Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor wasn't himself in Sunday's loss to the New York Giants.
The scrambling and elusiveness we've become used to from Pryor to were replaced by tentative play in the pocket, the result of a knee injury he suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen acknowledged Monday that Pryor's health is more of a concern than Oakland realized before the Giants game.
"It wasn't something that we thought was going to be a big factor going into the game. But, obviously, it was a factor," Allen told reporters, per the Bay Area News Group.
"It was obvious that there wasn't that explosiveness that we had seen out of him prior to the injury. I'll sit down and visit with Terrelle a little bit more and find out exactly where he is physically."
Pryor told reporters after the loss that he's dealing with a sprained MCL that grew more troublesome as the week went on.
On Sunday, he was reduced to a young passer still figuring things out. When healthy, Pryor looks like -- and often is -- the best athlete on the field, but the role of NFL starting quarterback requires poise and growth from the pocket:
Pryor's been a mixed bag, but he brought life to Oakland's season when the Raiders had been written off as a lost cause. His job is safe, but he won't be the same player until he can move and wiggle his way through awed defenders again. Take that away and he's a very average cat.
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