Competition for starting role: QBs Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker split snaps 50-50 -NFL News
Tennessee Titans’ coach, Mike Munchak, has implemented the 50-50 snap share scheme for the incumbent veteran quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, and his competitor, Jake Locker, setting separate sessions for them to take snaps on the starting position.
Both players are thrust into the competition for the starting position as Titans started organised team activities (OTAs) last week, and the coach believes he should be able to know who is going to be their quarterback number one by the preseason game on
August 23.
He said:
"The quarterback is the one position everyone's going to be honing in on because it's the most important position on a team, but we would like that for all positions."
The coach added:
"You're hoping that decisions are made as quickly as they can be. You're doing what's best for the team. So when you go into that third game, you would like to have a good feel for what your plan is."
Under the scheme, both players are split for 50-50 snaps, and according to the coach, there are separate days set for them to speak to the reporters.
Hasselbeck spoke to reporters on Friday, the day for him to meet media, while Locker will be doing so on Wednesday next week.
Hasselbeck has expressively accepted the challenge of competition at the position.
He said
"The advice I give to guys over the years is you're not really competing with the guys at your position."
The talk of the competition between the two players for the starting role emerged for the first time during the 2011 National Football League (NFL) season when Locker had a couple of opportunities to perform into the role of Hasselbeck in his absence due
to some injuries.
Locker’s performance impressed the team and a question around the prospects of Hasselbeck continuing to be QB no. 1 started gaining grounds among Titans managers and independent football punters.
Now as promised by the coach, the position has been left open for the competition and the team aims to know by the stipulated date whether Hasselbeck or Locker will start for them next season.
Hasselbeck’s place had earlier been threatened when Titans all of sudden started exploring an opportunity for signing former Indianapolis Colts’ star quarterback, Peyton Manning, off the free agency.
The QB eventually survived the scare as Manning later joined the Denver Broncos.
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