This offseason, Terrelle Pryor has, by all accounts, dedicated himself to both his honing his craft on the field and becoming a better teammate off of it. It seems such dedication couldn’t have come at a better time for a quarterback whose name will appear in most all of the preseason Heisman watch lists. And who will be in charge of a team with national title aspirations.
Prior to this year, there were rumblings that Pryor wasn’t exactly a favorite of some/many of his Buckeye teammates, that he was too standoffish and felt above the mere three- and four-star mortals kneeling below him.
Linebacker Tyler Moeller confirmed as much on Tuesday during a session with the media. But, Moeller was also quick to point out that Pryor has become a markedly changed young man since those early days.
“I think when he (Pryor) first got here, I don’t think too many people liked him, really,” Moeller said according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He was kind of a punk. But now I have the utmost respect for him. He’s a great player and a great leader and I’d follow him into battle any day.”
While not exactly copping to the “punk” part, Pryor did admit recently that his opinion of himself was a bit too high for a good stretch of his time with the Buckeyes.
“I think I was a little arrogant, to tell the truth,” Pryor said this past weekend. “You think about it and I came in as a junior in high school and everybody was praising me, everyone was being around me and everybody was telling me how I great I am. It can be kind of ... you lose your humbleness. And [now] I feel humble. I feel very humble, very appreciative.”
Will that translate into wins and a trip to Glendale at season’s end? Who ultimately knows, but it certainly can’t hurt for a team’s most potent offensive weapon at the most important position on the field to know his teammates will have his back. And vice versa.
(Tip o’ The Hat: Orlando Sentinel Blog)