Raiders vs Seahawks: Terrelle Pryor's Debut Makes Game a Must-Watch

Week 4 of the NFL preseason isn't generally a time for compelling storylines beyond which players on the roster bubble can make enough of an impression to make their respective teams. However, in tonight's contest between the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders, there is a clear reason to take notice: The preseason debut of rookie Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

This will be fans' first chance to see the 2011 supplemental draft pick before he serves his five-game suspension and the Raiders' first opportunity to see how their apparent quarterback of the future can handle his first taste of an NFL defense.

It's also a low-risk affair for Pryor, as he will more than likely see action against the second- and third-string Seahawks defenders on a team not well-known for its defensive talent.

Considering Pryor has only been on the practice field for a short time—this is his eighth day officially with the team—they are not looking for him to pick up the entire offensive playbook and put on a clinic this evening.

The word most used to describe Pryor's first time taking the practice field was "rusty"—as in, he hasn't played in a football game since January and is at least three weeks behind his other fellow teammates in terms of getting back into the game.

Whatever struggles and successes he has tonight will be scrutinized by the football public in ways that a supplemental draft pick has never experienced.

His long-time supporters will be rooting for him to appear poised to lead an NFL offense. His detractors will be hoping for him to crash and burn. His team and his coaches will be hoping that he displays enough football aptitude to be ready to take the field as early as the midpoint of the season.

While the reality will probably land between these three disparate expectations, the type of hype Pryor's debut is generating takes what would be a workmanlike Week 4 preseason game that everyone wishes would end after one quarter into a must-watch contest.

It's about as high-pressure as a no-pressure situation can get, and it should prove to be an excellent stage to examine Pryor's on-field decision-making, as well as his general level of conditioning and raw skill.