QB/WR Terrelle Pryor ('10 Rose, '11 Sugar MVP)

[mendensa]

But, really, who didn't expect for problems to arise this season? He is only a Sophomore.

Again, I don't think people are being unrealistic with typical progressions that you would like/expect to see with a player with the individual skill-set/talent he has and the playing time he has had to this point.

I wasn't thinking and most football educated individuals on this board weren't thinking Heisman or even undefeated this year in year 2 of the TP project. But I also think he is surrounded by enough fire power that this offense should be a lot more potent than it is. Sophomore slump? bad o-line play? Play calling? Blame it on whatever you want. The offensive numbers are disturbing. And they have been before TP even got here. A lot of talent on the outside going to waste. He also has a great defense on the other side of the ball that would be able to get the opposing offenses off the field if they weren't heavily leaned on every possession b/c the offense can't move the chains and TP continues to turn the ball over and put them in tough spots. Conservative Tressel ball only works when the O doesn't turn it over and the D is semi-dominant. If either of those 2 things isn't in line it equals a dog fight even when up against some of the weaker Big 10 opponents (like a Purdue). In the Big 10, you can get away w/ that recipe 9 out of 10 games b/c of OSU's individual player talent alone. But you can see how those numbers get scewed when we play against another defense that is as good as OSU's. The lack of offensive production shows up ten-fold.

 

[TheIronColonel]

Look, it's clear that he's got the capability to throw beautiful passes. When he steps into his throw and lets it rip, he can be really great (see the 5:44 mark below): [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi6P6BQSZhM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi6P6BQSZhM[/ame] Unfortunately, those kinds of passes are very few and far between. This has nothing to do with physical ability, it has everything to do with maturation and repetition of doing the right things until they become second nature. As has been previously stated, he really didn't have the fundamentals drilled into him before coming here; that's just going to take time to happen. It is. Accept it. Once he gets to the point where every throw is a subconscious read-step-let 'er rip, he's going to be very hard to stop (see the above video). His physical gifts are otherworldly, but you can't win on physical gifts alone (trying to do so results in forcing everything and turnovers).

 

[Oh8ch]

(see the 5:44 mark below):

Mark 5:44

"So the first will be last and the last will make first downs."

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

You made some good points but this is my favorite. Tressel throw a screen pass on a blitzing down? It makes sense to us but apparently not to him. Instead, keep getting your QB sacked. That makes more sense. I've been waitng about 6 years for the Buckeyes to utilize the screen more frequently. How many have we run? A hand full in the past 3-4 years?

They ran several screens on Saturday, including the one immediately following the holding penalty where Pryor was hit almost immediately and fumbled.

 

[smith403]

He really seems to be very indecisive...run,should I pass, run, sack...we know he's an awesome talent but not sure of his focus and the need for painstaking attention to details

 

[southcampus]

I guess I might as well chime in here since everyone else has already. Terrelle is going to be fine here at OSU. Some people may be questioning whether it will be a at QB or another position but I think we can all agree he will be fine in some way or another. I really do attribute the change in our offense as being a major reason why Terrelle is still looking like a rookie out there. People say you need to be at least a year into a system before you get it down, well what system are we running? I can tell you that it's not the same as last year, or even the same as the beginning of this year. Our coaches are still trying to figure out what to do with this group of kids as much as Terrelle is trying to find a rhythm.
Right now he is taking a lot of heat, and it's hard to to say he wasn't responsible for his own play this past weekend. But our entire offensive unit looked poor, from the coaching staff, to the pass blocking, to Terrelle's passes, etc. Our entire offensive unit will get on track as soon as they start to gel and work as a unit towards a common goal. I'm not sure we have an offensive goal at this point and I think we are going to need one before Terrelle and our offense can move the ball consistently.

 

[buckeyebri]

The best things the coaches and team can do for Terelle Pryor, the defense, and Ohio State football:

1. O line play. Ohio State has great talent on the line. They need to deliver
2. Play calling. Run first, pass second. The running backs need to put 150 yards a game on our opponents. We need at least 35 minutes of possession the next two games.
3. Play calling. Pryor needs to have ten designed running plays a game and get another 50 yards. 200 yards rushing in total.
4. Play calling. Short slants across the middle. Screen passes. Stop the secondary from committing to stopping the run by throwing short passes that keep them off-balance.
5. If we get the chance, take the opening kickoff and use a sustained drive to put a touchdown on the board. No home runs. Woody ball. Three yards at a time and short passes.

Woody ball = Tressel ball?

 

[ThirdGenBuckeye]

I guess I might as well chime in here since everyone else has already. Terrelle is going to be fine here at OSU. Some people may be questioning whether it will be a at QB or another position but I think we can all agree he will be fine in some way or another. I really do attribute the change in our offense as being a major reason why Terrelle is still looking like a rookie out there. People say you need to be at least a year into a system before you get it down, well what system are we running? I can tell you that it's not the same as last year, or even the same as the beginning of this year. Our coaches are still trying to figure out what to do with this group of kids as much as Terrelle is trying to find a rhythm.
Right now he is taking a lot of heat, and it's hard to to say he wasn't responsible for his own play this past weekend. But our entire offensive unit looked poor, from the coaching staff, to the pass blocking, to Terrelle's passes, etc. Our entire offensive unit will get on track as soon as they start to gel and work as a unit towards a common goal. I'm not sure we have an offensive goal at this point and I think we are going to need one before Terrelle and our offense can move the ball consistently.

+1

 

[nwbuckeye]

Kneejerk, armchair quarterback here but my gut feeling is TP is just trying too hard to be a pocket passer and passing up huge gains sometimes with the pass first, run second mentality that we are trying to ingrain in him. I have seen him attempt to dump the ball off to a receiver five yards away when there is a gaping hole that he could easily tuck and run for large gains. Instead in a minute of indecision he throws an akward pass with the result of zero yards gained where a dual threat quarterback should be cutting up field for an easy first down.

I think we are making a huge mistake in forcing him to be a pocket passer too soon; we are better served in my opionion to have let his first few years be a true dual threat qb who gradually converts over to a pocket passer as his grasp of the offense grows. Let him throw lots of shorter passes to wr's, over the middle to the tight end, screens, shovel passes anything that gets his confidence up while giving us a chance to move the chains. He just looks like he is thinking way too much and not letting his natural instincts take over; when the hole is there he needs take what the defense is giving him (preferable up the field and not around the corner )

Obviously our o-line play doesnt help the matter much but they seem to be better at run blocking than pass blocking right now so let them do their thing and establish the run first and mix the pass in as the team and TP in particular gains some confidence as the game unfolds. Our defense has been playing lights out by and large but they can only hold out for so long when the offense is constantly going three and out.

I guess the bottom line to me is that he and maybe the coaching staff are trying so hard to turn him into a pure pocket qb NOW, that we are amost ignoring the gifts that he has TODAY. I still have no doubt that TP will be a very good qb eventually and a more than adequate pure passer. Our unrealistic and his seemingly WAY too much self imposed pressure to be the man now, leading us to a NC every year that he is here, is hurting his decision making so much so that it is affecting the offensive progression as a whole. Relax, take what the defense is giving you and keep it simple; the big plays will come as his grasp of the system improves with age.

 

[1926Buckeyes]

He really seems to be very indecisive...run,should I pass, run, sack...we know he's an awesome talent but not sure of his focus and the need for painstaking attention to details

Don't worry, Bauserman has Favre's arm, Manning's accuracy, the quickest release in the nation, etc...at least that's what my friend's tell me...


Man OSU has just been loaded at the backup position for the past couple of years

 

[ScarletInMyVeins]

Well it's supposed to be wet, windy, and 60 saturday. I have a feeling we're in for a treat this weekend.

 

[utgrad73]

Well it's supposed to be wet, windy, and 60 saturday. I have a feeling we're in for a treat this weekend.

Found this video highlight of TP and others making a few great plays. You know there's more like this just about ready to bust out!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t3E5hGx-Fw]YouTube - 2009 Ohio State Football Music Video :: Kanye West - Amazing[/ame]

 

[daddyphatsacs]

Kneejerk, armchair quarterback here but my gut feeling is TP is just trying too hard to be a pocket passer and passing up huge gains sometimes with the pass first, run second mentality that we are trying to ingrain in him. I have seen him attempt to dump the ball off to a receiver five yards away when there is a gaping hole that he could easily tuck and run for large gains. Instead in a minute of indecision he throws an akward pass with the result of zero yards gained where a dual threat quarterback should be cutting up field for an easy first down.

I think we are making a huge mistake in forcing him to be a pocket passer too soon; we are better served in my opionion to have let his first few years be a true dual threat qb who gradually converts over to a pocket passer as his grasp of the offense grows. Let him throw lots of shorter passes to wr's, over the middle to the tight end, screens, shovel passes anything that gets his confidence up while giving us a chance to move the chains. He just looks like he is thinking way too much and not letting his natural instincts take over; when the hole is there he needs take what the defense is giving him (preferable up the field and not around the corner )

Obviously our o-line play doesnt help the matter much but they seem to be better at run blocking than pass blocking right now so let them do their thing and establish the run first and mix the pass in as the team and TP in particular gains some confidence as the game unfolds. Our defense has been playing lights out by and large but they can only hold out for so long when the offense is constantly going three and out.

I guess the bottom line to me is that he and maybe the coaching staff are trying so hard to turn him into a pure pocket qb NOW, that we are amost ignoring the gifts that he has TODAY. I still have no doubt that TP will be a very good qb eventually and a more than adequate pure passer. Our unrealistic and his seemingly WAY too much self imposed pressure to be the man now, leading us to a NC every year that he is here, is hurting his decision making so much so that it is affecting the offensive progression as a whole. Relax, take what the defense is giving you and keep it simple; the big plays will come as his grasp of the system improves with age.

Great post, it sums up pretty much all of my thoughts on the Pryor subject. I'd like to see a lot more of his runs. What he forgets sometimes, I think, is that the passes will come with the run, so will confidence. I'm hoping to see more of that on Saturday.

If I were Tress I'd button him up from the press a bit and try to put out the fire on the subject. It can (and will) turn in a minute if Pryor starts making plays again.

 

[JBaney45]

Well it's supposed to be wet, windy, and 60 saturday. I have a feeling we're in for a treat this weekend.

Dunno if the Minnesota defensive players are crazy about facing a TP that's had to listen to people talk down on him all week. I mean look at what they got from him when he wasn't [censored]ed..

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ynPh4tF5Bc]YouTube - Terrelle Pryor vs Minnesota Defender(Huge Hit)[/ame]

 

[MaxBuck]

I need to sound off on one phenomenon that has me royally pissed off - those knuckleheads who posit that Pryor "is an athlete, not a QB," suggesting he'll never be very good leading the Buckeye offense. What stupidity.

I'll acknowledge that Pryor's development has been less rapid than all of us would like. But in retrospect, how surprised should we be? Terrelle was a transcendent athlete playing QB at a relatively small high school in western PA, against competition several levels below what most top-level recruits have faced. His success relied upon "just being Terrelle," and as a consequence he likely developed a number of bad habits that impede his development at D1 college level against far superior opponents. Ingrained habits are hard to break, and for some folks, some can be nearly impossible. In other people, though, there is a "light coming on" moment that can't be predicted ahead of time.

Can Pryor improve to become the Heisman candidate we were all hoping for (and, let's be honest, expecting)? Who knows? Nobody can accurately predict development of QBs; that's why the correlation between draft position and success in the NFL at the position is so poor. But it's way too early to say he cannot, or that he is "not a quarterback." With that said, I certainly understand the frustration of Buckeye fans who allowed themselves to believe (with some enabling by the media) to expect instant success from the young man. But harsh criticism of him doesn't seem likely to advance the process of improvement at all.

JMHO.