Terrelle Pryor move a positive for Raiders, The fourth and final preseason game usually doesn't mean much. The roster and starters are mostly set. For most teams, it's just a formality.
Ah, but not for the Raiders, who don't really do formalities. They have burning questions everywhere, including the Big Daddy of them all, the one that keeps intrigue flowing and social media humming:
Who is the starting quarterback?
Right now, it looks as though the job is Terrelle Pryor's to lose.
To the delight of most Raiders fans, Pryor will get the start Thursday night in Seattle. If he plays well again - as he did Friday night against Chicago - he probably will end up starting the regular-season opener in Indianapolis on Sept. 8. And that will energize Raiders fans, which is a good thing.
This team has to sell something and if it's the athletic promise of Pryor, well that's better than nothing. Which is the alternative.
Making Pryor the starter would, however, thwart the Raiders' original plan to go with Matt Flynn. The Raiders traded for Flynn in the offseason and signed him to a restructured two-year, $11.5 million deal, with a $6.5 million guaranteed. The job was his, even though he hadn't done too much to earn it, either in Seattle or Green Bay. But he was going to be the safe pick, the one that would hurt the Raiders the least.
Then Flynn committed the biggest no-no of a preseason: He was so bad, he gave his competition an opening. And when Pryor led the team on four scoring drives against the Bears - and looked good doing so - the Raiders suddenly had a full-blown controversy and only one remaining game to decide it.
Head coach Dennis Allen says Flynn's arm needs a rest. That could be true, or it could be convenient, or both. If Pryor doesn't play well, Flynn's arm magically could be better. If Pryor plays well, Flynn's arm still could be troubling him.
Flynn was disastrous Friday night, but Allen wasn't willing to blame it on arm issues.
"I don't know if that was a major factor," Allen said Monday. "As a team, I don't think we performed the way we needed to perform the other night."
Flynn was booed off the field, and the cheers went up when Pryor came in. He has been a fan favorite, gaining a special status as Al Davis' last pick, taken in the supplemental draft in August 2011. Davis died two months later.
Pryor appreciates the support he gets in Oakland, but said he feels bad for his teammate.
"It's a mixed emotion," he said. "Obviously, you want to be on the field and play but you also have feeling for the guy you're in the meeting room with 13 hours a day. I believe that you have to be with each other through thick and thin. When problems happen, you can't boo guys. We have to be better than that."
Pryor will have a challenge in Seattle, where the Seahawks will have their last tuneup for a season they hope will end in the Super Bowl - their first home game of the regular season is the epic Week 2 matchup with the 49ers. The Seahawks have arguably the most intimidating home atmosphere in the NFL and a deep and ferocious defense. Pryor, who will have a rookie who had his third padded practice Monday protecting his blind side, will be tested.
Pryor - who surprised people in last season's finale by playing better than expected - has won over a lot of people, with his athleticism, work ethic and attitude.
"He's put a lot of work in the offseason," Allen said. "He works extremely hard. He wants to be really good. He still has a lot of work to do and I think he understands that, but the thing he brings is an element of athleticism that can get him out of trouble."
And that might be the key. Because given the state of the Raiders' offensive line, the quarterback might be in trouble a lot. As in constantly.
Pryor is extremely impressive off the field. He came into the league under a cloud and with questions about his character, stemming from the NCAA investigation and subsequent probation for Ohio State. He could have developed a bad attitude or declared he was getting a raw deal. Instead, he has worked hard and is unflinching about his need to improve as a passer. He worked with quarterback arm mechanic Tom House - the guru to Tom Brady and Drew Brees - in the offseason.
"I need to be more accurate," he said in training camp. Not a revelation, but you'd be surprised how hard it is for NFL players to be so honest.
"Every day, I'm getting 1 percent better and I won't stop until I get to my goal," Pryor said when he learned he would start Thursday. "That's my goal, to be a starting quarterback and to lead a team to wins, wins, wins. I won't stop until it happens."
It might happen sooner than expected.
Ah, but not for the Raiders, who don't really do formalities. They have burning questions everywhere, including the Big Daddy of them all, the one that keeps intrigue flowing and social media humming:
Who is the starting quarterback?
Right now, it looks as though the job is Terrelle Pryor's to lose.
To the delight of most Raiders fans, Pryor will get the start Thursday night in Seattle. If he plays well again - as he did Friday night against Chicago - he probably will end up starting the regular-season opener in Indianapolis on Sept. 8. And that will energize Raiders fans, which is a good thing.
This team has to sell something and if it's the athletic promise of Pryor, well that's better than nothing. Which is the alternative.
Making Pryor the starter would, however, thwart the Raiders' original plan to go with Matt Flynn. The Raiders traded for Flynn in the offseason and signed him to a restructured two-year, $11.5 million deal, with a $6.5 million guaranteed. The job was his, even though he hadn't done too much to earn it, either in Seattle or Green Bay. But he was going to be the safe pick, the one that would hurt the Raiders the least.
Then Flynn committed the biggest no-no of a preseason: He was so bad, he gave his competition an opening. And when Pryor led the team on four scoring drives against the Bears - and looked good doing so - the Raiders suddenly had a full-blown controversy and only one remaining game to decide it.
Head coach Dennis Allen says Flynn's arm needs a rest. That could be true, or it could be convenient, or both. If Pryor doesn't play well, Flynn's arm magically could be better. If Pryor plays well, Flynn's arm still could be troubling him.
Flynn was disastrous Friday night, but Allen wasn't willing to blame it on arm issues.
"I don't know if that was a major factor," Allen said Monday. "As a team, I don't think we performed the way we needed to perform the other night."
Flynn was booed off the field, and the cheers went up when Pryor came in. He has been a fan favorite, gaining a special status as Al Davis' last pick, taken in the supplemental draft in August 2011. Davis died two months later.
Pryor appreciates the support he gets in Oakland, but said he feels bad for his teammate.
"It's a mixed emotion," he said. "Obviously, you want to be on the field and play but you also have feeling for the guy you're in the meeting room with 13 hours a day. I believe that you have to be with each other through thick and thin. When problems happen, you can't boo guys. We have to be better than that."
Pryor will have a challenge in Seattle, where the Seahawks will have their last tuneup for a season they hope will end in the Super Bowl - their first home game of the regular season is the epic Week 2 matchup with the 49ers. The Seahawks have arguably the most intimidating home atmosphere in the NFL and a deep and ferocious defense. Pryor, who will have a rookie who had his third padded practice Monday protecting his blind side, will be tested.
Pryor - who surprised people in last season's finale by playing better than expected - has won over a lot of people, with his athleticism, work ethic and attitude.
"He's put a lot of work in the offseason," Allen said. "He works extremely hard. He wants to be really good. He still has a lot of work to do and I think he understands that, but the thing he brings is an element of athleticism that can get him out of trouble."
And that might be the key. Because given the state of the Raiders' offensive line, the quarterback might be in trouble a lot. As in constantly.
Pryor is extremely impressive off the field. He came into the league under a cloud and with questions about his character, stemming from the NCAA investigation and subsequent probation for Ohio State. He could have developed a bad attitude or declared he was getting a raw deal. Instead, he has worked hard and is unflinching about his need to improve as a passer. He worked with quarterback arm mechanic Tom House - the guru to Tom Brady and Drew Brees - in the offseason.
"I need to be more accurate," he said in training camp. Not a revelation, but you'd be surprised how hard it is for NFL players to be so honest.
"Every day, I'm getting 1 percent better and I won't stop until I get to my goal," Pryor said when he learned he would start Thursday. "That's my goal, to be a starting quarterback and to lead a team to wins, wins, wins. I won't stop until it happens."
It might happen sooner than expected.
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