Once again, the Oakland Raiders are wondering if they have found the answer to their quarterback issues. At first, the answer to that question appeared to be yes, until Terrelle Pryor hit a mid-season slump to raise concern once again. Now suffering from a sprained MCL, the Raiders are wondering exactly what the immediate and down-the-road future look like for the quarterback.
Pryor looked awful against the New York Giants. He went just 11-of-26 in passing for 122 yards while tacking four sacks and giving up an interception. After the game he admitted that his injured knee gave him problems throughout the entire game but was not blaming his performance on pain.
"My knee's banged up," Pryor said, via the Contra Costa Times. "Not discouraged. My leg is very sore and I'm out there trying to do my best, and it wasn't doing anything. I wasn't able to, and I wasn't myself. With more treatment, hopefully this thing cures up fast."
Head coach Dennis Allen would not give out any factors regarding Pryor's knee injury. He simply said the quarterback did not appear to be as explosive throughout the game and if the team would be successful, they needed to throw the ball more accurate than they did.
The truth is, Pryor has thrown 112 passes without a touchdown. However, he has tossed eight interceptions. Is he the next JaMcarcus Russell or Carson Palmer for the Raiders? He started out so promising, but this recent slump now has everything being put in question.
In Pryor's first four games, he took advantage of the opportunity to prove himself. He had a completion percentage of 68.3, while throwing four touchdown passes. He looked swift as a runner, giving the Raiders a chance to open the play book. He looked strong in the team's win over the Raiders. But since the bye week, Pryor has struggled and quickly regressed.
"Obviously, I didn't have a great game," Pryor said. "Lot of fingers easily could be pointed at me. I understand that."
It is easy to make the quarterback the villain in this. But the failure of the Raiders in recent weeks falls on the entire team. The offensive line is leaky every game, leaving Pryor running for his life. Running back Darren McFadden has provided little to no assistance in games. Denarius Moore is dropping passes. Pryor can only do some much.
The quarterback was named the Week 1 starter almost by default, but was given the opportunity to prove himself as a possible long-term option, but with just seven games left Pryor is running out of time.
