Terrelle Pryor shows off variety of skills in Browns debut

CHICAGO -- Terrelle Pryor took a step back to the past to pick up the first official touch of his Cleveland Browns career. After a few plays at wide receiver during Thursday’s second half, Pryor lined up under center hoping to give the Browns offense a jolt. He took a direct snap, ran to the right and gained 5 yards. Later in the quarter, he did it again for 4 yards. “Just trying to move the ball a little bit and just doing what the coaches want and trying to conform and do it and do it exactly how they want it,” Pryor said after Cleveland’s 24-0 loss to the Bears in the preseason finale. “I had a good run. It’s been a while since I’ve been running like that. That’s probably the most plays I’ve ran, so my leg is getting better.” Pryor, who has been hampered by a hamstring injury throughout the preseason, admitted he still wasn’t 100 percent. And he didn’t come away from Thursday’s game 100 percent satisfied in his performance, either, because he finished with no catches on zero targets. Still, in just a few short series, Pryor was able to flash the kind of versatility and change-of-pace ability Browns coach Mike Pettine said intrigued him about the former quarterback. Pettine said Pryor’s lack of targets wasn’t for a lack of effort. On some plays, like a lot of them Thursday, the protection broke down and forced quarterback Thaddeus Lewis to throw the ball away or in a different direction. On others, the Bears simply schemed to take Pryor out of the play. The most contact Pryor faced came on special teams, where he lined up once as a punt protector. This was by design, Pettine said, because of the variety of things Pryor can do from the position. On his way down the field on what turned into a routine punt, Pryor tussled with a Bears player and flung him to the ground. “He hit me somewhere low and I didn’t like it,” Pryor said. “If you want to get physical, I’m going to get physical with you.” That’s the type of play Pettine loved to see – even with the ball nowhere near his hands. “He’s a willing blocker. He’s smart, he understands it,” Pettine said. That’s just gives (special teams coordinator Chris Tabor) more options. In New York, we had (Tim Tebow) as the punt protector. He can run, he can throw, he can protect. It just changes the mindset defensively. Pryor said he didn’t know if the performance was what the Browns wanted to see before they make a decision Saturday about his status on the 53-man roster, but he was satisfied with his effort. “I was out there blocking and doing different things,” Pryor said. “The guys upstairs get paid a lot of money to make decisions, hard decisions. It is what it is. “I look forward to being on the team, though, I really love the city. I know I can help. But it’s not my decision.”

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Terrelle Pryor shows off variety of skills in Browns debut