ALAMEDA -- Terrelle Pryor’s bye week plans have changed. The Raiders quarterback planned on visiting private mechanics coach Tom House during the NFL-mandated four-day bye-week dead period, but he’s going to stay home instead.
Schedules didn’t mesh with House this weekend, so Pryor and offensive coordinator Greg Olson are going to hunker down and study while most other Raiders are away.
Pryor planned on taking a few days off during this stretch, but Sunday’s loss to Kansas City changed things.
“I planned my schedule thinking we were going to win that game,” Pryor said. “Three picks changed some things.”
Pryor’s break shrunk to a Wednesday afternoon off and a Thursday morning met without an alarm. He’ll sleep in, and then get back to work studying film. It’ll be the latest start and the earliest finish since the season started. Pryor and Olson will analyze decision making in detail, why he makes throws and how he can play smarter.
Pryor wants to avoid a repeat of Sunday’s debacle, where he threw three interceptions, struggled to get plays off, make proper protection calls and throw it away before getting sacked. Of Kansas City’s 10 sacks, four of them were blamed on Pryor for holding on too long.
Pryor was wound up following his worst NFL start, and Olson wants him to ease up during a time meant for teaching.
“It’s important that he relaxes a little bit,” Olson said. ‘He’s very hard on himself, which is a good thing, but he’s also got to understand to take a deep breath, ready and renewed, with more energy, ready to attack the last 10 games of the season here. For me, that’s great. Let’s go and try to clean up some things mechanically. But also, just take your mind off of it for a day or two, at least physically anyways, and be ready to come back Monday.”
While House receives significant credit for Pryor’s transformation, Olson has played a major part in the 24-year old’s day-to-day development. A bond rooted in respect has formed between the two, especially since Pryor became the starter seven weeks ago.
Olson doesn’t mind House’s outside influence. Olson actually recommended Pryor seek out the former baseball pitcher who has worked with players like Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
“I’ve learned from Tom, and I actually had given that name to Terrelle last spring, just because of my relationship with Drew Brees,” said Olson, who was Purdue University quarterbacks coach when Brees was a Boilermaker. “I thought, if you’re going to go with somebody, that’s a guy that I respect that believe in. I’m perfectly fine with that.”
Pryor’s going to stay put during the bye week and devote time to his craft. While he’s been critical of himself in hours and days immediately following the Chiefs loss, Pryor has rebounded well.
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“He’s a resilient player,” Olson said. “You can coach him hard and he takes the coaching. He tries to come back and take in what you’re telling him and be better the next week. He’s what you’re looking for there as far as a player that’s trying to get better.”
