AP

Terrelle Pryor is a great athlete. He has a long way to go before he’s a good quarterback.

That’s the word from Raiders coach Dennis Allen, who said today that he appreciates Pryor’s effort but wants to see him get better at all the aspects of playing quarterback in the NFL.

“I think still, when you look at it at the quarterback position, he’s still young in the position,” Allen said of Pryor. “There’s still a lot of improvement that he needs to make. He’s got a great athletic skill set, but still some of the finer points of playing the quarterback position are still some of the things that he’s got to continue to get better at.”

It’s true that the 23-year-old Pryor is still young, but at some point soon, the Raiders are going to need to see Pryor get better at playing the position. The reality is that Pryor was a three-year starter at Ohio State, and he’s now heading into his third NFL season. Being young is an excuse that won’t cut it for much longer.

Allen did say he wants to give Pryor more opportunities to prove himself.

“We’re going to continue to give him opportunities to showcase his skills, but right now, he’s not there yet,” Allen said.

With Matt Flynn set as the starter, fourth-round pick Tyler Wilson assured of a roster spot and undrafted rookie Matt McGloin reportedly looking good, Pryor will need to showcase his skills when he gets those opportunities, or else he might not make the team.