Why Terrelle Pryor Is the Right Choice for the Oakland Raiders

Aug 23, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor (6) on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at O.co Coliseum. The Chicago Bears defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-26. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The quarterback controversy that puzzled so many Oakland Raiders fans has finally come to an end.

According to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, Terrelle Pryor will start for the Raiders in the team’s first game of the season. Dennis Allen’s final decision should come as no surprise to anybody that has been watching the preseason over the past weeks.

Terrelle Pryor stole the starting job from Matt Flynn, who the Raiders acquired earlier in the offseason from the Seattle Seahawks. Flynn backed up the legendary Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay before signing a lucrative deal with the Seahawks last season. He was the presumed starter when he landed in Seattle, but his starting job was soon stolen from him by promising rookie Russell Wilson who earned the title by outplaying him during in the preseason.

In Oakland, Flynn has gone through nearly the same process. He was the presumed starter when he arrived, but his elbow injury and horrible preseason play left the door wide open for the explosive Terrelle Pryor to barge in and make his move.

Pryor played well during the preseason but his signature game came against the Chicago Bears when he completed seven of his nine passes for 93 yards while also rushing for 37 yards en route to leading the Raiders to 20 points on five drives. Pryor’s remarkable performance was enough to convince a lot of people that he should be the man running the offense for Oakland, and he ended up earning himself the job he went out to capture.

There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that head coach Dennis Allen made the right decision.

Pryor’s unique athleticism and incredible ability to make plays when the offensive line collapses is something that Flynn simply does not specialize in. Flynn’s weak arm and nagging elbow injury must have also raised some question marks to the Raiders’ coaching staff throughout the preseason.

The NFL has recently seen several dual-threat quarterbacks reach high levels of success in their early careers. Young guys like Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick have taken the league by storm and are torching NFL defenses with their ability to throw the ball and their ability to use their legs and blow by defenders.

If Pryor can develop a more efficient passing game then he could easily join the players mentioned above and take over the NFL. His speed and versatility is right up there with the league’s most elite dual-threat quarterbacks and if the Raiders throw in some read-option or pistol offense plays, then they will definitely be able to make some noise in Oakland this upcoming season.

Pryor’s performance, intangibles, and athleticism made Allen’s choice a lot easier and it’s safe to say that he made the correct decision.

The Raiders’ season kicks off in less than a week and the franchise should be thrilled at the fact that they will be having an exceptional young and talented quarterback taking over the reigns of the team’s offense.