Tennessee Titans: Will Ken Whisenhunt Be Good For Locker?

The Titans shocked a number of fans and analyst by pulling Ken Whisenhunt out from under the Detroit Lions. The theory is that the stage was better set with its current cast in Detroit for Whisenhunt to find immediate success. Apparently he liked what the Titans had here.

There are of course other variables. Whisenhunt is familiar with Nashville having already resided here during a coaching stint at Vanderbilt. The weather is surely nicer and the city has become a bustling metropolis full of matriculating families and young professionals, full of activities for a variety of cultures.

You need to also credit Ruston Webster and Tommy Smith. You have to like your bosses as well and know that you will be able to work with them long term.

All that aside, it seems Whisenhunt actually likes what he has to work with on the Titans, in particular Jake Locker. Whisenhunt has been credited with developing Ben Roethlisberger, reinvigorating Kurt Warner and most recently turning around Philip Rivers stalling career. He played against Locker earlier this season and lost in dramatic fashion as Locker engineered a game winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter.

Chris Wesseling at NFL.com says the following:

The Titans' full-court press on Whisenhunt over the past couple of days suggests the front office galvanized its opinion on Locker, placing a high priority on his graduation to franchise quarterback level

That's good news for fans of Jake Locker and rings true to what Ruston Webster has stated publicly all along.

Locker will have a tough road ahead. He needs to recover from his lisfranc surgery and will now be working with his 3rd system in as many years as a starting quarterback. You can ask Alex Smith how hard that makes it to progress. He's shown that he has the potential and has overcome his stigma of inaccuracy that followed him to the NFL from college. Now he just needs to stay healthy.

Hopefully the fans will see on the field next fall, what Whisenhunt saw in the Titans this winter.