It's not the choice the Oakland Raiders planned to make. It's probably not even the choice they wanted to make. But Terrelle Pryor will open the season as the team's starting quarterback.
Raiders coaches informed players that Pryor will start in this week's season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, a source informed of the move told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport on Monday night. Pryor beat out Matt Flynn, who had been the presumptive starter since he was traded to the Raiders during the offseason.
Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the news, and Pryor winning the job hardly comes as a surprise. Flynn sat out practice last week with what Raiders coach Dennis Allen called a "sore arm." And Pryor was first in line at practice taking snaps Monday, all but cementing his spot atop the depth chart. Allen has refused to publicly announce a starter.
It's a bitter disappointment for Flynn. An eerily identical scenario happened last season in Seattle, when then-rookie Russell Wilson beat out Flynn despite the veteran's high salary. The Seahawks wound up being a Super Bowl contender; the Raiders' roster is far different.
Oakland's shaky pass protection and suspect overall offensive talent gave Pryor an edge in this competition because he can make plays on his own with his legs.
"When you see Terrelle in a game, he just looks faster than the other players on the field," Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson said last week, via CSN Bay Area. "That's what jumped out at me and probably jumped out at most people when they watch him play. He can run. He is a tremendous athlete, and he's got the ability to make plays. Right now, we're looking for playmakers."
The odds suggest we'll see Pryor and Flynn start games this season. And the odds are even heavier that we'll see a different starting quarterback in Oakland next season.
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