The best simmering NFL mystery of 2016: What's everybody got against Terrelle Pryor?
"If I'm building a team, what is [Pryor]?" Hartline asked during an appearance on Columbus radio station 105.7 The Zone (via Ohio.com). "Is he my No. 1? God, I hope not because let's put it this way: For me, I want a guy day in and day out I know what I'm getting. You don't know what you're going to get. You don't know who's going to show up. You don't know if he's going to get in trouble. You don't know if he's going to smart off. I need stability. That's so much more important to me.
"I need a guy that runs routes. I need stability. I need constant production. Is he a No. 2? OK, yeah. I mean maybe. He kind of disappeared the last couple weeks. So I'm very apprehensive as a Cleveland Browns guy to give out a contract. Listen, you had one year. You're a flash in the pan. You're trying to tell me with a guy that had suspect personality characteristics, I'm going to go ahead and hand you a bunch of money but you're going to work harder? Uh, I think I'm going to bet against that if I'm a betting man."
OK then. Hartline joins a growing chorus of Pryor Deniers. Adam Jones dismissed Pryor's abilities as a wide receiver in the lead up to their Week 14 matchup, then literally trashed the Browns' leading receiver after the game.
Giants corner Janoris Jenkinslikewise ripped Pryor both before and after their matchup. And don't forget Vikings guard Alex Boone, who said this summer of his experience with Pryor at Ohio State: "I hated everything about him."
The most obvious explanation: Pryor has an abrasive personality that drives people nuts. If that's the case, the wide receiver has done a nice job concealing it from the media this season. You have to wonder how much this might spook the Browns as they ponder whether to build around the former quarterback-turned-outside playmaker.
