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Wednesday, June 08, 2011

What's next for Pryor?

Now that Terrelle Pryor has worked his way out of Ohio State, what's next for the former top QB prospect in the country?

In three seasons for the Buckeyes, the only thing Pryor proved was that he's capable of making bad choices and bringing down a program.

He was compared to Vince Young heading into college, but his body of work doesn't support that. And Young, you'll recall, has struggled reading defenses in the NFL.

This is not to say that Young can't still become a quality NFL quarterback. Look at Michael Vick as an example of a player who got by with his athleticism early in his career and now excells because he understands the game better than he did at 25.

But Pryor's baggage is going to be a tough sell, given his lack of collegiate success. Look at Cam Newton as case and point.

Newton had some baggage heading into the draft, but those things could be overlooked because he had proven to be a stud on the field.

Pryor doesn't have that to fall back on.

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27 comments:

HACK said...

Kind of shocked by "given his lack of collegiate success"

31-4 (88.57%) is nothing to sneeze at

Rose Bowl victory, Sugar Bowl victory and 2-1 in BCS bowl games
Two-time BCS bowl MVP
3 BCS Bowls

6177 yards passing and 2164 yards rushing......

not to mention 6'6" 233lbs and runs a 4.33

I would take a chance on him in a heartbeat.

Dale Lolley said...

Don't give me stats. If it were just about stats, Robbie Bosco would have been a great NFL QBN. Trust the eyes.

He's not an NFL-ready quarterback. Maybe he would have taken the next step in 2011, but we'll never know.
Look at his 2010 stats. When he played a team with any kind of defense, he wasn't too hot.
44 percent completion rate against Miami (Fla.). 50 percent against Wisconsin. 54 percent against Iowa.

The point remains, he's not as good as Vince Young and we've seen how Young has struggled in the NFL.

Anonymous said...

He'll wind up in the UFL....and that'll probably be about the end of it.

Would probably be better for him to go to Canada. Passing league(and absolutely needs to develop a LOT more as a passer), wider fields give him more room to use the mobility, etc. etc.

Either way he seems like a knucklehead. Doubt he amounts to much of anything in the long run.

Anonymous said...

pryor = out of football in 4 years.

he's the perfect combination of ignorance, arrogance, carelessness and un-usable talent to eventually amount to a flame out.

pryor should have entered college as a WR and he would have excelled as a fast, strong, large target. but he was told since he was in 9th grade he will be the greatest NFL QB ever and spoon fed that every day.

it's a shame, because he is talented.

Anonymous said...

Why compare him to Vince Young? Because he is a young man of color?

tim said...

Pryor might make it as a wr due to his athleticism but he's done nothing at a collegiate level to show he could be a good nfl qb.

Robert said...

Guy just can't read a defense...if he can't do that none of his other skills matter.

Anonymous said...

6'6". Great runner. Not-so-great passer. Sidearm delivery. Maturity issues. Lots of winning at a big-time program.

That's why people are comparing Pryor and Young, not just skin color.

adamg said...

Pryor never developed as a QB because he ran the same plays he did at Jeannette. I think his other problem is he doesn't like being hit despite his size.

Frankly, he was a smarter basketball player and had the vision and passing skills to make a very good college PG. He should have taken that route in college, not football.

Dale Lolley said...

Anybody who knows me knows I'm no racist. Don't bring that crap here.

I'm not comparing him to Vince Young. There's no comparison. Vince Young was far more polished as a passer in my opinion. The size/speed combo is similar, but that's it.
And Young is struggling to hold down a starting NFL job because he struggles reading defenses and has accuracy problems.

To me, Pryor is more comparable to Matt Jones. He just had better receivers to work with.

HACK said...

Dale...stats are what you have to look at.....as Coach Tomlin says...you are what your tape is....Pryor's last two years he has QB rating of 144 (college rating) or 95 by the NFL scale. 45 TD's and 22 INT's..... He might not be pretty...but he has been successful....No one is saying he is going to be Peyton Manning...but you are telling me he can't be Kordell Stewart? Kordell made it almost 10 years in the NFL...Kent Graham...10 years...Scott Mitchell 11 years? Coach Tomlin says it weekly....We don't judge on style points.

Dale Lolley said...

And how much of that was against Ohio U and Youngstown State. Again, don't just feed me stats, trust your eyes. He's not an NFL-talented passer. Not even close.
Doesn't mean he can't be one someday, but it's a gamble.

Anonymous said...

Unrelated Question: Has there been any discussion amongst the steelers about Legursky playing center and moving Pouncey to guard? I thought he played center very well when Pouncey was hurt in the playoffs. Wouldn't that be better than some of their other options even if it was a short term answer until they found a better guard?

tim said...

@ hack

exactly, you are what your tape is. pryor's tape (what you see with your eyes) isn't that great from a passer prospective. pryor's stats are what's good & those can easily be inflated. plus, 75% of what you're referencing (rushing yards, speed, wins) have a lot less to do with his talent projection at a qb position than other things. he's not any higher than 10th best in a single important qb stat category last year (passing rating, yards, td's, rating, completion %, yards/att) & he doesn't even crack top 10 if you do the qb rating by the nfl system.

Dale Lolley said...

No, they're keeping Pouncey at center.

HACK said...

again....2-1 in BCS bowl games....Rose Bowl winner...and Sugar Bowl winner....and was named MVP of those games..Those were not against Youngstown State......He was successful....he is not Peyton Manning...but he is easily David Gerrard, Rex Grossman, Derek Anderson, Dennis Dixon, Seneca Wallace.

Roethlisberger never has "the numbers" either....but his tape shows up in one important category...W's

Anonymous said...

moving Pouncey to guard is literally the dumbest suggestion I've ever hear.

Legursky is fine as his role as a backup C/G

Dale Lolley said...

"he is not Peyton Manning...but he is easily David Gerrard, Rex Grossman, Derek Anderson, Dennis Dixon, Seneca Wallace.

Roethlisberger never has "the numbers" either....but his tape shows up in one important category...W's"

Actually Hack, you're making my point for me by naming a bunch of garbage NFL QBs who either can't get on the field or teams can't wait to get them off it. The Steelers, by the way, already have Dennis Dixon, why would they want somebody you're comparing to Dixon?

As for Roethlisberger, the knock on him coming out was that he hadn't performed against top-level talent. But you could watch him play and see the talent was there. I don't get that same feeling with Pryor. You're not going to change my mind by running off a bunch of stats.

HACK said...

The stats were there for one reason Dale...you said he was not successful...he was...he is not your prototype QB....but that does not mean he was not successful. Tim Tebow was successful in college....he is also not your typical ELITE NFL prospect....and may never be.....My point with Pryor is two fold...one he won games consistently...and two he is an athletic freak...IMO more so than Vick...more so than Matt Jones...more so than Kordell Stewart. I don't think Pryor is a 10 year starter in the NFL...but I do think he is easily an NFL talent...The names I named where to show that I think Pryor is better than they are...and they have all been in the league for years.

The Hammer said...

the baggage he has is not something the nfl cares about. if he was doing drugs, breaking the law, etc, they would be concerned. They do not care that he broke the asinine rules of the NCAA

datruth4life said...

Dale, who do you think are the Steelers 5 best offensive lineman and is Legursky in that group?

Dale Lolley said...

Depends on whether Colon and Starks are healthy and back.

Anonymous said...

hack,
you are right, pryor has had success at the college level. but it doesn't translate to the pros for him as a QB.

he doesn't read defenses well (even his supporters will admit that), he's not terribly accurate throwing over the middle, and his best pass is the jump ball 50 yards downfield.

he definitely can run and has straightline speed, but he's not quick and takes very long strides.

also, he does not belong in the same sentence as vick when it comes to athleticism. vick is faster, quicker, and has a stronger arm than pryor ever will. pryor may be bigger, but running over LB's is not a prerequisite for QB's.

Anonymous said...

Pryor = Leaf
Just enough upside to be good and enough baggage to end up in the tank..
Zeke

Lance said...

As an OSU fan and Columbus resident I have watched Prior in nearly every game. Is he an athletic freak, yes. Does his game translate to the NFL as a QB, not IMO. Will someone take a chance as they did on Cam Newton IMO, yes. Is he worthy of a 1-3 round grade, not IMO.

I see him as a WR, but doubt his ego will allow it, I see great bust potential in this young man.

I am just thankful to be a Steeler fan knowing they won't even think about him as an option.

The Hammer said...

He would probably be better off trying the CFL

Anonymous said...

What's next for Pryor? Probably saying "Do you want fries with that?"