One of the league's most enticing quarterback battles is shaping up as a nonissue in Tennessee.
As Gregg Rosenthal mentioned earlier, the Tennessee Titans don't appear desperate to shove second-year quarterback Jake Locker into the starting lineup. People around the team believe Matt Hasselbeck will win the job, despite what coach Mike Munchak has called an even competition.
"My goal is to start for sure, but it's not the end of the world if that happens," Locker told KJR-FM in Seattle, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. "I mean, Matt's played 13 years for a reason. He's a professional and he knows what he's doing and I still get the opportunity to work with him, play with him, learn from him. So no, all's not lost if I don't get the opportunity to start, but just continuing to work towards that goal."
It's important not to twist Locker's words here. He wants to compete and win the job, but the early signals suggest Hasselbeck is still in the plans. This could work to Locker's advantage. So few NFL quarterbacks have the chance to learn the game over an extended period of time; so many are tossed onto the field, and often ruined.
The Titans didn't draft Locker to play the role of career backup. What they are doing -- and what Locker seems to understand -- is carefully preparing to cash in on their investment when the time comes.