Raiders Notebook: QB Terrelle Pryor sparks victory over Detroit
By Eric Gilmore | www.CBSSports.com
August 26, 2012 1:05 am ET
Oakland Raiders rookie coach Dennis Allen got his first win, a 31-20 victory over Detroit on Saturday, but the night could be remembered more for QB Terrelle Pryor's coming out party in the NFL.
Pryor accounted for 227 total yards of offense and scored three touchdowns, including scoring passes of 39 and 76 yards to rookie WR Juron Criner. Pryor was 3 of 5 for 137 yards passing and rushed 5 times for 90 yards, including a 17-yarder for a TD. He also had a 59-yard run.
Pryor said he benefitted from extra practice snaps this week with No. 2 QB Matt Leinart limited with a lacerated right index finger.
“I felt real comfortable because when I was with the (third string), I would get like 10 plays in practice,” Pryor said. “That's not really enough for me to really get the feel for it. They say that you win games in practice, and I wasn't winning in practice with 10 plays. It's impossible.”
After his debut against Dallas in the exhibition opener, Pryor said he played like “dog crap.”
“I couldn't even say the plays,” Pryor said. “I didn't mess up at all today. I had all the right formations.”
Pryor took full advantage of a good break, too. Two plays before he hit Criner on a 39-yard TD down the right sideline in the fourth quarter, he threw an interception that was nullified by a Lions' penalty. Later in the quarter he hit Criner over the middle for a 76-yard score.
Rookie receiving show: Criner and fellow rookie WR Rod Streater had big nights. Streater had 5 catches for 56 yards in his first NFL start, replacing the injured Jacoby Ford.
Streater, an undrafted rookie, said he had “a lot” of butterflies before the game.
“But in the end it's just football, and I had to calm down and remember just to play football and do the things I did all camp,” Streater said.
Criner has 18 catches for 156 yards in three games as a Raider. As a senior at Temple last year, he had 19 catches all season.
“That's funny, right?” Streater said, laughing. “Nineteen catches. It's a blessing that I'm here, and I've got an offense that throws me the ball. Just want to continue to make plays and continue to work hard.”
Criner, a fifth-round pick from Arizona, came into the game with two catches for 31 yards. He caught two passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Detroit. On his 39-yard TD catch, Criner out-jumped Lions CB Alphonso Smith to make the catch. Smith was even called for interference.
“You have to have that instinct,” Criner said. “When the ball is in the air it belongs to me, and it is all about making the 50/50 plays, and I was just blessed enough to come down with that one.”
Lockdown defense: The Raiders held Lions WR Calvin Johnson to one catch for 7 yards. He was targeted five times. Starting CBs Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer never let him out of their sight. “We were able to take Calvin away,” Allen said. “That limited some of their explosiveness.” The fact that Lions QB Matthew Stafford came out midway through the second quarter with an injury to his left hand helped, too.
Roster battle: Rookie DT Christo Bilukidi and first-year DT Jamie Cumbie are battling to make the 53-man roster, and they each came up with the type of big plays that could earn them a job.
Cumbie, who missed last week's game against Arizona and practice most of this week with a foot injury, deflected three passes and had a sack. Bilukidi picked off one of those passes that Cumbie deflected, and he had a hit on Lions QB Shaun Hill, forcing an incomplete pass on third down.
“Credit to Jamie Cumbie, man,” Bilukidi said. “He had a hell of a game. Three batted balls and a sack. And just that last batted ball, I turned around and I saw it coming down. I was like, well, I could either make the play or not make the play, so I went and grabbed it. That's how you end the game right there, especially if you're trying to make that roster spot. Show these coaches your athleticism and all that.”
Cumbie, who spent last season on the practice squad, said he batted down “quite a few” passes in college at Clemson. “It doesn't happen every game,” Cumbie said. “Sometimes things just fall your way. I was just kind of feeling pretty good out there today. It's the kind of game I needed after missing last week and being out some practices.”
Jones impresses in debut: After missing the first two games with a hamstring injury, backup RB Taiwan Jones carried 10 times for 50 yards against Detroit, showing off his blazing speed to get around the corner. “I definitely felt good out there,” Jones said. “I've been anxious to get out there. Once I got my first hit, I was good. I was just having fun.”
Extra points: QB Carson Palmer threw for 181 yards but was intercepted for the third time in three games. … K Sebastian Janikowksi suffered a groin injury in the second quarter during a long return by Detroit. He's day-to-day. Allen said no other Raider suffered a significant injury. |
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