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I have rarely seen a QB do more with less. Kubiak has made it clear that he is the guy this year but his play has really defied conventional wisdom. The run blocking is as putrid as it was last season. The pass blocking has been getting compliments but how much as that has to do with Cousins's pocket presence and pre snap reads?

I am not sure the subject deserves its own thread but I think what he has accomplished this season cannot be overstated and he has essentially put the offense on his back. I don't think anyone saw this coming.

Thoughts?...

After todays game ive changed my mind and will take a 3rd if best offer

I like Kirk but both those ints targeting Tucker are TDs with a stronger arm imo. To be fair though Mayer needs to hold on to the ball and I think Brock could have forced his way into the end zone.

Cousins is still solid its just we arent competing with the absolutel worst defense in the league so Id like to see build towards the future now.

DanKD wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 6:59 pm Cousins is still solid its just we arent competing with the absolutel worst defense in the league so Id like to see build towards the future now.

The defense is historically bad and thats quite a statement considering that last good defense we fielded was twenty seasons ago.

DanKD wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 6:59 pm Cousins is still solid its just we arent competing with the absolutel worst defense in the league so Id like to see build towards the future now.

I like Kirk Cousins. He has been perfect for the role he was brought in. However calling him still "solid" at this point is a stretch. His arm is shot. Tre had his man beat badly at the end of the game and Cousins gave it all he had and it was a wounded duck. Hit Tucker in stride he scores I think.

Again, I really like Kirk and he has had a great run this year. The Raiders will not make the playoffs, Kirk isnt the future, Mendo has sat enough and its time to let the lad play and learn.

I think it’s the Browns game they start him. Are they really gonna throw him in against Seattle’s D or at Denver for his first game? That gives him 6 games to start.

Why do people think he needs to be bubble wrapped and protected like a little flower? He’s not DC

Xramfan wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 8:31 pm Why do people think he needs to be bubble wrapped and protected like a little flower? He’s not DC

I don’t know that he needs to be bubble wrapped. I think obviously you don’t want to throw him to the wolves either.

From what we know so far, he’s not going to be getting any help from a defence or running game. Makes sense you’d avoid sending him out to get his ass kicked if at all avoidable.

raiders93 wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 8:43 pm I don’t know that he needs to be bubble wrapped. I think obviously you don’t want to throw him to the wolves either.

From what we know so far, he’s not going to be getting any help from a defence or running game. Makes sense you’d avoid sending him out to get his ass kicked if at all avoidable.

Cousins isnt getting his ass kicked and has zero mobility. I don’t buy this take

Xramfan wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 9:09 pm Cousins isnt getting his ass kicked and has zero mobility. I don’t buy this take

Cousins also has 15 years of NFL experience on Mendoza. I think the IQ thing is under appreciated here. Mendoza is probably not reading defences at Kirk’s level yet. Changing plays at the line at Kirk’s level yet. Getting through his progressions as fast as Kirk yet.

Mendo for sure has substantially better tools than Kirk at this point but the offence we’ve got right now is not exactly friendly for a rookie QBs. I think Mendo is going to be a stud and I want to see him too, but I’m also inclined to think that we probably don’t win many games after that switch.

Not because Mendo will be bad, I just think it’s unlikely he’s as steady as Kirk and we’re basically gonna be asking him to carry the offence. With our defence there’s basically no margin for error. We’ll see some flashes from Mendo but probably not enough consistency and not enough help to keep pace with how bad our d is.

LayneStaley wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 6:52 pm I like Kirk but both those ints targeting Tucker are TDs with a stronger arm imo. To be fair though Mayer needs to hold on to the ball and I think Brock could have forced his way into the end zone.

...to be fair, they both (te's) need to hold on to the ball, but also to be fair, I saw they seemingly trying maybe 'to do too much' , quite possibly because they felt they had to really push it to try and make up for the porous defense.

,,,as far as Kirk goes, he has done a lot of really good and has served his purpose to date, but the arm, more so on certain plays such as the Tucker throws, and other times when under pressure and he can set up for the throw, the lost arm strength seems evident, and when you see a guy like Purdue move the chains when the play is otherwise giving him nothing, is something I will look forward to see more of, hopefully, when we do go to the kid. ....stabler was an all time favorite of mine, and threw his share of picks, but some of the ones you'd see in the last years when he had lost just enough zip were pretty apparent, and I have said all along, that I have seen Tucker get open many times earlier in the season and that he seemingly disregarded that option, for whatever reason....

Xramfan wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 7:12 pm I like Kirk Cousins. He has been perfect for the role he was brought in. However calling him still "solid" at this point is a stretch. His arm is shot. Tre had his man beat badly at the end of the game and Cousins gave it all he had and it was a wounded duck. Hit Tucker in stride he scores I think.

Again, I really like Kirk and he has had a great run this year. The Raiders will not make the playoffs, Kirk isnt the future, Mendo has sat enough and its time to let the lad play and learn.

....had I gotten to this post first, I wouldn't have bothered with mine below it....

Kurt Cousins has exceeded all expectations. He has big balls, he took hits, he extended plays, he scanned the field, and he put points on the board. Well done Captain Kurk! Your shelf life for this team has expired and its time to take the Enterprise back home. We need to unleash the beast. Is he going to have growing pains? Of course he is, which rookie does not. Why not digest those growing pains in a lost season where it does not make a difference. The feel good, kum ba yah season should be put in the rear view mirror. The team will still play hard and believes no matter who is behind center. We know we are heading in the right direction before our prized possession takes a snap (albeit we have a TON of holes we need to fix). I am not sure we take a step back or how much it would be by putting this kid in (not slighting Kurt). He does bring a different dynamic into the game (and nobody knows how we fare) but it matters not. He needs reps now. I do not think we should worry about the boogie man (Seahawks or Denver). Lets not waste any more PRECIOUS time especially during a lost season. IF things go really bad for Fernando, he can always be pulled so we do not continue the carnage or destroy his psyche going forward (although I do not think that happens). I have been advocating for a few scripted series for a while now. I still think that should immediately be the bare minimum.

DanKD wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 6:59 pm Cousins is still solid its just we arent competing with the absolutel worst defense in the league so Id like to see build towards the future now.

Same mindset applies to Maxx too. To me, trading him to the highest bidder is the first move that should be made.

Xramfan wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2026 7:12 pm I like Kirk Cousins. He has been perfect for the role he was brought in. However calling him still "solid" at this point is a stretch. His arm is shot. Tre had his man beat badly at the end of the game and Cousins gave it all he had and it was a wounded duck. Hit Tucker in stride he scores I think.

Again, I really like Kirk and he has had a great run this year. The Raiders will not make the playoffs, Kirk isnt the future, Mendo has sat enough and its time to let the lad play and learn.

Cousins has done what he was brought in to do. We aren’t a serious playoff team aiming to win the Super Bowl this year. He’s an aging player that is playing a young man’s game. We have what we hope is a young franchise Qb waiting in the wings. Personally I don’t care who the next opponent is, good or bad. We need Mendoza to play, it’s the only way to know what he’s capable of and learn the game at the highest level. He’s a big, strong kid, not some fragile guy that needs to be protected from being hit. All this plus I wanna see him head wreck me with some post game goofy interviews.