Allen to keep Matt McGloin as starter

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Nov. 24, 2013

It appears that Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is going to stick with undrafted rookie Matt McGloin as the team's starting quarterback when the Raiders head to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

Allen stated that his young quarterback had played well enough to earn the another start after McGloin finished 19/32 for 260 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the Raiders 23-19 loss on Sunday.

“Yeah, I thought Matt played well," Allen said when asked if McGloin earned another start. "And for him to lead us back when we needed a touchdown, he got us the touchdown we needed to give us the lead; we just couldn’t hold it defensively. So yeah, I thought Matt played well.”

McGloin is now 44/79 for 544 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in two games plus a a couple of drives late in the blowout loss to the Eagles.

Allen liked what he saw in his young quarterback as McGloin led the offense to their first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, giving the Raiders the lead. McGloin stayed in the pocket just long enough to get rid of the ball and drop in a perfect pass to Marcel Reece for a 27-yard touchdown pass when the team needed it the most, giving them the late 19-16 lead.

“He led the team down the field, a couple of nice throws in there," Allen said of his young quarterback's play Sunday. "I thought the protection was good. So whether he grew up or not, I think he went out there and executed and did his job and moved the team and that’s what we expect him to do.”

As was the case Sunday, it appears Terrelle Pryor will serve as McGloin's backup for the time being.

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