The Titans have been waiting patiently for quarterback Jake Locker to return to the lineup and it continues to look like that wait will come to an end this Sunday.
Locker’s been cleared for a return to contact and coach Mike Munchak said that there is nothing for the team to gain by putting off his return until after the bye in Week 11. Munchak actually said he thought waiting that long could hurt Locker by forcing him to remain on the sideline even longer. Quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains said that the team can’t afford to have a rusty Locker in the lineup and that’s just going to get harder to avoid the longer that Locker is out.
The only real reason to keep Locker out at this point would be to protect him from further injury, something that doesn’t seem to be a big factor in the Titans’ decision or in Locker’s approach. He’d wear a harness to protect his left shoulder and said that it wouldn’t change the way he plays.
“I am not going to go out and play with any concerns, or anything in the back of my mind. I am just going to go out and play like I always have,” Locker said, via Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “I am not going to worry about that, because if it’s going to happen it is inevitable. There is no way I can prevent it.”
Matt Hasselbeck hasn’t done a terrible job with Locker out of the lineup, but the Titans need to give Locker as much time as possible over the final seven games of this season to have a clear idea on where things will go from here. It continues to look like they’ll start formulating that idea this Sunday.