University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker hasn't had a winning season as a college quarterback, but he is a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
What he lacks in the win-loss column, he more than makes up for in physical gifts: size, strength, foot speed and a big arm. All that's missing from a profile that will almost assuredly make him a top pick in the NFL Draft next spring is wins.
FanHouse caught up with Locker in Seattle last week to talk about hype, expectations, his decision to return to Washington for a fifth season and the very real possibility that he could lead the Huskies to their first winning season since 2002. Coach Steve Sarkisian's thoughts are in a separate story.
Q: You are staying in Seattle to focus on football this summer. Can you talk about that decision?
A: Football has always been my first love, ever since I've played tackle football. It's always had a special place in my heart, so, I knew that as far as my football career went, this was probably the most important summer of my life. I wanted to make sure that going into this season, I was prepared as possible and that I knew I had done everything I could do to give myself the best opportunity to succeed.
Q: What are you doing with this time?
A: I'm working out, spending time, just trying to be around the team. Throwing as much as we can. Just getting comfortable with each other. I think we are hoping to do some more team activities off the field, build some team chemistry.
Q: What parts of your own game are you working on?
A: You know, the little things that make such a big difference in the passing game. Footwork, rhythm, being comfortable, taking the right drops and being in the right points in the progression at the right time. And then knowing the offense, studying film, understanding where maybe I had troubles last year and addressing that in our throwing sessions and in our extra work.
Share28 Q: Does preparing for this season feel different than other seasons?
A: No. It's the same feeling. You are preparing to win. You are preparing to have the most success as possible. But knowing that it's my last one going into it, it does have a little bit of a different feeling. And also with wanting to achieve the things you came here to achieve, maybe there's a little sense that this is the last chance for that.
Q: You made such a big improvement as a team last year and people will look at you now and expect more from you. Does that add anything to these summer workouts?
A: The most important part for our team is understanding that we aren't a team that's going to surprise people anymore. We were able to be successful last year and play a lot of close games and could have been in a a lot different position if we could have pulled a couple of games out at the end. So understanding that we aren't going to be able to go into a game like we did last year and surprise people, and understand that you have to work that much harder when you are a team that people recognize on their schedule.
Q: How gratifying is it to taste some success after the program has struggled?
A: We had a couple of big wins last year in the USC game and being able to finish the season like we did against Washington State and Cal. Those are things that the previous three years I'd been here, we hadn't been able to accomplish. We'd never put an exclamation point on the end of our season like that. We always finished mediocre. To win a big game like USC on a national stage was a first for us as well. So I think that going through that experience was something that the guys, including myself, really enjoyed. You can't deny that it's a lot of fun to go through something like that. I think you do get a taste of it and want to repeat it every weekend.
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Originally Posted by Dirty Wizard
