The Oakland Raiders are entering the 2013 season with quite a bit of inexperience at the quarterback position. As of now, Matt Flynn is expected to be the starter. However, former Ohio State star Terrelle Pryor could challenge Flynn if he puts together a strong training camp.
Pryor claims to have taken huge strides with his passing mechanics this offseason. He credits Tom House, who has worked as a throwing coach for NFL stars like Tom Brady and Drew Brees, for helping him improve significantly.
“I went and worked out with a guy named Tom House,” Pryor told Raiders.com. “He’s [Tom] Brady and [Drew] Brees’… I’m sure you guys have heard of him, he’s a baseball pitcher. He’s a throwing mechanic freak. He breaks everything down scientifically, and I found out that I was leaving my chest open a lot so it was making me late. So when I was coming down to throw with my left arm, my right arm was saying it’s time to go, the timing wasn’t right.
“He kind of helped me with that. It’s definitely helping shoot the ball a lot more and better. My thing looking in the mirror last year was I need to be more accurate. That’s what it is and somewhere I have got to get there, and I will get there, and I’m getting close I can feel it.”
Pryor, who was known as much for making plays with his legs in college as his arm, said he is throwing the ball better than ever.
“I’m more accurate than I’ve ever been,” he said. “I feel very confident about it.”
As Pryor mentioned, House is a former baseball player who has worked with guys like Joe Flacco and Carson Palmer in addition to Brady and Brees. His advice is obviously valued highly, so it remains to be seen if the work he has done with Pryor will turn him into an NFL starter. At age 24, Pryor certainly has plenty of time to prove himself.
