Pryor Says He is 'Ready' to Fulfill Expectations, be Raiders Quarterback

Terrelle Pryor is making the case that he is finally ready to fulfill the promise so many saw in him as a member of the Class of 2008 coming out of high school. This week, Pryor declared he was “more than ready” to be the starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.

Coming out of high school in Pennsylvania, Pryor was thought to be a revolutionary prospect at the quarterback position. Meanwhile, it has been lower ranked Robert Griffin III that not only won the Heisman Trophy but has taken the NFL by storm.

Pryor’s career at Ohio State was strong but unspectacular, as he failed to live up to lofty expectations before finally leaving the school following a tattoo scandal. Thus far, he has had an uneventful career with the Raiders since Al Davis made him his final selection as he took the former Buckeye in the Supplemental Draft.

Now, Pryor is ready to change that.

“Right now I’m trying to win over my coaches, win over my teammates and everybody in the facility and let them know that I wanna be a leader, a great leader, and I’m there for the long haul, and I wanna win just as bad as everybody else. And that’s what I want to prove to everybody before I really get into talks of starting and stuff like that,” Pryor told the NBC Sports Network on Wednesday.

The Raiders organization, including general manager Reggie McKenzie, has vowed to give Pryor the opportunity to win the job over Carson Palmer this season.

What remains to be seen, however, is whether Palmer, who will be asked to take a pay cut, will still be with the team.

Regardless of what happens with Palmer, Pryor is determined to make the most of the opportunity that is set to come his way. He has been working with some of the top quarterback gurus in the game, and made a positive impression during his one starting performance in a game against the Chargers last season.

The Raiders’ woes at the quarterback position have been a persistent problem for the struggling organization. Some have speculated the Raiders could reach out and take Geno Smith with the #3 overall pick; however, Pryor hopes that confidence in his ability will prevent such a pick.