Terrelle Pryor’s Agent Says Dennis Allen Setting Up QB To Fail

Nov 10, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) scrambles away from New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck (91) during the during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

With friends, or agents, like this, who needs enemies?

Jerome Stanley, the agent for Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor, told CSN Bay Area on Monday night that Raiders coach Dennis Allen is setting up his client to fail by naming him the starting quarterback for Sunday’s season finale against the Denver Broncos.

"“I think they’re putting him in hopes that he fails,” Stanley said. “That’s what I think coach is doing. I think they’re putting him in hopes that he has a bad game, so (Allen) can then justify the Matt McGloin situation. I think that’s what’s going on, I do and it’s ridiculous … .“You have to understand the coach is putting him in, he doesn’t want him to look good. And you can write that. He doesn’t want him to look good because, if he looks good this week, it makes the past five weeks look like a bad decision. (Allen) doesn’t want him to look good, he wants him to look bad. That is what is going on.”"

Pryor last started on Nov. 10 against the New York Giants, a week after he sprained his knee in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pryor started eight of the Raiders’ first nine games, with the team posting a 3-5 record in those starts. Since winning McGloin’s debut as a starter on Nov. 17 at Houston, the Raiders have lost five straight games with McGloin as the starter.

"“I expect Terrelle Pryor to be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL,” Stanley said. “I expect that. I’ll be shocked if it didn’t happen. Terrelle Pryor is the best and most dynamic athlete in the NFL playing the quarterback position. He also has won games and been productive when given the opportunity. It’s not brain surgery. His coach stumbled upon a gem, the find of the season in Terrelle Pryor. He stumbled upon him and then he botched the discovery. It was ridiculous, just ridiculous.”"

I get it, it’s Stanley’s job to have his client’s best interests in mind and to have his back. But generally when an agent goes on a rant against a team’s coaching staff or management, it ends poorly for the player.

At the end of the day, Jerome Stanley doesn’t have to go into that locker room and those meeting rooms and face a coaching staff or teammates who might not be happy about what was said. No, instead, it’s Terrelle Pryor who has to own it.

It’s a bad situation already for Pryor—he’s been demoted and had to be a spectator, playing sparingly in three of the last five games, games his team has lost while someone else did his job.

And now his agent has played the “they’re setting my guy up to fail” card. Everything Jerome Stanley said might well be true; Dennis Allen might be using Pryor to deflect attention away from some of the decisions he’s made this season.

But if Pryor does play poorly on Sunday, his agent has now set him up for at least the idea that “Terrelle tanked” will cross some minds.

Again, with an agent like that, who needs coaches setting you up to fail?