Terrelle Pryor, as he said himself not long ago, doesn't know how to catch. He even said that if he's not a quarterback, he's pretty much done.
Changed his mind, though.
Mary Kay Cabot and others consider Pryor a long shot to make the final roster with good reason. His physical talent is off the charts--in Megatron territory. But he's starting from scratch.
NFL Radio's Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller see him more as a move tight end than a wide receiver, however. The Browns' coaches probably have an open mind about that, and here's the critical part:
A guy who catches passes is a guy who catches passes.
So Pryor won't be competing with just the wide receivers, but also the tight ends/H-backs.
I refuse to offer the link to this crap here, but one analyst called the current corps of Browns wide receivers a "train wreck", which is preposterous. This idiot felt that Pryor has a good chance of making the final roster because everybody else sucks.
No, in reality Pryor has an uphill battle there, but at tight end/H-back it's a little different.
Rob Housler is the move tight end who will do Jordan Cameron stuff.
Malcolm Johnson is the fullback/TE hybrid. Both these guys will also play H-back.
Flip intends to use both of these guys a lot as in-space blockers as well as receivers, and to use blocking tight ends as well in a physical, run-oriented quarterback-friendly offense.
Pryor may never become a great blocker, but has spectacular potential as a pass-catching tight end/H-back.
While he has a ton of lost ground to cover in running precise patterns, getting off bumps, catching and all that, the numbers here give him a puncher's chance.
Especially when you consider all the experiments Flip is trying. Lining Hawkins up in the backfield and even handing off to him? Really? If anybody can find a way to use this guy here and there right out of the gate, it has to be Flip!
It goes without saying that if Pryor does make the roster, he's as likely to throw a pass from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage as he is to run the ball. And Flip could do that over and over again...it never gets old.
Special teams are also not so complex, and Pryor has every chance of contributing there immediately.
Housler and Johnson are not in danger from Pryor, but there could be room for him between them, as it is possible, due to the nature of this scheme, that the Browns retain five "tight ends" (or four tight ends and a fullback, if they call Johnson a fullback).
Another factor here is that move tight ends and H-backs are a little different than receivers. They're often secondary or tertiary targets, and become more valuable when plays and timing break down.
Often they'll go deep between the hash-marks. Timing or precision aren't as critical here, because they're right in front of the quarterback. They're not making any cuts. The quarterback can see them, and adjust.
IF Pryor has good hands (who knows right now?), he can run some of these patterns right away.
As an H-back, he can't be bumped. As a move tight end, he has to be covered by a strong safety or linebacker who can't run with him.
Terrelle Pryor the receiver has a better chance here with Flip than he would on just about any other team.
If he doesn't make it, Ray Farmer will certainly try to sneak him onto the practice squad. And it's at least 50/50 he loses him. Good luck, kid!
No comments:
Post a Comment