Yes, Will Rogers Acknowledged, It Was Hard Getting Demoted

As Husky Pro Day was winding down, Demond Williams Jr. exited Dempsey Indoor, where he had been a spectator, still clutching a football as he went out the door.

Luckily, there was more than one ball to go around on Monday inside the University of Washington's cavernous practice facility, because metaphorically there wasn't when the last two games of the season played out.

After starting 51 contests and passing for 14,773 yards at Mississippi State and the UW, Will Rogers unceremoniously was demoted as the starting quarterback in favor of Williams, long considered the Huskies' offensive leader of the future.

It clearly was a sensitive if not awkward situation for Rogers at the time -- with the Husky youth movement ultimately costing him his job and not helping his NFL aspirations in any manner -- and Husky coach Jedd Fisch moved quickly to put a spin on it, suggesting the veteran was OK with what transpired.

Rogers wasn't made available to the media back then in his back-up role, but he addressed the subject on Monday after finishing up his Pro Day outing.

“I think that it's hard in any profession, or any position on the field,” Rogers said. “If anybody tells you you’re not doing a good enough job and you’re getting demoted, whatever line of work it is, yeah, it’s hard. It was definitely challenging for me, but you just have to look at the man in the mirror and keep going forward, and just do the best you can with the situation you’re dealt.”

The Mississippi native looked sharp as he threw for the scouts to begin the week. In fact, he called out for someone doing an interview near the goal line to move slightly and then delivered a pinpoint pass to Giles Jackson in that very spot.

Rogers also dropped back threw a strike to an unlikely receiver, edge rusher Voi Tunuufi, who ran a crisp out route and caught the ball on the move, treating this chore as important as anything else did that morning.

Even when he lost his Husky startng role, the quarterback never lost sight of his long-range goal: He had to stay positive in order to keep his pro pursuits a possibility, even if they now had longer odds.

“I feel like I owe it to myself just to pour everything I have into playing as long as I can,” he said. “I’m a five-year starter in the SEC and the Big Ten. I feel like I owe it to myself to keep pushing forward and keep trying to get better every single day -- and earn a spot on an NFL team."

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