Is it Mendoza time???

[pfish57]

We are on a 4 game losing skid, and I think it's time to put KC out to pasture...with that said all this talk of Mendoza getting destroyed is ridiculous...hell KC has somehow come out unscathed after 7 games what makes people think a mobile QB will fare worse...we aren't going anywhere with KC! It's time to get the kid some real game time experience & see what life with Mendoza entails!

[DanKD]

Cousins has played as well as you could hope but hes also being a bit overrated by some here. He is 21st in qbr and is not as good as his raw stats would suggest. His stats have been helped by terrible defense and game script. And Kubiak despite some things he needs to learn from is great at getting the most out of a QB.

Again, hes been solid but not as good as the raw numbers suggest.

[NoThanksSir]

He's not going to magically fix the oline, make Jeanty look like a top draft pick or make the wrs create better separation
If you're wanting him to start so he gets experience, I can go with that. But some are thinking he's going to open up the offense are in for disappointment. He adds elements that Kirk doesn't offer, stronger arm and can use his legs but let's not pretend he Lamar Jackson and running is a big part of his game

Idk, I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Kirk is a statue and is known as a statue. Mendoza isn't fast but he's a gritty scrambler and won the Natty doing so. Let's not downplay the fact that we have a talent waiting in the wings. Mendoza can absolutely improve the offense, it's just a matter of timing it right. Kirk is also playing "alright." I wouldn't say he's out there being a playmaker. He's missing reads, and cut down substantially on his errors. We're competitive at times, but not for all 4 quarters.

[Raider_Dave]

Somehow Mahomes is managing to have a HOF career despite not starting a game until the very last one of his rookie season. I understand fans by nature are not patient but I still don't think it's the time to throw him in unless the plan is to just tank the rest of the season.

We can compile a very long list of QBs who sat most of their first year and sucked anyway. People only seem to talk about the ones that it did work for, and there absolutely nothing that proves they would have failed by starting earlier.

[Xramfan]

He might also fold behind a shity OL and then get hurt and forever be lost (CARR).
I'm in agreement here that we all want to see him play but this team is NOT good. The OL is terrible, our RG is horrible and the WR are bad....this is very telling and it shows.
I'm all for waiting and letting him continue to grow and develop at practice. One more year of waiting isn't going to kill us. I think it is time for us to play other combinations of people though and trade off some key pieces to add in draft capital and free up some money to spend on other FA's. I still can't believe we haven't seen Zuhn somewhere...that is the rookie who should be getting some playing time.

Can’t compare him to Derek. Mendo is higher IQ and not as mentally fragile as Derek IMO.

[Cruisin with Tooz]

Cousins has played as well as you could hope but hes also being a bit overrated by some here. He is 21st in qbr and is not as good as his raw stats would suggest. His stats have been helped by terrible defense and game script. And Kubiak despite some things he needs to learn from is great at getting the most out of a QB.

Again, hes been solid but not as good as the raw numbers suggest.

Its not just empty stats hes putting up. Hes putting up the points to match. Even yesterday he did. The O had to forgo putting up an easy 8 points (2 conversions and 2 chip shot FGs) because of the D, or lack thereof. This game could have easily been 28-26 with 5 minutes left or even 29-28, if not for the missed makeable FG in the 1st quarter. The job he's done is even more amazing when you consider that he has no running game to rely on. The D is what it is and its what is preventing us from being a playoff team. Time to sell off. Cousins and Crosby for starters.

[Attyla]

You can't blame those losses on Cousins. Yesterday was yet another example of how bad our D is. We desperately needed a stop when the O had gained us some momentum, but then the Rams march right down the field to put it away with a TD.

I agree that we can't wait until everything's perfect though. We weren't the worst team in the league last year for no reason, so if we keep him in bubblewrap after it's clear that we're not playoff bound, it'll be a missed development opportunity for the kid.

Being a great player means overcoming obstacles, whether it's your first year or your tenth.

6 points in the first half. You always blame the guy who touches the ball every offensive snap for the offensive output. Did Cousins lose those games on his back alone? No, but in the blowout losses he looked pretty bad. The defense did tighten up in the second half, and I saw nothing to indicate that LA took the foot off the gas to start the second.

I think our pass blocking, while not great, is good enough to justify giving the ball to Mendoza. We got to find out what we got and we do that on the field, so we agree there. I am actually not all that concerned with the receivers. It is actually beneficial that we have a couple really good TE's and pass catching RBs. I have long maintained that until a QB learns the speed of the game, those two items are huge. And Mendoza's skill with the back shoulder pass is a huge get for us. He can extend the play using that weapon because when it is done correctly you either get an undefendable catch or a pass interference call.

[tatalalicious]

Kirk C really struggles with putting zip on the ball on passes outside the hash marks and anything past 30 yards up field. Would be nice to see a bigger arm and a more commanding presence in the pocket. Im actually not to bothered with where things are at with this team, it was always going to get harder to win deeper into the schedule. The team really needs a WR 1 and better guard play on offense.

[NoThanksSir]

And Mendoza's skill with the back shoulder pass is a huge get for us. He can extend the play using that weapon because when it is done correctly you either get an undefendable catch or a pass interference call.

Timing with Mendoza has always been the discussion. But I think you hit the nail on the head here. If Mendoza isn't at risk of being hurt, he offers traits and abilities Kirk simply can't do. Throwing to the sideline Mendoza has twice the arm Kirk does right now. That's back shoulders, out routes, and comebacks. He's also not the fastest guy but he's a gritty scrambler and could force the defense to be a whole lot more honest than they need to be with Cousins.

[heavyD]

Cousins leads the league in TD passes and is 3rd in yards. Anyone that thinks he's the problem is delusional. He's playing too well to replace as Kubiak has a responsibility to the players in the locker room to put them in position to win. At 3-4 it's simply too early to waive the white flag and let the rest of the locker room you are going to go away from the guy that's been doing an excellent job to get the rookie some reps. The only way they can make the change right now is if Kubiak truly believes that Mendoza is the better option and I don't think we are there yet.

[Coach dd 11]

Can’t compare him to Derek. Mendo is higher IQ and not as mentally fragile as Derek IMO.

Jesus...I didn't compare him to DC....I said that he could get hurt or mentally break constantly playing behind a piss poor line like DC did in my opinion, and a lot of others. Fact is we have no way of knowing what we have in FM just yet, good or bad. How do you know "Mendo" is higher IQ and not as fragile mentally weak? He may very well be great but we don't know just yet either. Now I see where some people just want to play him and see what happens, but I'd be more in favor of waiting and letting him grown and learn this year. Hell, even if we were to trade Cousins then I'd argue to start AOC and play FM at times. I get a lot of people totally disagree with that notion too. I just don't think we are a very solid team and the play when drafting him was to let him grow, learn and develop and you do just that...built the team for him for next year, not this year.

[Willmark]

No, it is not time for Mendoza, at least not yet.

We are going to see him at some point, but at the moment I don't see the upside.

Now starting say against the Browns? Yes. That might be a perfect game to do so as the odds stand right now its a 50/50 split, or more likely 12-13 after the bye week vs the Chargers at home. I could very much see the staff shooting for that one.

[Xramfan]

Cousins leads the league in TD passes and is 3rd in yards. Anyone that thinks he's the problem is delusional. He's playing too well to replace as Kubiak has a responsibility to the players in the locker room to put them in position to win. At 3-4 it's simply too early to waive the white flag and let the rest of the locker room you are going to go away from the guy that's been doing an excellent job to get the rookie some reps. The only way they can make the change right now is if Kubiak truly believes that Mendoza is the better option and I don't think we are there yet.

Rewatch the first half of yesterday’s game and reasses. You know, before the rams relaxed

Again I like Cousins. He just isn’t the future of the Raiders and I’m ready for Mendo. Obviously not my call but my opinion

[NoThanksSir]

Cousins leads the league in TD passes and is 3rd in yards. Anyone that thinks he's the problem is delusional. He's playing too well to replace as Kubiak has a responsibility to the players in the locker room to put them in position to win. At 3-4 it's simply too early to waive the white flag and let the rest of the locker room you are going to go away from the guy that's been doing an excellent job to get the rookie some reps. The only way they can make the change right now is if Kubiak truly believes that Mendoza is the better option and I don't think we are there yet.

I don't think Kirk is the problem, but I do think that Mendoza won't substantially hurt our chances. Everyone in the building understands that you take a QB 1st overall to start eventually. If it were any other selection I think you have an argument saying you have to do right by the locker room. But we staked the future of the franchise on Mendoza, so eventually you have to say it with your chest and announce to everyone that he was worth that 1st overall pick and can offer things that Cousin, the hard working 4th rounder who carved out a full career but his best days are behind him, simply can't.

[Attyla]

Cousins leads the league in TD passes and is 3rd in yards. Anyone that thinks he's the problem is delusional. He's playing too well to replace as Kubiak has a responsibility to the players in the locker room to put them in position to win. At 3-4 it's simply too early to waive the white flag and let the rest of the locker room you are going to go away from the guy that's been doing an excellent job to get the rookie some reps. The only way they can make the change right now is if Kubiak truly believes that Mendoza is the better option and I don't think we are there yet.

This argument never makes sense to me. 62.6% completion rate is not great. And the difference in total yards between Cousins and Geno is like 36 yards a game. That is really nothing. And the TD thing? It is really misleading as well. Cousins has one more than Burrow who has already had his bye. Cousins did not do an excellent job in the two blowout games. And that was vs two teams that coming in were on life support.

And yes, it is about getting the rookie in there. We won three games against teams that have a combined two wins this year. We should be planning for the future and one of the biggest parts of the future is Mendoza. Not the Cousins era that is all but certainly over this season. This like buying an Armani Suit and wearing your old cheap suit because "it still functions" and you are absolutely wrong on why we would make a change now in my opinion. If you make the change now, it is not about Mendoza being a better option now, it is because you believe it makes him the better option long term. And that is what good coaches do. They play chess thinking about the move they make 7 moves down, not just the next move.

[Raiders Baby]

The value of Kirk is twofold:

1) no rush for Mendoza
2) he might give you a better chance to win in our current arrangement

Point 1 becomes less compelling every week. At a certain point, reps are more valuable learning for Mendoza than watching Kirk. So Kirk needs to be fulfilling criterion 2 because at a certain point the value of 1 expires.

If Kirk is winning, then we should roll with Kirk, because it will only be easier for Mendoza if he doesn’t have to fix everything when he comes in.

Kirk winning = our current results are helping to establish a culture = better situation for Mendoza.

But if we aren’t winning with Kirk, there’s only a limited amount Mendoza can learn by losing on the bench. In that case, it’s time to start ramping up the next stage of the plan. I suspect we’re getting close to this point