Poole: Oakland Raiders' Terrelle Pryor shows promise in debut as starting quarterback
By Monte Poole
Bay Area News Group
Posted: 12/30/2012
SAN DIEGO -- Plenty of passes missed their target, and a few simply were dropped. Some wobbled, others sailed. Only one deserves to be included in an instructional video.
Yet Terrelle Pryor is considerably less mysterious after spending three hours on an NFL field Sunday afternoon.
Much more important than the game itself, a 24-21 season-ending loss by the Raiders to the San Diego Chargers, was Pryor's three-hour debut as a starter, an audition to determine if he might someday evolve from tantalizing project to reliable NFL quarterback.
He just might.
Pryor's performance, even in defeat and despite scattered showers that turned Qualcomm Stadium into a well-manicured swamp, confirmed there is enough potential for the Raiders to rededicate themselves to developing him as a passer.
Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor runs the ball against the San Diego Chargers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy) ( Denis Poroy )
"He did some good things," coach Dennis Allen said of Pryor, who spent most of the season as an inactive third-stringer. "Obviously, there's still some work to be done."
Plenty of work still to be done. Pryor is not yet ready to start in the NFL, much less win. He is not a truly accurate passer and may never be. He needs to shorten his memory after mistakes. He faces a steep learning curve. He is adjusting to the speed of the league.
But he was not at all the disaster some feared he might be, based on an erratic training camp and uneven practices.
"On a wet, soggy field, I was most pleased with the way he protected the football,"general manager Reggie McKenzie said. "You can point to the things that didn't look so good, the passes he missed, but under those conditions he protected the ball and gave himself a chance to finish plays."
Pryor's passing numbers were pedestrian: 13 of 28 for 150 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. His best throw surely was a beautiful 38-yard pass to wide receiver Rod Streater that led to Oakland's second touchdown, a 3-yard scamper by Pryor.
The 23-year-old showed himself to be a sturdy and elusive runner, as expected (49 yards on nine carries). He flashed leadership ability, which could not have been presumed. And his competitive desire, a key component for the growth of any quarterback, was unmistakable.
Pryor's aptitude for leadership and thirst for victory were on display early in the second quarter. During a second-and-14 play from the San Diego 17, Raiders running back Mike Goodson engaged in a scuffle with Chargers linebacker Takeo Spikes, which led to teammates coming to the aid of each. Pryor physically yanked Goodson away from the scrum, flinging his teammate to the turf.
cont...