SEATTLE (AP) - The last time Pete Carroll saw Terrelle Pryor in person on the field was a Saturday night in Columbus in 2009.
But his impressions of Pryor go back long before USC and Ohio State faced each other that night.
“Way back coming out of high school just his overall athleticism. He was a dominant athlete, fast, strong, great confidence,” Carroll said. “A guy who has had a background of success and it shows when he plays, versatility is there because he can do a lot of things with the ball.”
Like everyone else, Carroll’s not sure if he’ll get a look at Pryor on Friday night when the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks close out the 2011 NFL preseason. It’s the only chance for Pryor to get on the field before the month of October. He’ll be banned from practicing or playing for the Raiders after Friday night as part of a five-game suspension imposed before he entered the NFL supplemental draft.
It’s been less than two weeks since Oakland selected the controversial former Ohio State star in the third round of the supplemental draft. He signed a four-year contract with the Raiders a few days later. Pryor gave up his final season with the Buckeyes after an investigation into the team’s memorabilia-for-cash scandal that cost coach Jim Tressel his job.
Pryor was handed the same five-game suspension by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that he would have faced had he returned to Ohio State, but was allowed to participate in practice and preseason games.
“Again this is a long process for him. He’s still trying to understand our offense, exactly how we call things, how we go about doing things. It takes a little time. I’m not surprised that it’s not just like that,” Oakland coach Hue Jackson said, snapping his fingers. “I don’t think anybody is. I don’t even think he is. I think it takes a little time. Do I think he wants to play and compete? Yeah, any competitor wants to do that but not at the risk of him not having success or him not being sure or anything like that.”
Whether Pryor sees the field on Friday is just one of the questions in a game that features a number of ties between the former AFC West rivals.
While Raiders fans are anxious to see Pryor on the field, Seattle fans are just anxious about a struggling offensive line that’s left new quarterback Tarvaris Jackson exposed to far more hits than Carroll would like to see during the exhibition season.
Seattle’s gone as far as rotating in Breno Giacomini at right tackle since rookie first-round pick James Carpenter has not played well. The Seahawks also are without left tackle Russell Okung, who will sit out against the Raiders in hopes that his sprained ankle is ready for the opener on Sept. 11 at San Francisco.
The Seahawks haven’t done much to help out the young line from a scheme perspective, but in the process exposed where the weaknesses lie.
“You could get into a chip-game and use the tight end and do some of those things but it’s not been a point of emphasis yet. We need to find out really who we are and I think after (last) Saturday, we got a pretty good idea in a negative way,” Seattle offensive line coach Tom Cable said. “We know what the real weaknesses are and how to fix them so that’s what we’ll do moving forward.”
Cable is one of three former Raiders connections for the Seahawks, along with offensive lineman Robert Gallery and tight end Zach Miller. Cable was the Raiders head coach for 2 1/2 seasons, including last season, when the Raiders finished 8-8 and ended a streak of seven straight seasons with at least 11 loses per year.
But Cable was not retained in the offseason and Jackson was promoted from offensive coordinator.
Gallery was one of Seattle’s first targets in free agency, with the Seahawks banking on his strong relationship with Cable. The Seahawks won a battle with the Raiders for Miller, the Pro Bowl tight end.
“It’s going to be weird,” Raiders center Samson Satele said. “It’s weird seeing them a couple of games on TV in different jerseys. It’s always weird.”
Notes: The Seahawks released guard Brent Osborne and signed former North Carolina State receiver Owen Spencer to the 80-man roster. Spencer was released by Tennessee on Monday.
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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Alameda, Calif. contributed to this report.
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