ignored the basics, such as weight training. When Sarkisian and his staff replaced Willingham they were appalled that Locker could bench more than any of his linemen. I’m not kidding. Locker benched more than any of his linemen. Plus, going 0-12 was a gigantic mental disaster to the program’s psyche.
Sarkisian’s had to rebuild everything. He got hired late in 2008, so he’s only really had one real recruiting class so far. The depth is so terrible that UW has had to play 18 freshmen this year. The O-Line had to be reconfigured practically every game because they were getting blown up and Locker played with a fractured rib in the second half of the season because his O-Line sucked. On top of that, according to Sagarin, UW had the #2 toughest schedule in America.
Things are starting to turn around. Sure, Nebraska didn’t want to be there, but you still explain how our DT beat a quadraple team to throw your QB to the ground.
So, Locker’s going to have to prove what he can do at the Senior Bowl and the Combine. But despite all the shit he’s gone through he’s displayed nothing but maturity, intelligence, class, and perseverance. And despite his terrible stats, the NFL scouts are still very very intrigued with him. I’d like to see Locker and Luck switch teams and see what happens to both in each situation.
