When the Titans made the surprising decision to take quarterback Jake Locker with the eighth overall pick in the draft, offensive coordinator Chris Palmer had a pretty good feeling that Locker would be a good fit in his system.
But Palmer has an even better feel for what Locker can do now. Palmer says that with no minicamps or organized team activities to prepare for, he’s got nothing to do except watch Locker’s film and get an idea of how his new quarterback fits into his offense.
“People say, ‘What are you doing [during the lockout]?’ Well, I’ve watched more film on Jake Locker after the draft than I did before the draft,” Palmer told the Tennessean. “I know he throws well on the run from our pre-draft evaluation, but as I’m looking at film from 2009, there were some [other] throws he made that I thought would fit in pretty good with us. I don’t know if I’d have that opportunity [during a normal offseason] because we’d be working with the players.”
Titans head coach Mike Munchak said that with a new staff, he actually thinks the lockout is working to his team’s advantage.
“Sometimes when you have a new coach, you’re talking to him and you’re thinking that you’re both saying the same thing,” Munchak said. “Then all of a sudden you’re watching tape or something happens in practice, and you realize you’re not thinking the same thing. So [the lockout] has been a good opportunity to clear that up.”
I guess that’s one thing the lockout is good for.