The Oakland Raiders have been struggling this season through four games with a 1-3 record and while Terrelle Pryor has been solid while starting at quarterback, Matt Flynn has not and that is why he was demoted to the third string backup spot on the depth chart.
According to ESPN.com, head coach Dennis Allen has decided to move Matt McGloin into the backup role on Sunday against the Chargers, which will mark the return of Pryor to the starting job after he was injured in a previous game. Flynn was acquired this offseason and was expected by many to be the starting quarterback, but for the second year in a row he was beaten out by a younger player and now he won't even be the backup0 one week after having a bad start.
Pryor suffered a concussion and was out against the Washington Redskins last week and now Flynn will be the third stringer, something that makes the front office embarrassing after trading for Flynn from the Seahawks in the offseason. Allen said that Flynn will continue to battle, but after he had two fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown, the head coach felt it was time for a change.
McGloin has impressed the Raiders since the preseason and training camp, as they felt comfortable keeping him over fourth round pick Tyler Wilson and now he has the chance to be a backup for Pryor. Flynn has passed for 246 yards this season with just one touchdown and now McGloin will get a chance to step up if anything happens to Pryor. The team is dealing with a number of injures, including to running back Darren McFadden and hope is quickly slipping away in the Bay Area, especially with Flynn getting demoted.
Many felt the Raiders were moving in the right direction as a franchise, but clearly things are not going as planned and now the team will host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night in a big divisional game. McFadden has been frustrating for the Raiders, as he has missed over 20 games the past five seasons and he has never played in more than 13 games in any year. Now the team will try to get a win with Pryor starting and McGloin as the backup.