UW NOTEBOOK

Published 11:54 pm Tuesday, September 30, 2008

SEATTLE—While many Husky fans don’t like the thought of their quarterback risking injury by playing another position, Jake Locker did nothing to quiet that debate when he met with reporters Tuesday for the first time since fracturing his thumb in a loss to Stanford.

Locker injured himself blocking on a reverse run in the second quarter of Saturday’s loss, and had surgery yesterday to repair the first metacarpal bone in his right hand. Locker won’t be able to play quarterback for six to eight weeks, but not long after the injury occurred, speculation started that Locker could return earlier at another position. UW coach Tyrone Willingham didn’t rule out that possibility Monday, and neither did Locker Tuesday.

“Yeah, I’m definitely open to it,” said Locker, who wore a soft cast and had his right arm in a sling. “I’d rather be playing than standing on the sidelines, so whatever is in the best interest of this team, whether it’s playing or not, I’ll give it a shot.”

Locker will have a follow up visit with his doctor in two weeks, and expects that a cast will be put on at that point.

Locker, who said the play was designed to have him blocking, said he caught his hand on a Stanford defender while making a block. He sounded like the potential of another injury wouldn’t keep him from playing another position if he and the coaches thought it was a good idea.

“I understand that and that is something that would factor in to the decision,” he said. “I’ve told you guys before, I don’t want to live life scared or tentative. I want to enjoy it and have fun and I believe the best way to do that is to be on the field, no matter where it is.”

Whether he plays any time soon or not, Locker knows he’ll have to wait for a while before he can run the Husky offense.

“That’s tough,” he said. “That’s a long time to know you’re not going to go out there and play. It was difficult. It’s something that is kind of inevitable and I just have to work as hard as I can to get back out there.”

Locker also addressed his sideline behavior in the second half. Television cameras showed him laughing and having a good time as Washington was losing its fourth straight game, something that was upsetting to some fans.

“I think you guys know me and the fact that, yeah, it sucks being injured and not be able to play, but to sulk and feel bad for myself and be a negative vibe is not going to help anybody, especially those guys that are in the game and that I was out there with,” he said. “I need to be a guy coming out on the sideline that they knew still believed in them. They knew I was still there for them. And I truly do believe they can get it done. I needed to show them that. So me coming out and sulking and being really down wasn’t going to do anything positive for any of those guys. I was just trying to be as good a teammate as I could at that point and let them know I was there for them, and that I believe that they can do it.”

Locker would like it if part of being a good teammate involves traveling to Arizona. Teams normally don’t travel injured players because of roster restrictions, but Willingham and offensive coordinator Tim Lappano have said that Locker’s leadership would be helpful enough that they might use a spot on the travel roster for Locker.

“Oh yeah, I’d like to be there for the guys, especially for (quarterback) Ronnie (Fouch),” Locker said. “He helps me when I’m out there, maybe things I didn’t see. Same thing for him when he’s out there.”

Surgery for Davenport: Cornerback Byron Davenport, who suffered an ankle injury in fall camp and has been out all season, apparently also has a knee problem.

Asked about Davenport’s status Tuesday, Willingham said that the senior will have surgery in the next couple of weeks to correct an old knee injury that has returned.

No Dailey: Freshman tailback Terrance Dailey unexpectedly did not suit up for Saturday’s game against Stanford. On Tuesday, he was absent from the early part of practice that is open to the media.

More injuries: Linebacker Donald Butler (concussion) and receiver D’Andre Goodwin (ribs) were in pads Tuesday but were wearing red no-contact jerseys. Goodwin, who injured himself falling on the ball against Stanford, said before practice Tuesday that he expects to play this week. The sophomore appeared to be moving gingerly and looked to be in pain during practice, however.

Darin Harris continues to sit out while recovering from a concussion suffered against BYU, but another safety, Victor Aiyewa (groin), returned to practice for the first time in a while, and appeared to be moving well in the early stages of practice.

Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog