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Full Take: |
Is Terrelle Pryor the real deal or just a flash in the pan? Click to read what Fletch and Mark have to say.
The Gospel according to Fletch:
I hear the doubters all the time. They say that Terrelle Pryor is a 'Flash in the Pan'. Well folks, think again. He may be arrogant and cocky off the field, but on the field he is one of the better freshman players around, and in time will go down- I REPEAT, Go down as one of the greatest Buckeyes ever.
I have a college friend who played on our football team, and is from Jeannette, and still very connected to the football program there. When I asked him last fall what Pryor was capable of doing he told me a story about something that he had witnessed.
Smurf, as we called him, said that Pryor was at practice and on his knees tossed the ball over 70 yards in the air. So much for those out there that thought he did everything with his feet. I wouldn't have believed it, because Jeannette is know for its speed, but as I said early this year on the program; I had gotten to watch this talent in high school and what I saw was something that in my years of covering high school, in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, I had never seen before.
During the WPIAL championships at Heinz Field, Pryor looked like Joe Montana when he tossed the ball, connecting 5 of 6 for 81 yards and two touchdowns. He also looked like Vince Young with his legs as he rushed for 166 yards on just 12 carries.
He took control of the game, and played like he was a pro. Jeannette scored on its first four possessions, and just missed a WPIAL record with its 61 points in a win over Beaver Falls. It's no wonder Jeannette averaged over 56 points per game last year. Pretty impressive if you ask me. In one game alone, he led his team to 707 offensive yards.
But the state championship game, which I watched on television as I was in Pittsburgh for the Steelers Jaguars contest on Dec 15, was even more spectacular. Pryor ran for 209 yards on just 12 carries against a pretty darn Dumore team. Jeannette crushed them 49-21, but what I remember is that while Pryor ran, he also looked good with the pass in a limited role, tossing the ball for 83 yards, completing three out of four passes. And they were in the numbers. I looked at the other reporters who were with me, and they all laughed saying you just hope he'll commit to OSU. I wasn't surprised, this was afterall the third game I had seen the guy, and everytime he amazed me with his skills.
There is a reason that Pryor is the only player in Pennsylvania history to toss for both 4,000 and rush for 4,000 yards in his career. That is something special in a state known for producing fine quarterbacks.
Oh, and did I mention the guy scored 23 points in leading his team to the PIAA basketball championship?
I know there are those out there who hate the fact Pryor even considered Penn State. But there were reasons behind that, and it wasn't Joe Paterno as one may think. Instead, it was the relationship that defensive coordinator Tom Bradley had made with his father.
But here is something that intrigues me to this day. Last year, one scout Bill Urbanik, who is from Donora, right around the corner from where Pryor grew up, said he is not great.
"To me, he's a glamour guy who's overrated," said Urbanik, a longtime NFL and college assistant to ESPN.COM. "He'll be good but not great. He's a power forward, but now you want him to play point guard. I've seen too many big guys fail at quarterback."
Interestingly, Urbanik played at none other than the Ohio State University when the greatest of them all, Rex Kern, was at the helm. Was it a ploy at the time because he thought Pryor was heading to Michigan or Penn State? Or was it because this guy, who has coached with Al Groh, and John Mackovic has seen some good ones from Pennsylvania fail as soon as they hit the collegiate level despite good numbers, such as Pitt's Pat Bostick, who was the PA Player of the year in 2007.
Thus far, I would have to say Pryor has proved him and all his doubters wrong. Who knows what the outcome of the USC game would have been had both Wells and Pryor been in the lineup the entire game. Now, maybe we can compete with the SEC. Now maybe, that elusive championship is right around the corner with Pryor at the helm.
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Mark's Take:
Terrelle Pryor has the potential to be, for college football and eventually the NFL, what LeBron James is to the NBA. He’s a man among boys and still has time to develop. He is far from the top of his game and he’s already outperforming other players who’ve been playing in college for the last 4 years. Pryor has shown signs that he is ready to take the next step and we’ve seen some good play from him so far. He has plenty of room to improve, but the fact that he’s only 19 just shows us that, yes, he’s the real deal.
Pryor dominated in High School and is now beginning to show signs of dominance in college. He was the difference maker in the game against Wisconsin. That’s not to say he didn’t have his share of mistakes and quite honestly he was the reason they were in the position they were with only a minute left on the clock. But the key in that game was the ability of Terrelle Pryor to just take over the gaem. He decided that he was going to score and that’s exactly what he did. He took it to the Badgers and scored the game winner for the Bucks on an 11 yard carry.
With the Buckeyes offense, I won’t be surprised to see Pryor in more situations similar to that in the remaining part of the season. We may not see greatness this year, but as he develops a connection with coaches and players, Pryor will soon be the most dominant player in football. We’ll get to see him mature as a player and that’s exciting.
Everything we’ve seen with Pryor has been very basic. His throws are conservative and his runs are pretty much by default. Expectations are extremely high and some may say he has not proven himself and I would partially agree. He hasn’t proven himself, but he really hasn’t had much of an opportunity to prove himself. Everything he’s done seems effortless and I think once he’s found his groove and plays at a consistent level, we’re all in for a treat.
With 3 games under his belt, Pryor is 3-0 and has played a key role in each of those games. Against Troy he was efficient with the pass and threw 4 touchdowns. In the game against Minnesota he got it done with the ground game. And of course we saw last week against the Badgers he had the 11 yard carry for the TD and win.
Pryor has the qualities of some of the most talented players we’ve seen all in one package. Many compare him with Troy Smith, but quite honestly, I think he’s already playing at the level of Troy Smith and will be far better by the time he’s in his final year with the Buckeyes.The best is yet to come for Terrelle Pryor and as he matures, we may see the greatest player in football of our time.
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