This sounds like the story of the three bears, only it involves three leagues and someone named Terrelle Pryor, not some chick named Goldilocks.
The controversial quarterback announced this week he is leaving Ohio State amid the tattoo affair that cost Coach Jim Tressel his job.
Trying to go pro, Pryor said Thursday through his attorney that he will pass on an offer from the Canadian Football League. You can guess it’s too cold. He wants to play in the NFL, but for a quarterback who has lots of flaws and even more baggage, the league may be too hot for him right now.
Maybe he needs to go right in the middle, just like Mama Bear. He needs to go for the United Football League.
The quality of the UFL has been impressive. Almost a hundred players have moved from the league to the NFL after two seasons. And, after watching four games last season in person, the speed of the game is just a tick below the NFL.
Part of the reason is the coaching in the five-team league. Going into this season, four of the five UFL head coaches were highly successful in the NFL: Dennis Green, Jim Fassel and newcomers Jerry Glanville and Marty Schottenheimer. They are a reason such a small league is played at such a high level and has attracted quarterbacks like Daunte Culpepper and Jeff Garcia.
That’s why the UFL would be a good transition for Pryor, who will need far more tutoring and mentoring than an NFL team team coming off the frenzy of a lockout will be able to offer. Someone like Fassel or Schottenheimer will prepare Pryor more for the NFL game than any quarterback guru can in less than a month. And when he’s ready to play in the NFL, he will have more confidence than he would trying to learn a pro offense in a day or less in a hastily arranged training camp.
In fact, the perfect position for him would be to play with the Sacramento Mountain Lions, who have Green as their coach and Culpepper as their quarterback. Pryor could learn from two NFL winners. He could relieve an aging Culpepper and give the Mountain Lions a great change-up against defenses. He would also be in a smaller media market with fewer distractions, making such a tumultuous year end a little easier.
Pryor may be aiming for the NFL and a possible supplemental draft, but there are too many questions about his abilities. And when the labor smoke clears, there may not be a supplemental draft and that would leave Pryor playing catchup at every step.
That’s why UFL is not too cold and not too hot. It’s just right for Pryor.
Pryor not interested in CFL, aiming for NFL [ESPN]
