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Pryor hopes to avoid Tebow's fate

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- While there is no doubt about the improvement Terrelle Pryor has shown as a passer this season, the Raiders quarterback is not satisfied.

Pryor said Wednesday he will use Oakland's time off during its bye next week to go to Los Angeles to work again with alternative quarterback guru Tom House.

And Pryor is using Tim Tebow, to whom his skill set and throwing motion have been compared, as a cautionary tale of sorts. Tebow also worked with House, a baseball pitching coach at USC who has tutored the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer.

"He said [Tebow] was ready to go" after working with him, Pryor said, recalling a conversation with House.

"Tebow looked great, he was throwing the ball great, wasn't missing anything. Then they said he went to [training] camp, and when he went back, he reverted back to himself because [that's] when the bullets are flying at you."

New England cut Tebow before the regular season, and he is currently out of work. As such, Pryor said he worried about a similar regression.

"I hope when I get the rushers, people are rushing me, I hope I don't go back to the old thing," Pryor recalled himself thinking.

He has not. At least, not yet.

Consider: Pryor has completed 72.7 percent of his passes inside the pocket, the fourth-best such mark in the NFL, ahead of Brees, Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

So yes, it appears as though Pryor, whose running ability defenses must also account for, has evolved as a passer.

"I'm very proud of that," he said. "I'm very locked in. That's definitely something I'm proud of.

"It's a nonstop progression. It doesn't really catch me by surprise that it's happening."

Raiders coach Dennis Allen acknowledged that Pryor's mobility and ability to extend plays have helped a makeshift offensive line.

"His ability to escape, if the protection does break down, has been key for our offense," Allen said. "Because at times, I don't care who you are, at times the protection's going to break down. And when it does, he's got the ability to make something and create something, and for the most part, it's been positive for us when he's been able to do that."

Pryor, meanwhile, gave credit to Oakland first-year offensive coordinator Greg Olson, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and, of course, House for his relatively rapid development.

And what does the Raiders' going all-in on him by cutting Matt Flynn and his $6.5 million payday on Monday tell Pryor?

"Nothing, really, because they gave me the job back in the first regular-season game, so I'm just going to carry on the same way," Pryor said. "Try to dominate, try to be the best player on the field, like I said before. Just try to lead the offense and help the team win.

"I can't think of any other way. I just got to keep trying to dominate, try to be the best player on the field."