jrry32 said:
I'm still not buying into Pryor. This is about what I expected. Will have some good games especially early on. Defenses will adjust and he'll struggle. Kaepernick did the same thing. As more film gets out there, teams begin to really expose your weaknesses as a passer.
You make a fair assessment. I agree that Pryor hasn't proved himself as a passing QB.
1. His O-line will gradually get better ... as the injured return the line up....he will go from a bottom 5 O-line to being protected by a top-10 O-Line ... thus giving him more opportunity for completions. And benefit from having a running game (something he doesn't have now).
2. He is working hard at eliminating costly mistakes ... he has made a lot of progress and he has a lot more to go. He will improve further than he already has ... how far? ... that remains to be seen.
3. He is working hard at improving his passing ability and reading defenses ... he has made a lot of progress ... and yes he has a long way to go. I think he will get better than he is now. No telling how much better he'll get.
4. While his "running" ability can't be relied upon to win games ... however his ability to scramble and avoid getting sacked is amazing. Last night, he kept scoring drives alive by escaping a collapsing pocket. There were some good highlights with Charles Woodson last night .. but they didn't show the big plays he gave up when being a 1/2 step behind. He doesn't make the plays he used to make. The game was won not because of Woodson's big plays ... the game was won because Pryor escaped getting sacked and kept scoring drives alive, most of those escapes ended up being a passing 1st down. Turning a sure sack into a 1st down gives an offense a 2nd chance ... the Raiders got lots of those 2nd chances last night.
5. Pryor isn't going to make a Super Bowl contender out of any NFL team that has 1/2 the salary cap money to spend than the rest of the league does ... however he gives the team a few more chances to move the ball down field.