In episode 8 of the Raiders Blog Podcast, Christopher Hansen (@ChrisHansenNFL) and Taylor Armosino (@tarmosino) discuss all impacts of the Matt Flynn/Carson Palmer saga and the signing of Tracy Porter.
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In episode 8 of the Raiders Blog Podcast, Christopher Hansen (@ChrisHansenNFL) and Taylor Armosino (@tarmosino) discuss the asinine Raiders-Colts comparison from Mike Silver’s Yahoo! piece, the Matt Flynn rumors and what the Raiders need to do at quarterback moving forward.
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In episode 2 of the Raidersblog Podcast, Christopher Hansen (@ChrisHansenNFL) and Taylor Armosino (@tarmosino) discuss Geno Smith to the Raiders, prospects from the Senior Bowl and preview Super Bowl XLVII.
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Terrelle Pryor was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft. It was the late Al Davis’ last draft pick for a franchise that he ran for half a century. His last pick was the perfect story book ending to his great career. Selecting Pryor with a 3rd round pick not only fit Davis’ mold of targeting the biggest and fastest players, but by selecting him so high he proved once again that he only cared about one opinion and one opinion only, his. That was last year though, and this year the Raiders find themselves with new management and a new agenda for building this team. Where Pryor fits into those plans, will likely be determined by his development over the next couple of seasons.
Because last years supplemental draft wasn’t until August 22nd, Pryor did not get much practice time with the team in training camp. He also faced a 5 game suspension to begin his first NFL season for his violations of NCAA policy in college. While this is technically Pryor’s second season with the Raiders, it is his first training camp and will be his first live game action in almost 2 full calendar years (20 months). Not to be forgotten though is Hue Jackson’s attempt at trickery when he lined Pryor up as a wide receiver in a game last season against the Kansas City Chiefs, and had him motion under center to take the snap and sneak the ball. However, the play was blown dead because Pryor did not get set for a full second before the snap.
Terrelle has had an up and down camp in 2012 to this point. He has certainly showed his arm strength and excellent athleticism at times, but he has been unable to maintain any type of consistency throwing from the pocket. Coach Allen has said that he is pleased with Pryor’s work and that he just has to continue to “get better each day”. With Pryor being the third quarterback on the depth chart, he should be able to relax and play without any added pressure at this point.
Come game time game time Pryor should see plenty of snaps as the 3rd quarterback. His first game action will be much-anticipated by fans and coaches alike, but expectations need to be tempered. Pryor needs to first focus on a few very important tools that all good quarterbacks need to possess which include footwork, pocket presence, and route progression. Pryor will need to first prove he can throw from the pocket effectively before he begins to put his athleticism to good use.
Look for Pryor’s first few passes to be quick reads and short routes to him try to establish a rhythm and get into the flow of the game. Knapp might dial-up a few bootlegs as well to get him outside the pocket where he is often times more comfortable right now. Stats should not be a concern in this game. The main thing is that Pryor begins to build his confidence by making smart decisions and avoiding turnovers. He has fumbled a few snaps in training camp, and will need to avoid those types of mistakes tonight.
There is no doubt Pryor has the talent that can electrify a stadium, but he will need to take the small steps necessary to become a better all around quarterback if he plans to remain at that position long-term. Don’t think he won’t turn it loose though if he is given a lane to run, according to Mike Mitchell, Pryor can “run like a deer”.
As seen on Bleacher Report.
Owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie were in Napa, Calif. to watch the first practice under new head coach Dennis Allen. The new era of Raiders football got underway on a beautiful sunny day in wine country and finished on a positive note for the defense when rookie defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi picked off a Terrelle Pryor screen pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Allen believed the Raiders had a pretty good day of practice, but there was plenty of room for improvement. Once Allen goes back to watch the video of practice, he will see a few players that really helped themselves on Monday and a few who didn’t.
Winners
Eddie McGee
Not only did McGee make a few nice catches, including a long grab from Carson Palmer over veteran cornerback Shawntae Spencer, but McGee was coming in with Ford with the No.2 unit ahead of standout rookies Juron Criner and Rod Streater.
It’s a sign that McGee is very much still in the mix to make the team, particularly because he made the most of the opportunities that were given to him.
DaMarcus Van Dyke
Van Dyke broke up a pair of passes during practice while playing with the first-team defense. One of the two break ups was nearly intercepted and it fired up a few of his teammates on defense temporarily.
Veteran cornerback Ron Bartell missed practice with a hamstring injury which opened the door for Van Dyke to get playing time with the starters. It’s worth noting Van Dyke played behind Spencer during OTAs and minicamp with Chekwa getting the reps behind Bartell, but it was Van Dyke that had that duty today.
The Raiders need both Van Dyke and Chekwa to become solid NFL players in 2012 and it’s possible Van Dyke could push for a starting role if he keeps performing like he did on the first day of training camp.
Pat Lee
The depth of the secondary in Oakland is very much a question mark in 2012 and Lee is just one of the many players McKenzie brought in to solidify the position. Lee is a known commodity on special teams, but will probably need to prove himself to be a quality reserve to make the roster.
Lee made one of the best defensive plays of the day when he got a hand on a pass over the middle and tipping it up in the air where Chimdi Chekwa was easily able to intercept it. It’s the type of play that is likely to get Lee noticed when the coaches re-watch practice on video.
Jacoby Ford
Ford took an end around to the left, planted to go up field and crumpled to the ground holding his left knee. It was scare for the speedy receiver, but after walking it off and a little work from the trainer, Ford jogged into position with Denarius Moore and the punt return unit.
Moments later Ford was jumping up and down on his left leg as if to tell the media and his teammates that he was okay. Ford reiterated that he was fine after practice, “I think it just scared me more than anything.”
Ford may be something of a special package player in 2012 and he might end up returning both punts and kicks to save Moore. Ford also received reps with the No.2 offense and in the three-receiver set. He’s a winner for coming out of the practice healthy.
Rod Streater
Streater made two more nice catches in practice including one deep pass and one fluttering pass he grabbed between two defenders. Had the defenders been wearing pads, Streater may have gotten a good pop from the defender and been lucky to come down with the ball, but he showed he’s willing to elevate and make a play.
If you were to describe Streater, it would be sneaky fast and fluid. At this point, it would be hard to find a reason Streater wouldn’t make the final 53-man roster.
Marcel Reece
The offense didn’t do much deep passing and all the quarterbacks were checking down to the fullbacks. Reece was targeted many times in the flat and underneath linebackers and if this is part of the new offense, it will suit Reece and veteran running back Darren McFadden.
Losers
Aaron Curry
Curry was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a knee issue and did not participate in practice. The PUP designation may indicate that he might be the furthest away from returning to practice of the four players that didn’t participate on Monday.
Miles Burris took his place with the starting defense. Curry needs to get back quickly before Burris gets adjusted to the pro game and turns the outside linebacker spot into a camp competition.
Juron Criner
Criner got reps with the No. 3 offense, but didn’t make any noteworthy catches on Monday. After all the noise Criner made during OTAs and minicamp, it was a disappointment that he didn’t get much action.
Part of this could just be opportunity as the offense practiced a lot of short passes and only occasionally tried a deep pass and any opportunity to impress in drills would have been on the far-side of the field away from the critical eyes of the media.
Terrelle Pryor
Matt Leinart is clearly the backup quarterback and it’s not even a competition right now. While Pryor’s arm strength is good, he lacked confidence throwing over the middle, fumbled a snap and threw an interception at the close of practice after stumbling on his drop back.
Pryor’s passes didn’t hit the receivers in stride and too many passes came out of his hand wobbly. Pryor’s asset is his legs, but the quarterbacks weren’t asked to use them much on Monday.
Shawntae Spencer
Getting beat deep by McGee sticks out, but otherwise he didn’t make much of an impact. If Van Dyke continues to play like he did Monday and Bartell comes back full strength, Spencer might find himself as a backup.
Injury Report
Aaron Curry (Knee): Physically unable to perform
Shane Lechler (Knee): Present, but no participation
Ron Bartell (Hamstring): Did solo work on separate field only
Travis Ivey (Conditioning): Ran on the treadmill for most of practice.
Mike Mitchell (Knee): Full participation
Stefan Wisniewski (Shoulder): Full participation
The Raiders have a non-padded practice tomorrow at 2:50 p.m. Follow @Raidersblog on Twitter for practice updates.