HawkShack.com

Very interesting. Did we bring him in as a QB or ....

Didn't see that coming. Hopefully a 7th round pick.

I would assume he can be used a practice scout QB to play like Kap or Cam. Otherwise I wouldn't be surprised they cut him by start of season. There is no guarantee he makes the 53. A 7th rounder usually doesn't make the team that often. I hope its a 7th rounder. I would assume if he plays well he may take T Jack's job at a cheaper cost. However that is a very big gamble going into another Superbowl Run, and I think we need to keep the best value at back up QB, and no one out there is better than T Jack at our backup QB.

Total Shock on this move today.

6'6, 233lbs, 4.3 speed ... he's got more of a future at TE or receiver than at QB. If anyone can convince him of that it's Pete.

How sweet would it be to have an emergency QB you can use every day as that kind of an athlete?

I would love this if he were coming to the Hawks willing to play a different position, but from all I've read he has been unwilling to be anything but a QB.

More likely he is coming over to be competition for TJack. Tavaris is one of the top backups in the league and I don't see Pryor beating him out but it is Pate and John's philosophy to promote competition. It will make an interesting storyline for the preseason if Pete does indeed let them compete for the right to back up RW.

Also, Pryor at 6' 4" 235 is as close to a Kaepernick (6'4" 230)clone as you'll find in the NFL and could play an important part by role playing Kaepernick in practices. while Seattle is 3-1 now against Kaepernick, he did torch them for over 100 rushing yards in the first half of the NFC championship.

Just read the Niners also had expressed interest in Pryor.
Also Adam Schefter tweeted that Pryor would now be RW's backup. These guys still don't get how the Hawks operate. If Pryor wants the backup QB job he's going to have to earn it, nothing is just handed out.

Scratching my head on this one. Of course looking from the outside in.
I suspect that he was brought in for his versatility, and for PC and gang to take a look see at his natural talent both as TE and QB. Why not?
Imagine if he makes the roster as TE and not QB? Might be a nice backup to the ones we now have. Although I thought we would be set with Wilson, Coleman and Miller.

PFT also mentioned that TJack has a guaranteed contract for 2014... so, 'he's coming in as Russell's backup' may not be automatic. This wouldn't be the first time Pete/JS traded for someone who didn't make the 53 man roster.

What about that other QB we rolled off the 49er's last year? Daniels? isn't he still with us?

js

Pryor is intriguing. He had some absolutely explosive plays for the Raiders before being injured last year. His wheels are world class and he has a strong arm. I would say T Jack has the more polished game by a mile and would have to be considered the solid #2. But with PC and JS you never know. Preseason should be interesting. I wonder how he would do returning punts?

He looks like a Seahawk. We'll see if he plays anywhere near like one. I doubt it, but PCJS took very little risk trading a 7th round pick.

Pryor certainly fits the mold they want for their QB's in Seattle ( ie running ability, strong arm), kind of doubt he becomes a back up to Wilson ( as was mentioned he has a guaranteed contract, much respect in the locker room, knowledge of the offense, players and coaches).

Although, it seems Seattle always seems to have that one "example" of always compete, someone with respect, and experience that gets beat out by a young hungry player. It surprises me a little, because Pryor wanted out because he wanted a chance to start, I don't see that happening in Seattle, so not sure what exactly the plan is.... I wouldn't be against him as a long term backup plan, problem is, I just don't see him being content with that role.

We're not talking Richard Pryor here, we are talking ath a leet.

This guy is big and fast, and I can't imagine they are talking to him strictly as a backup to the backup quarterback.

Pryor has one year until he's a free agent, and, if he wants to build his bankroll it will be by excelling at another position ... or at least ... getting on the field a lot.

You may recall we had a gentleman from Iowa State who was also an exceptional athlete, and he thought of himself as an outstanding quarterback.

Seneca Wallace demanded, on the eve of the draft, that no one should draft him that wasn't going to let him be a quarterback, period.

Two years later he still said he was only a quarterback and wouldn't play any other position.

Last I heard, he was forgotten in Cleveland or some such place.

Pryor MIGHT be an exceptional TE, WR, CB or punt returner.

I can't imagine that hasn't been discussed by the staff with him.

He has one year to make good.

And he's gotta realize in this quarterback starved year, no other club was willing to step up and even offer a seventh rounder.

That's got to tell him something about his value.

This guy, headed out with Harvin at the same time, could give Dcoordinators fits.

And Dbacks the Oh-Ohs.

For a seventh rounder he could provide more of a fleece than Mary's whole herd of little lambs.

Perhaps a pefect timing situation, and a perfect spot.

zoom

I don't get this move, but for a 7th rounder I guess it's worth exploring Pryor for depth as a backup QB.

Maybe he's used for gadget play/read option purposes, though if that's the case you're taking #3 off the field in most of those scenarios, which is hardly ideal to begin with.

I doubt Pryor goes along with the philosophy of playing a different position, either part or full time. If nothing else, his new teammate RW may have inspired him to stick to his (QB) guns for his NFL career, even if it means cutting it short by not making the switch to something else.

We'll see. He may not end up on the final roster as it is.

This makes little sense, at all. Although I have a bad thought deep down in my stomach that I Hope is wrong.

This seems like an odd move on it's face but when you think about it, it fits right in with what this front office has done. I have no clue how they are thinking of using him but they have always collected uniquely talented players with the goal of finding a way to put those players in a position to capitalize on that talent.

Pryor is nothing if not uniquely talented. I feel a little bad for Pryor because his coaches in college didn't really put an effort into coaching him up. They just let him be an athlete.

Keep in mind, a lot of the guys that scouted him in High School still swear he's the single best high school player they ever scouted. Granted that's high school but the point is he has truly special talent, the kind of talent that you'll never have the opportunity to draft in the 7th round. If they think they can find a way to put that talent to use, it's kind of hard to make the claim he wasn't worth a flier.

I find it interesting how perception colors reality.
The perception right now is that Pryor is “interesting”.
The perception of someone like Tim Tebow right now is “We want NO part of him” but the fact is, they are essentially the same player, except that Tebow has had far more success.
Neither of them will ever be good NFL Qb’s, but the perception of them right now is different for reasons that have nothing (or almost nothing) to do with actual football.

Unless Pryor switches positions, it's not even remotely interesting to me, because Tarvaris Jackson, who literally has zero chance to ever be a good starting NFL QB is FAR, FAR better than Pryor at playing the position.

Before anyone suggests it, anyone who finds the wildcat offense, "interesting", I have no hope for.

While I agree I have a lot of doubts that Pryor will ever be an NFL quality QB, the Tebow comparison isn't quite apt.

Tebow is almost his own animal. His NFL career was built almost entirely on image. In order to buy into Tebow you had to throw out the game tape, throw out the stats, throw out the mechanics, throw out the arm strength and believe in the myth of the "winner". The only guy that I can remember being built up so much on what essentially boils down to marketing like Tebow is Bosworth. But I even think that's an insult to Bosworth because even though he never matched his hyped he was actually a decent football player for a couple of years.

I'm a OSU hater straight up, and I'm not a Pryor fan by any stretch but the fact is he was a legit NFL prospect who got railroaded by a bogus NCAA violations scandal and along with a couple others made to take the fall for Jim Tressell and shunted into the supplemental draft. Had Pryor played that next season and been made available in the general draft he would have been no worse than a 2nd round pick based on his talent, not on his myth. No doubt he was raw coming out but he had better footwork, a better delivery, was more accurate, had a stronger arm. On top of that he is a much better athlete than Tebow was.

Look at Tebow's stats... he completed 47% of his passes. He was TERRIBLE. Pryor wasn't good but he did complete 57% of his passes. 10% is a universe of difference. Calling Pryor Tebow isn't fair. It's a much more interesting prospect and he doesn't come with a circus.

maybe the next move will be to pick up Aldon Smiths last year when the Niners throw him overboard. PC could rehabilitate him maybe.

I mostly agree until I read the words legitimate NFL Prospect.
Pryor WOULD have been, had he played a different position, at 6'6" with his speed and athletic ability (he was a good basketball player in college), he would certainly have been a legitimate prospect had he played WR, or even TE if he bulked up.

Trouble is, he plays QB, where he's so bad it's laughable...
The ONLY thing that Pryor has over Tebow at QB is his speed, aside from that, his throwing motion, arm strength, accuracy etc... isn't much better than Tebow's, (if at all) and frankly, his football IQ is far worse.

Essentially, he's an extremely poor man's Tarvaris Jackson...he's Tarvaris Jackson, but far far worse.

Dude's an exceptional athlete. Pete likes exceptional athletes. Lets see what he can do with him.

kalibane wrote:While I agree I have a lot of doubts that Pryor will ever be an NFL quality QB, the Tebow comparison isn't quite apt.

Tebow is almost his own animal. His NFL career was built almost entirely on image. In order to buy into Tebow you had to throw out the game tape, throw out the stats, throw out the mechanics, throw out the arm strength and believe in the myth of the "winner". The only guy that I can remember being built up so much on what essentially boils down to marketing like Tebow is Bosworth. But I even think that's an insult to Bosworth because even though he never matched his hyped he was actually a decent football player for a couple of years.

I'm a OSU hater straight up, and I'm not a Pryor fan by any stretch but the fact is he was a legit NFL prospect who got railroaded by a bogus NCAA violations scandal and along with a couple others made to take the fall for Jim Tressell and shunted into the supplemental draft. Had Pryor played that next season and been made available in the general draft he would have been no worse than a 2nd round pick based on his talent, not on his myth. No doubt he was raw coming out but he had better footwork, a better delivery, was more accurate, had a stronger arm. On top of that he is a much better athlete than Tebow was.

Look at Tebow's stats... he completed 47% of his passes. He was TERRIBLE. Pryor wasn't good but he did complete 57% of his passes. 10% is a universe of difference. Calling Pryor Tebow isn't fair. It's a much more interesting prospect and he doesn't come with a circus.

I gotta agree with Kal on this one. I don't think I've seen anyone that's played the position of QB in the NFL that had mechanics as bad as Tebow's, so the comparison IMO is not at all accurate, although in defense of Tebow, he did have some notable achievements at the highest level in college by winning the NC and the Hessian and put up some pretty impressive stats in doing so, so his career wasn't built entirely on image. TT was a horse, would probably make a much better blocker than Prior and as such a better in-line TE, but TP has a much larger potential upside due to his speed and height differences. I'm hoping that Pete plans on converting him to a WR as that's were are need is, plus we could use a punt returner. You have to assume that if he's been a quarterback for all those years that he'd have some pretty decent hands and should have a pretty good insight into route running.

If all we're spending on attaining Pryor is a 7th rounder, then this is a nice move given the risk/reward ratio. Convert him to a WR and he can also serve as an emergency backup QB.

I think you're completely off base Monkey and it's not often I say that. Pryor is much more advanced in his passing skills than Tebow was. He's way more fluid in his drop back, he has a quicker release, his arm is very good and he's much more accurate. Now that all has to be put in proper frame of reference. It says more about just how bad Tebow was. But Pryor was (is?) a legit prospect at QB.

We need to stop throwing Tebow out there as a comparison because he is an outlier in terms of how bad he was. Tebow's comps are guys like Scott Frost, Darian Hagan, Tony Rice, Pat White. Guys who never learned how to throw properly whatsoever. Pryor is more like Geno Smith or Tavaris Jackson only more athletic. If Seneca Wallace could be developed into a backup that bounces around the league for 10 years there is no reason why Pryor can't.

That being said, it's still a curious move. I like TJack in a backup capacity. But as they say... it's about competition. And for a 7th rounder it's not a bad gamble on that kind of athletic talent.

I think it's a good pickup. For a 7th rd pick why not? He actually studies very hard and appears to be devoted to his craft. He can be brought in on select packages just to create a run/pass threat with no real risk. Other than the fact that your team had a history if developing legit position players with 7th rd picks and they gave one up for Prior, I see no downside. Maybe he raises the level of conpetition for Jackson at 2nd string.

From the few "highlights" I have seen of Pryor in Oakland, it seems he got into trouble by making risky throws. That's something Seattle beats into their QBs - don't make risky decisions.
If he can limit his bad decisions - if only to throw the ball away, he could be a viable backup here - that's if he's been brought in for QB competition.
After a year in the NFL, maybe the game has slowed down a little and perhaps he will be more comfortable in an offense that stresses the run game and not put all the pressure on the QB to win. Then again, he's going to have to see the field, and unless Wilson gets injured there's not much chance of that.

NorthHawk wrote:From the few "highlights" I have seen of Pryor in Oakland, it seems he got into trouble by making risky throws. That's something Seattle beats into their QBs - don't make risky decisions.
If he can limit his bad decisions - if only to throw the ball away, he could be a viable backup here - that's if he's been brought in for QB competition.
After a year in the NFL, maybe the game has slowed down a little and perhaps he will be more comfortable in an offense that stresses the run game and not put all the pressure on the QB to win. Then again, he's going to have to see the field, and unless Wilson gets injured there's not much chance of that.

I bet Carroll brings him in on select packages with Harvin and Michael. Tnst is a lot of speed on the edge. It's just one more thing for a D coordinator to plan for.

The more I think about it, the more I think that Pryor has agreed to play WR or TE if he does not make the cut as backup qb.

And catch punts. Remember, we lost Tate, can Pryor help in this area? I think so.

Plus be a 3rd qb in a pinch for some trick plays, btw #3 does not HAVE to leave the field in those cases, now does he?

Defenses would not know if RW was going to flicker flea it to Pryor for long yards, keep it and run, or throw it to a wide open Harvin.

Yeah, I see exactly what PC is doing. And yes, despite what someone said about Seneca refusing to change to be anything but a qb, which is accurate, I think Pryor, might, just might not be in that category.

Its my hunch.

kalibane wrote:I think you're completely off base Monkey and it's not often I say that. Pryor is much more advanced in his passing skills than Tebow was. He's way more fluid in his drop back, he has a quicker release, his arm is very good and he's much more accurate. Now that all has to be put in proper frame of reference. It says more about just how bad Tebow was. But Pryor was (is?) a legit prospect at QB.

We need to stop throwing Tebow out there as a comparison because he is an outlier in terms of how bad he was. Tebow's comps are guys like Scott Frost, Darian Hagan, Tony Rice, Pat White. Guys who never learned how to throw properly whatsoever. Pryor is more like Geno Smith or Tavaris Jackson only more athletic. If Seneca Wallace could be developed into a backup that bounces around the league for 10 years there is no reason why Pryor can't.

That being said, it's still a curious move. I like TJack in a backup capacity. But as they say... it's about competition. And for a 7th rounder it's not a bad gamble on that kind of athletic talent.

I agree with you for the most part, but Pryor's mechanics are aweful. That much was well chronicled here in the bay, and to Pryor's credit he spent a lot of time working to correct them. His biggest issue is hangin in the pocket and stepping through his throws in the face of a rush, which ironically is Gabbert's biggest problem as well. As a former QB myself I do believe mechanics can help a QB's accuracy quite a bit, but it cannot cometely fix it. A big component of accuracy is the innate ability to judge estimate the spacial proximity of moving objects to one another and with that, to estimate where to place the ball. I think Pryor can develop to be a pretty good QB - certainly better than Tebow - but he has some work to do on the basic fundamentals of the position.

I hope the FO treds lightly, because what they do with Pryor could determine a lot about this team after this year. I also hope the feeling I have is wrong.

They aren't letting Wilson walk to keep Pryor Anthony, so you can stop worrying about it.

Futureite wrote:
I agree with you for the most part, but Pryor's mechanics are aweful. That much was well chronicled here in the bay, and to Pryor's credit he spent a lot of time working to correct them. His biggest issue is hangin in the pocket and stepping through his throws in the face of a rush, which ironically is Gabbert's biggest problem as well. As a former QB myself I do believe mechanics can help a QB's accuracy quite a bit, but it cannot cometely fix it. A big component of accuracy is the innate ability to judge estimate the spacial proximity of moving objects to one another and with that, to estimate where to place the ball. I think Pryor can develop to be a pretty good QB - certainly better than Tebow - but he has some work to do on the basic fundamentals of the position.

Again, my comments about Pryor's mechanics should be taken with the understanding that they say more about how bad Tebow was in that respect than how good Pryor is. It's a matter of relativism. My only point is his mechanics aren't so bad that he should never have been consisdered as a QB prospect. Where as Tebow should have only been drafted with the expressed purpose of converting him, the same way Scott Frost was drafted to be a Safety or Matt Jones was drafted with the expressed purpose of converting him to WR. Pryor has such insane athleticism combined with at least enough of the fundamentals to be considered a low 2nd - 4th round developmental prospect. And I believe barring a big setback he probably would have been taken in the 2nd round if Jim Tressell hadn't sacrificed Pryor to save himself over some free tattoos.

HumanCockroach wrote:They aren't letting Wilson walk to keep Pryor Anthony, so you can stop worrying about it.

One would think not, but what if they have decided they are so good, they can put any QB back there and win? It would be wrong but you never know with people. IN the end I believe your right, but it did come across my mind and that of a few others I have talked with., One guy on another board even said it is great leverage for when RW becomes an FA.

leverage for what? If Wilson continues progressing on his current trajectory he's not going to have any problem getting 18-20 million a year on the FA market. The Seahawks have no leverage unless Wilson under performs.

Anthony wrote:I hope the FO treds lightly, because what they do with Pryor could determine a lot about this team after this year. I also hope the feeling I have is wrong.

Don't sweat it, Anthony. This is classic Pete. He's bringing in Pryor to push TJack for the backup spot, perhaps convince him to play WR or return punts. I can't see any downside about this move. This will have zero effect on Russell Wilson's long term status.

kalibane wrote:

Futureite wrote:
I agree with you for the most part, but Pryor's mechanics are aweful. That much was well chronicled here in the bay, and to Pryor's credit he spent a lot of time working to correct them. His biggest issue is hangin in the pocket and stepping through his throws in the face of a rush, which ironically is Gabbert's biggest problem as well. As a former QB myself I do believe mechanics can help a QB's accuracy quite a bit, but it cannot cometely fix it. A big component of accuracy is the innate ability to judge estimate the spacial proximity of moving objects to one another and with that, to estimate where to place the ball. I think Pryor can develop to be a pretty good QB - certainly better than Tebow - but he has some work to do on the basic fundamentals of the position.

Again, my comments about Pryor's mechanics should be taken with the understanding that they say more about how bad Tebow was in that respect than how good Pryor is. It's a matter of relativism. My only point is his mechanics aren't so bad that he should never have been consisdered as a QB prospect. Where as Tebow should have only been drafted with the expressed purpose of converting him, the same way Scott Frost was drafted to be a Safety or Matt Jones was drafted with the expressed purpose of converting him to WR. Pryor has such insane athleticism combined with at least enough of the fundamentals to be considered a low 2nd - 4th round developmental prospect. And I believe barring a big setback he probably would have been taken in the 2nd round if Jim Tressell hadn't sacrificed Pryor to save himself over some free tattoos.

Ok I see your point. And Tebow was a massive reach at #16. But I will admit I was intruiged by him and I thought he could succeed. I guess like you say his mechanics truly are that bad though. I think Pryor has potential if he can learn to hang in the pocket longer. A good run game/play action will help hid game immensely up there.

On a very positive note, we won't be spending a token 7th round pick on OL!
Just had to get that dig in...

from another board

"Sign TP to a cheap, long term deal. Lock up Earl & Sherm long term. TP has 2 years to learn behind RW. When contract time comes, the Jags or Texans or somebody offers RW $25 mill per season and TP takes over in SEA. "

and another board

"If you doubt my reasoning for acquiring Pryor, I suggest you think it through carefully. The reason PC/JS won a Super Bowl is because they put together a complete team that can win even when the QB passes for 48 yards and one miracle up-for-grabs completion. With Pryor, we now have one with enough perceived potential to keep fans from outright rioting"


There are people out there who really think Pryor or another QB we have can do it.

Is it me or does this sound almost as insulting.... Stop and think for a sec.

We value Pryor to give up our 7th round pick for him. Which really if you think about it... it is the very last pick in the entire 2014 NFL Draft. A few years ago Pryor would have never been valued as the very last pick in the entire draft. Stop and think... that is scratching the bottom of the bucket. Talk about low risk, and possible high reward.

Terrell Pryor you were valued as the last pick in the entire 2014 NFL Draft. Which means, you aren't worth much to anyone out there, but it is a true wait and see moment.

WOW!

Ignore the noise Anthony. NE could and DID win with other QB's, doesn't mean they were all fired up to dump Brady. IF Wilson gets injured, and Pryor comes in an plays BETTER than Wilson did the last two seasons AND wins another SB, maybe then you have a choice that needs to be made, until then, you simply don't. Wilson is under contract for two seasons, Pryor is under contract for one. The choice would HAVE to be made THIS year ( BEFORE the season is played) no FO in their right minds are going to cut Wilson, nor trade him PRIOR to knowing what their other QB can even do in this offense.

Schneider went on XM today and made it clear that they haven't decided what they are going to do with him, the position change is a real possibility at this point. The people you are talking with are reading FAR,FAR,FAR to much into it.

I'll admit when the possibility of Pryor being released first came up, the thought that Seattle look into him came across my mind, only because of his skill set, and athleticism, beyond that, eh. He isn't going to take Wilson's job, period, barring some astronomical set of circumstances occurring. That said, I could see him outplaying Jackson and while Jackson is whom I prefer in that spot, it seems to me, this FO always has a"well respected" veteran "example" player that ends up being a surprise cut to a young hungry player. Could Jackson be that guy again? Possibly....

No way the Hawks brought this kid in to be a starting QB on this team. They may have brought him in on a 1 year guaranteed contract with a promise to him that they would polish him next season to be a formidable QB for another team. Another thought is.... that PC talked him into exploring other positions. Just a thought here but imagine TP , a 6' 6" WR with 4.3 speed stretching the field along with Harvin, Baldwin and Rice not to mention Miller peeling off of blocks to get in the empty middle of the field while the backs are trying to chase down the Hawks speedsters.

I'm done trying to figure out this coaching regime. I tip my cap to them, trust and respect them until I'm given reason not to, after all they built the first ever Seahawks Super Bowl Champions team!