Oakland Raiders adjusting to Terrelle Pryor

With so many teams around the NFL going with more mobile and versatile quarterbacks, the Oakland Raiders have decided to join the ranks.

Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Michael Vick – the list goes on – are all succeeding as not just passers, but runners in a league that has been dominated by the pocket passer for quite some time.

Terrelle Pryor has joined the party, and the Raiders are adjusting to his style.

“A normal play takes three to five seconds, but with Terrelle it can last up to 10 seconds,” wide receiver Denarius Moore told Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News. “There’s a bit of conditioning involved, but it’s more good than bad.”

Oakland chose to go with Pryor instead of the more traditional drop back style of Matt Flynn this offseason.  Offensive coordinator Greg Olson explains the mindset the team has to have in order to embrace Pryor, and succeed with his style of play.

“I just think it’s a different mindset for everybody and every position — wide receiver, certainly, offensive lineman, certainly,” Olson said. “Where’s he going to be? He’s not a pocket drop-back passer. That’s not his game, and we certainly don’t want that to become his game right now.

“As athletic as he is, we embellish and appreciate that part of Terrelle Pryor. Everyone is on their toes. When he does create, it creates excitement. I think the players feed off of it as much as the fans do.”

Times have been tough for the Raiders, but hey, if you can’t beat em’ join em’, right?  So far this season, Pryor has gone 19-29 for 217 yards with 1 TD and 2 interceptions – and rushed 13 times for 112 yards.  Exciting times in Oakland for the fans and the young QB.