Terrelle Pryor Now Official Starting Quarterback For Oakland Raiders
By JL Herrera
Terrelle Pryor was named the official starting quarterback for the rest of the season for the Oakland Raiders after Sunday's loss against the Indianapolis Colts. Coach Dennis Allen also reaffirmed his decision at a press conference held on Monday.
According to Allen, he had made up his decision on the official starting quarterback at the end of preseason. However, Allen did not want to announce his decision before Week 1 in attempts to take the Colts off guard. It almost worked!
The Colts claimed that after the game on Sunday that they had prepared for Pryor, who almost had his way in Indy, running 112 yards and throwing for 217.
After the game on Sunday, Coach Dennis Allen stated that he was impressed with Pryor and how he moved the chains. Allen added that Pryor did exactly what he was looking for.
However, Allen did state that Pryor needs to work on a few things and still has room for growth.
Pryor's performance was very satisfying, even though the Oakland Raiders lost. He became the seventh quarterback to throw for at least 200 yards and rush for at least 100 in a game.
Other quarterbacks who've achieved this include Michael Vick (twice), Donovan McNabb, Steve Young, Cam Newton, Aaron Brooks, and Randall Cunningham.
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have an inexperienced defense that is in the works of rebuilding. For their opener on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jaguars only had one sack. The defense was not able to stop anything. The only luck they had was stopping Jamaal Charles on rushing for only 77 yards.
The Oakland Raiders with Terrelle Pryor and Darren McFadden should pound the Jaguars defensive line with an overwhelming running package. It should be too much for the Jaguars defense to contain McFadden or Pryor from rushing or making short passes.
Also, if the Jaguars do manage to slow down Oakland's running game, Pryor can start dishing out passes to Rod Streater or Denarius Moore, who both had good performances against the Colts. With a weaker Jaguars defense, Moore and Streater should shine even brighter.
Why Pryor?
Terrelle Pryor will fit Oakland's scheme perfectly for the 2013 NFL season. His abilities to be elusive and provide and extra schtick to the running package will make Oakland a stronger team than having a plain pocket passer.
The Raiders offensive line is a work in progress and having an elusive QB in the back is perfect.
Oakland will just have to work with McFadden and Greg Jennings to form running packages to confuse defenses around the league.
Once Pryor gains some experience with the offensive line, the Oakland Raiders could become a team that shines with commitment to excellence.
For more Raiders news and updates, visit Raiders Central.
J.L. Herrera is a huge fan of football and has been following the Raiders since the 1980s during the LA era. J.L. is also a freelance writer and copywriter on the web. He taught English for a little more than a decade in Los Angeles at the secondary level. While writing for web based news outlets, J.L. enjoys reading, creative writing, and watching sports. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
