OAKLAND, Calif. — A crowd inched close to Terrelle Pryor’s locker as he leaned over and laced up his Nikes, the bright red high-tops clashing with his all-black outfit.
“O-H,” an elderly stranger yelled at the Oakland Raiders quarterback.
“I-O,” replied Pryor, head bowed.
The former Ohio State star looked exhausted and sounded subdued after his first victory as an NFL starting quarterback. A Band-Aid covered Pryor’s right hand, which bled throughout Oakland’s 19-9 win yesterday over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Such wounds are life in the NFL, which Pryor is embracing in his third season. His job is too demanding to spend time looking back on how his collegiate career ended prematurely because of his role in the tattoo scandal that landed OSU on NCAA probation and cost former coach Jim Tressel his job.
“That’s my school, but they don’t really accept me,” Pryor said. “I’ve moved on to what I have now, and that’s just football.”
Still, he took interest in the Buckeyes on Saturday night when they beat California in nearby Berkeley. Pryor watched most of the first half on TV at his home, but missed the rest of that game because of team meetings.
Even if he had time to attend the OSU-Cal game, Pryor couldn’t have accepted free tickets from OSU players, coaches or alumni. That stipulation is part of a five-year ban the university placed on him in 2011 stemming from the scandal.
“Those guys kicked me out of school after all those things I did for them,” Pryor said.
The indignation in his voice spurred a Raiders official to step in and cut off a question from a Dispatch reporter.
“Guy, we’re not going to talk about Ohio State right now,” said the Oakland official, sending Pryor out the locker-room door.
Raiders fans are doing a lot of talking about Pryor. They’ve embraced him as a favorite son, which is no surprise considering that the franchise has long cast itself as a place where misfits land to re-invent themselves.
Pryor, 24, is also popular with fans here because his unique athleticism at 6 feet 4 and 233 pounds offers hope to a rebuilding team.
Ohio State fans know Pryor for production, not potential. He led the Buckeyes to three Big Ten titles, three wins over Michigan and wins in Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl games in which he was named MVP both times. He went 31-4 as a starter and set school records for touchdown passes (57) and rushing yards by a quarterback (2,164).
Those achievements ended up buried in scandalous rubble, but iconoclastic Raiders owner Al Davis selected Pryor in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft. It was his last pick. Davis died two months later.
The NFL suspended Pryor for the first five games of his pro career for what commissioner Roger Goodell said was “deliberate manipulation of our eligibility rules.” He was Oakland’s third-string QB most of his first two years, except for one start in the 2012 finale.
Pryor began this preseason as a backup to Matt Flynn, who the Raiders acquired in an offseason trade with Seattle, before earning the starting job. Oakland coaches have been impressed with Pryor’s attitude, work ethic and improved decision-making and passing accuracy.
“Every play that he plays, every snap he takes, is a learning experience for him,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen said.
Pryor played well in a 21-17 loss at Indianapolis in the season-opener. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 217 yards with a TD and two interceptions and set an Oakland franchise record for rushing by a quarterback with 112 yards on 13 carries.
His statistics were more pedestrian yesterday. Pryor passed for 126 yards, completing 15 of 24 without a score or interception. He ran nine times for 50 yards as Oakland conservatively chewed up Jacksonville with 226 rushing yards.
“I did my job and we got a ‘W’, ” Pryor said. “I’m very happy about it.”
Later, after addressing the media at his locker, Pryor spoke briefly with a Dispatch reporter as he ambled through a hallway in the bowels of O.co Coliseum.
“I’m not really worried about Ohio State right now,” Pryor said. “That’s not my job.”
Is he bitter?
“Not at all,” Pryor said. “I’m a God-fearing man, and I know God has got my back. I hope (the Buckeyes) win the championship.”
Then he stepped outside into the evening sunshine, only the future ahead.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto...arting-job-in-nfl-pryor-doesnt-look-back.html
“O-H,” an elderly stranger yelled at the Oakland Raiders quarterback.
“I-O,” replied Pryor, head bowed.
The former Ohio State star looked exhausted and sounded subdued after his first victory as an NFL starting quarterback. A Band-Aid covered Pryor’s right hand, which bled throughout Oakland’s 19-9 win yesterday over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Such wounds are life in the NFL, which Pryor is embracing in his third season. His job is too demanding to spend time looking back on how his collegiate career ended prematurely because of his role in the tattoo scandal that landed OSU on NCAA probation and cost former coach Jim Tressel his job.
“That’s my school, but they don’t really accept me,” Pryor said. “I’ve moved on to what I have now, and that’s just football.”
Still, he took interest in the Buckeyes on Saturday night when they beat California in nearby Berkeley. Pryor watched most of the first half on TV at his home, but missed the rest of that game because of team meetings.
Even if he had time to attend the OSU-Cal game, Pryor couldn’t have accepted free tickets from OSU players, coaches or alumni. That stipulation is part of a five-year ban the university placed on him in 2011 stemming from the scandal.
“Those guys kicked me out of school after all those things I did for them,” Pryor said.
The indignation in his voice spurred a Raiders official to step in and cut off a question from a Dispatch reporter.
“Guy, we’re not going to talk about Ohio State right now,” said the Oakland official, sending Pryor out the locker-room door.
Raiders fans are doing a lot of talking about Pryor. They’ve embraced him as a favorite son, which is no surprise considering that the franchise has long cast itself as a place where misfits land to re-invent themselves.
Pryor, 24, is also popular with fans here because his unique athleticism at 6 feet 4 and 233 pounds offers hope to a rebuilding team.
Ohio State fans know Pryor for production, not potential. He led the Buckeyes to three Big Ten titles, three wins over Michigan and wins in Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl games in which he was named MVP both times. He went 31-4 as a starter and set school records for touchdown passes (57) and rushing yards by a quarterback (2,164).
Those achievements ended up buried in scandalous rubble, but iconoclastic Raiders owner Al Davis selected Pryor in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft. It was his last pick. Davis died two months later.
The NFL suspended Pryor for the first five games of his pro career for what commissioner Roger Goodell said was “deliberate manipulation of our eligibility rules.” He was Oakland’s third-string QB most of his first two years, except for one start in the 2012 finale.
Pryor began this preseason as a backup to Matt Flynn, who the Raiders acquired in an offseason trade with Seattle, before earning the starting job. Oakland coaches have been impressed with Pryor’s attitude, work ethic and improved decision-making and passing accuracy.
“Every play that he plays, every snap he takes, is a learning experience for him,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen said.
Pryor played well in a 21-17 loss at Indianapolis in the season-opener. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 217 yards with a TD and two interceptions and set an Oakland franchise record for rushing by a quarterback with 112 yards on 13 carries.
His statistics were more pedestrian yesterday. Pryor passed for 126 yards, completing 15 of 24 without a score or interception. He ran nine times for 50 yards as Oakland conservatively chewed up Jacksonville with 226 rushing yards.
“I did my job and we got a ‘W’, ” Pryor said. “I’m very happy about it.”
Later, after addressing the media at his locker, Pryor spoke briefly with a Dispatch reporter as he ambled through a hallway in the bowels of O.co Coliseum.
“I’m not really worried about Ohio State right now,” Pryor said. “That’s not my job.”
Is he bitter?
“Not at all,” Pryor said. “I’m a God-fearing man, and I know God has got my back. I hope (the Buckeyes) win the championship.”
Then he stepped outside into the evening sunshine, only the future ahead.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto...arting-job-in-nfl-pryor-doesnt-look-back.html
exactly
