While it is a year later than most pundits expected, Jake formally begins his quest for a football career at the next level today at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Following an announcement that he would return to the University of Washington to play his senior year of football–surprising many in the media that predicted he would be a top pick in the ’10 NFL draft and reinvigorating a faithful
Husky fan base–Jake and th U.W. football team experienced a season of highs and lows, a campaign that ended with a 4 game win streak and a signature Holiday Bowl victory against a highly ranked and talented Nebraska team. The perfect conclusion to a season filled with challenges and joy is now in the rearview mirror, and Jake is ready to make the long awaited move to the next level.
“If there’s a better job in the world than playing football and getting paid for it, I’ve never heard of it,” Jake told the Washington Post recently. “I’ve played it for free my whole life. And now, to have this dream manifest itself and come to a head here, it’s just an incredible opportunity. ”
While each snap and each throw has been scrutinized through this week’s Senior Bowl practices, the week long media debate on his professional potential is just a continuation of the microscope he has been under for 4 years. And, no matter the perceived pressure or the doubters of his decisions to date, Jake will embrace it as he has throughout his collegiate career: with an unabashed optimism and honesty.
“My policy is always to be honest. I have nothing to hide. I feel comfortable with the decisions I made and why I made them. I don’t expect them all to understand. They didn’t experience what I did, they didn’t go through what I did, they didn’t create the memories that I did.”
The game starts at 12:30 p.m. (pacific time) on the NFL Network.