Newton's QB coach expects to work with NFL-minded Pryor

What could Terrelle Pryor have in common with Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers?

Pryor might be the latest protégé of quarterbacks coach George Whitfield, the Canton Repository reported Sunday.

Ex-Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor (above) likely will turn to the same man whom Cam Newton did to help him prepare for the NFL. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com)

Whitfield said he's close to being hired to tutor Pryor as the former Ohio State quarterback prepares for the NFL Supplemental Draft, whenever that might be, according to the Repository.

"It is my understanding I am heading (to Miami)," said Whitfield, who's wrapping up a 2,000-mile bus tour of visits with 40 quarterbacks. "I look forward to working with him. From a kid that grew up in Ohio and knows how important the Buckeyes are and my relationship with (former Ohio State) coach (Jim) Tressel and his relationship with coach Tressel ... on top of the fact he's talented and a big competitor. It's a challenge to me. I know Terrelle wants to be as good as he can be."

Whitfield disagrees with the assessment of some analysts that Pryor's best position in the NFL might be tight end.

"I almost jumped off the couch (during the NFL draft) when I heard that," Whitfield said. "They put in all their chips against him and made a definitive statement about a guy who is 31-4 at one of the more premier college programs in America."

Whitfield already has a blueprint for Pryor.

"The big thing is I've got to get him more familiar with his operation in the pocket in terms of footwork and throwing from the pocket," Whitfield said. "Of the guys I've worked with, Pryor has played more under center than any of them. It's not that he’s deficient in that area, but it's what the NFL wants. The league puts a premium on operation from the cockpit, and we'll work on that."

Whitfield coached Newton before and since his selection as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Whitfield also worked with Roethlisberger while the Pittsburgh Steeler sat out his four-game suspension at the start of the 2010 season. And Whitfield worked with Rivers in 2007 while serving as an intern on Cam Cameron's Chargers offensive staff.

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Colts RB Addai expects to play after eight-game injury absence

INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts running back Joseph Addai expects to return Sunday against the Oakland Raiders after missing the past eight games because of a nerve injury in his left shoulder, the first positive news on the injury front for the team in quite a while.

"I feel like it's a great chance. I feel like I'm heading in the right direction," Addai said Thursday, one day after fully participating in practice. "I felt good. I didn't set myself back. Really, I'm just happy to put on a uniform and just get back into it."

Linebacker Clint Session also is likely to play after missing the past seven games with a broken arm and a dislocated elbow. The players' returns coincide with the Colts losing wide receiver Austin Collie for the season. He sustained a concussion last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Addai has 5,280 yards from scrimmage and 46 touchdowns in five seasons. He rushed for 128 yards and one touchdown against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 17 before hurting the shoulder.

"He understands all the nuances," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "He is very, very smart. He's a guy that can make you miss, but also has power and catches the ball out of the backfield. He's also a very good pass protector."

The Colts average 95 rushing yards per game with Addai and 78 without him. They also have a higher average per carry and generally control the clock better when Addai plays.

"He brings so many intangibles," Caldwell said. "He certainly does make a difference."

Caldwell didn't say whether or not Addai would start against the Raiders or how carries would be distributed if he's available. Donald Brown is coming off a career-best 129-yard performance, and the ground game has been effective the past two weeks.

"A lot of it just depends on where he is when we finish the week," Caldwell said. "We'll get a real good sense of that. After we make that assessment, we'll make a determination on how Joe will play for us."

Addai said it has been difficult to watch the team struggle. The Colts were 4-2 with him, but they lost four of their next six without him, before bouncing back to defeat the Tennessee Titans and Jaguars and brighten their playoff possibilities.

"The biggest thing is that you've always got to go back and understand that football does have injuries," Addai said. "Not being able to be out there with your teammates, that's frustrating, but you've always got to take a positive from a negative. The only thing I could do is keep on trying to get better."

Addai was especially happy to see the Colts churn out 155 yards on the ground in their 34-24 win over the Jaguars.

"It's always good when you see us able to run when we're called upon to do that," he said. "Hopefully, it will carry on to the Oakland game. Each game is a confidence builder. We were able to get some runs, get some passes and be an all-around team, just doing things that we couldn't always do in the past."

Addai said the timing of his return is ideal because wins over Oakland and Tennessee would give the Colts the AFC South title and a home playoff game.

"We're sitting in a good situation," he said. "We're in control of our own destiny. It's always good to have people that's been out come back in. I think it will help as far as trying to get up to that next level, and that's getting into the playoffs."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Jaguars QB Garrard expects to be cleared to play at Dallas

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The "cloud coverage" has cleared, and quarterback David Garrard is ready to return for the Jaguars.

Almost.

Garrard still has to pass post-concussion tests Tuesday to be cleared to practice and play for the Jaguars (3-4).

"Once I pass those, then everything will be good," Garrard said.

Speaking for the first time since he sustained his concussion last Monday night against the Tennessee Titans, Garrard said he failed the NFL-mandated tests Friday.

"It was really just a cloud coverage thing," he said. "It wasn't partly cloudy. It wasn't semi-cloudy. It was a total cloud coverage. But now I feel great. I feel like my normal self. But we're going to be smart and make sure that it's not you just got over the clouds but they're still back there lingering or something."

Garrard sustained a concussion when Titans linebacker Will Witherspoon drove him to the ground during the second quarter of the 30-3 loss, the worst home defeat in Jaguars history.

The next day was "just awful," Garrard said. He was sensitive to light and noise, but he never vomited. His focus, demeanor and speech were "really slowed down."

Garrard started feeling better Saturday and even worked out Sunday and Monday.

"It was a terrible experience to go through," Garrard said. "It was a tough experience to go through, but hopefully it doesn't happen again."

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio made it clear Monday that Garrard will start Sunday's game at Dallas if he passes his tests.

"As long as he remembers snap counts and how to play football," Del Rio said.

Backup Todd Bouman, signed early last week, completed 18 of 34 passes for 222 yards in Sunday's 42-20 loss at Kansas City. Bouman had two touchdown passes and two interceptions, but he received strong reviews from Del Rio and teammates. Even Garrard was impressed.

"I thought it was awesome the way he started out the game, the way he was energized," Garrard said. "He looked like a kid out there for a 38-year-old man. He had fun. Things just didn't work out for him there toward the end. Those are things that as an offensive group we're going to have to overcome. Teams are going to have turnovers, but you've got to be able to overcome them and go down and make a score, and we didn't do that."

Garrard has been inconsistent all season. He has eight TD passes and an interception in three wins, and one score and six turnovers in three losses. He has been sacked 12 times, with nine of them coming in the losses.

Still, Garrard insisted he won't change the way he plays following the first concussion of his NFL career.

"I'm still going to be David Garrard," he said. "I'm going to play the way that I play. I can't alter my game. I don't know how I would alter it. I'm going to be as physical as I still can, but also be smart, too, knowing that I can have a concussion, I can be susceptible to a concussion."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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