Jake Locker is no sure thing to win the Titans’ starting quarterback position, according to one of the Titans’ backups.
Titans sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that his goal is to get the job “from day one.”
“I’m going to make Jake work that much harder, make Charlie [Whitehurst] work that much harder, cause I’m coming everyday. And I’m bringing my best effort and my hardest work to the facility everyday to show that I shot be the guy playing,” Mettenberger said.
Mettenberger isn’t trying to stir up a quarterback controversy, he’s just saying that he wouldn’t be doing his job if he weren’t working every day as if he plans to start.
“I think that’s the approach any guy worth his salt has,” Mettenberger said. “You’re not only thinking about the short team, but you also have a long-term view of yourself as a player and a person. We don’t play this game to ride the bench, you don’t play this game to just get a paycheck – at least the good ones don’t. You play this game because you love it, you love competing, and you wanna play. That’s what I’m doing.”
Realistically, it’s almost impossible for Mettenberger -- or any sixth-round draft pick -- to beat out an established starter, even one with some questions about his long-term viability like Locker. The far more likely scenario is that Locker opens the season as the starter, Whitehurst opens the season as the backup, and Mettenberger opens the season third on the depth chart.
But Locker has struggled to stay healthy, and there are questions about whether the new coaching staff believes in him as the long-term answer. Mettenberger almost certainly won’t be the Titans’ Week One starter, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he’s the Titans’ Week 17 starter.