Terrelle Pryor: Don't Expect Hue Jackson to Rush Pryor's Development

When, oh when is Terrelle Pryor truly going to arrive on the scene in the NFL?

This is a hard question to answer. Pryor has been a member of the Oakland Raiders since late August, but he then had to serve a five-game suspension to start the season. Technically speaking, Pryor didn't really "arrive" in the NFL until his suspension was lifted last week.

But come on. You and I both know that Pryor's career won't truly kick off until he actually contributes something in Oakland. If Pryor's first contributions come in a start, that would be just great.

With Jason Campbell out for, according to the Los Angeles Times, at least six weeks, a lot of people want to know when Pryor is going to get his shot. After all, he is currently the team's No. 2 quarterback behind Kyle Boller.

However, the word from Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle is that Raiders head coach Hue Jackson isn't about to rush Pryor along:

I translate Jackson's words to mean "Pryor will be ready when he's ready, and that will not be soon."

If so, this definitely should be Jackson's attitude towards Pryor. He has the talent to be a good NFL quarterback, but one does not become a good NFL quarterback overnight. Like Tafur says, it takes reps, and Pryor has gotten precious few of those.

With Campbell out, the good news for Pryor is that he can probably expect an increased workload in practice. Even if the Raiders fill out their depth chart with another quarterback, things are going to be in flux until Campbell comes back, which might not even be this year. Unless Kyle Boller magically transforms into Aaron Rodgers, it stands to reason that all hands will be on deck in Oakland.

If there is an emergency, Jackson is going to have no choice but to use Pryor. But assuming the Raiders go out and acquire another quarterback, anything less than an emergency will keep Pryor on the sideline.

For now, anyway. The Raiders did not bid a third-round pick on Pryor in the supplemental draft just so they could have him around. Sooner or later, he will have a notable role to play in Oakland.

It just won't be sooner.