By: Jake Rajala

The utterly quick human being Darren Sproles entered the league as a fourth-round draft pick with the San Diego Chargers in 2005. Sproles didn’t gain steam in his rookie season nor his sophomore season (as he missed the entire season with a broken foot), but he did make flashes of greatness in his third season: 6 total touchdowns, 672 all-purpose yards, and two return touchdowns.

He really blossomed with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in 2011. He recorded set an all-purpose yard record (2,696 yards/1,313 yards from scrimmage) in his first season in the Big Easy. Peyton Manning was quite jealous that Brees had a weapon like Sproles in his arsenal. The 5’6 Sproles was still the x-factor (as opponents focused on the 6’7 Jimmy Graham) in 2012 — as Sproles unleashed 911 yards from scrimmage and 8 total touchdowns in 13 games.

Sproles might have been an “aging RB”, but his versatility allowed him to excel at his next home: Philadelphia. Sproles joined another offense with a creative play-caller in Chip Kelly. In 2014, he recorded two punt return touchdowns (outside of six rushing and receiving touchdowns), earned a trip to the Pro Bowl, and he was named second-team All-Pro. The do-it-all-RB would also have a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 and 2016.

Sproles finished his career with 55 RRTDs and 9 return touchdowns (including 7 punt return touchdowns). He won’t be a Hall of Fame candidate, but will certainly be remembered as one of the NFL’s best x-factors.

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The Tennessee Titans drafted Jake Locker with their eighth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Locker was a part of the legendary 2011 draft class, which featured profiles like J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Cam Newton, Julio Jones, and Cameron Jordan. It’s safe to say in 2022 that Locker didn’t prove to be a star from the 2011 NFL draft.

Locker was an occasional backup QB in 2011 behind the legendary QB Matt Hasselback. Locker was then moved into the starting QB chair in the 2012 season. The QB that had lots of hype and intangibles didn’t quite show any real potential in 2012. He ousted a 4-7 record as the starter while throwing 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The injury bug haunted Locker in 2012, as he missed five games with a torn shoulder.

The Titans high draft pick really showed growth in 2013, as he unveiled a 4-3 record (as a starter) and threw 8 touchdowns to 4 interceptions. Yet, the Achilles of Locker rose again: he suffered a Lisfranc injury on November 10th, which ended his season.

Locker regressed in 2014, which would also be his last season in the league. Zach Mettenberger and Charlie Whitehurst were the mixed bags of tricks until December. Locker was then inserted, but his weakness followed him soon. He sputtered out with a 1-4 and suffered a serious shoulder injury in December, which ended his season and career.

Many fans ask the question: why did Locker retire after the 2014 season? Did Locker grow weary of his injuries and potentially life-long consequences of his constant significant injuries? Was Locker lacking a love of the game, just as Andrew Luck became less pleased with the risk/reward of playing football? Perhaps, Locker wanted to exit the NFL at a time when his injury history might overweight his lack of production in the league?

I honestly thought the combination of injuries and lack of talent shown by Locker drove him to early retirement. Although, I recently came to the conclusion that his decision was more based on the constant injuries he suffered in each season. Locker did actually show some playmaking ability in the 2013 season. He should have had some confidence in himself.

According to Sports Illustrated, Chip Kelly reportedly was interested in his services. If Locker really wanted to have a rich and long career in the league, I have a hard time imagining he would turn down a chance to play with Kelly. If Locker didn’t accumulate to a special player in Philly for a season, there wouldn’t be a change in the legacy for Locker. Yet, if he shined in Kelly’s offense, just as “Nick Foles” did for a short period, he would prove that he did deserve to be a starting QB in the league. Nonetheless, I believe he truly didn’t care about the league and his injury concerns weren’t worth the cost of football in his mind. In addition to his football life and sports perspective, Locker was also a deeply religious person.

If Locker really cared about people’s perspective on him “being a bust”, he certainly would have taken the quick golden ticket to Chip Kelly’s high-scoring offense.

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