Jake Locker has closed the gap on Matt Hasselbeck for the Tennessee Titans' starting quarterback job, head coach Mike Munchak said after his team's 27-17 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night.
"I don't know if there was a big gap," Munchak said, via Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. "Obviously, Jake doesn't have the experience Matt has, so I think that gap you can never really close if you are a young quarterback. But I think overall, as the season progressed last year, we thought that Jake was coming on real strong.
"So yeah, he has closed the gap, and they are obviously both doing well. We are happy with both of them and at some point we'll make a decision."
Unlike in his rookie season, which was non-existent thanks to the lockout, Locker has benefited from a full offseason of work with the coaching staff and has become more familiar in Chris Palmer's offensive system. The competition has been even during camp, though Hasselbeck reportedly has struggled with interceptions during training camp.
Saturday's preseason opener might have helped Locker's case. Hasselbeck made the start in his return to CenturyLink Field and was intercepted twice -- including one on a fluky tipped ball that Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner returned for a touchdown --before turning the offense over to Locker, who led the team on a 79-yard scoring drive just before halftime.
Round 2 of the Titans' quarterback competition takes place on Friday night when the Titanstravel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Follow Brian McIntyre on Twitter _@brianmcintyre_.
