Brady Henderson
Jon Gruden not convinced Seahawks will take a quarterback with 25th pick
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By Brady Henderson
When Jon Gruden talks about quarterbacks, people listen.
That’s what me and several media members from around the country did in a conference call Tuesday with the former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst.
The questions mostly centered on the quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, some of whom have been featured in Gruden’s QB Camp on ESPN.
Here are a few highlights from the conference call:
I asked Gruden which quarterback that figures to be still available late in the first round would fit best with the Seahawks and the scheme new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell plans to install.
Gruden’s response: “That’s assuming that Hasselbeck is not coming back to Seattle because clearly Matt Hasselbeck, under his tutelage from Mike Holmgren, fits this offense. I don’t know that they don’t stay with Hasselbeck and try to build their football team in other areas. They just made a move last year getting Charlie Whitehurst. It all depends on how they look at their current stable of quarterbacks before they select a guy in the first round.
“They’re going to know Jake Locker better than me, better than anybody. He plays right in their backyard. He plays under Steve Sarkisian, who’s a West Coast guy himself, and at times during his career has shown that he can handle the volume of that attack and make the throws that it calls for.
 Jon Gruden thinks Jake Locker’s accuracy might have suffered due to all the contact he endured in four years as Washington’s quarterback. (AP) |
“But I think all these quarterbacks we’re talking about have the potential to be very good West Coast players under the new regime there. But it’s going to take time. Three of these guys are juniors and a couple of these guys, like Andy Dalton, are coming from a no-huddle spread attack and they’re going to need to develop these traits and instincts.”
When asked specifically about Locker, Gruden said the wear and tear that came with being the focal point of the Huskies’ offense for four years might have been a factor in Locker’s accuracy problems at Washington.
“This guy took a lot of punishment. The whole offense was built around No. 10. From a running standpoint, from a passing standpoint, this guy was involved significantly on every snap for the Huskies,” Gruden said. “He does have to improve his accuracy. But I think when you’re hit a lot and asked to do as much as Locker’s been asked to do, sometimes your fundamentals wane a little bit. They disappear in key situations.
“He does have a good, strong arm. He’s an outstanding athlete. He’s got very good elusiveness and straight line speed with some power, and I think he loves football. I think there is a real passionate fire inside this guy that somebody’s going to capture. He would be a fun guy to coach. I know that.”
Elaborating, Gruden said that while Locker’s accuracy is a “big concern,” it’s something that can be fixed at the next level.
“If you pick up the Southern Cal film from this year, if you pick up the Oregon State film from this year, you can see what this guy’s capable of doing. He can be a one-man wrecking machine,” Gruden said of Locker. “There is a brilliant talent inside this body he’s got. It’s a matter of regaining his fundamentals, confidence and composure a little bit, and he’ll be fine.
Follow Brady Henderson on Twitter @BradyHenderson
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