Raiderstation

Call your shot....or add your own.

Dante Moore:

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Dante-Moore-QB-UCLA

Fernando Mendoza:

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Fer ... California

May the football godz look kindly down upon the feeble and inept.

chucker wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:27 am We need to draft Mendoza. We're going to draft Mendoza. He's going to start from day 1 unless he looks like garbage in camp. The only reason not to draft a franchise QB when you have the first pick is because you don't believe he's good enough to be a franchise QB. You can't use your own team situation as justification for passing on a guy you think is good.

I don't even worry about him looking like garbage in camp. The guy will know the playbook because he is smart. The coaches will work with him from day one. And that includes the offensive coaching staff. OC, QB coach and the head coach will all be providing him with the tools to play. So yea, he starts game one with better protection and the best friends a rookie QB can get. A good RB and a blue chip TE are perfect weapons for a rookie QB until he learns to process the quicker game. He is going to make mistakes. That is a given. Good, get that out of the way early so we can accelerate the process. Year 2 Caleb was in the playoffs and we have a way more accurate guy.

Oaktown Superman wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:32 am

FYI: I made this.

Nice, I like this extra effort.
We need to step up our game boys!

Attyla wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:36 am I don't even worry about him looking like garbage in camp. The guy will know the playbook because he is smart. The coaches will work with him from day one. And that includes the offensive coaching staff. OC, QB coach and the head coach will all be providing him with the tools to play. So yea, he starts game one with better protection and the best friends a rookie QB can get. A good RB and a blue chip TE are perfect weapons for a rookie QB until he learns to process the quicker game. He is going to make mistakes. That is a given. Good, get that out of the way early so we can accelerate the process. Year 2 Caleb was in the playoffs and we have a way more accurate guy.

Yeah imo it won't be a Mendoza isn't ready thing. It's more of a I don't want to kill my asset thing too soon.

I'm just hoping for the snowstorms in the south to take down lines of communication so we see fewer dumb ideas.

SkullCrusher wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:47 am Yeah imo it won't be a Mendoza isn't ready thing. It's more of a I don't want to kill my asset thing too soon.

I keep reading this but they know what they need to do to minimize this. He is going to get hit. Good, take the hit get up and get back into the huddle. He is going to get hit. It is a given. But they are going to do their best to surround him with an improved line. Good, block your best and get back into the huddle. Linemen are going to make mistakes which will result in our QB taking a sack. OK, tell him you will not do it again and get back into the huddle.

Attyla wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:54 am I keep reading this but they know what they need to do to minimize this. He is going to get hit. Good, take the hit get up and get back into the huddle. He is going to get hit. It is a given. But they are going to do their best to surround him with an improved line. Good, block your best and get back into the huddle. Linemen are going to make mistakes which will result in our QB taking a sack. OK, tell him you will not do it again and get back into the huddle.

Right it's my call to Spytek, don't f[raiders_icon]ck up the obvious. But if they do and believe me I can still picture this, there's taking hits and then there is taking a beating that is doing no good for long term Mendoza. Ben Johnson is fresh on minds and he laid down the perfect blueprint on what you do for a franchise QB. A protected learning Mendoza would be a great success for '26.

Goofy Hardbaugh also gets it and in practice is trying, they just had a lot of injuries. Everything is about protecting and making Herbert better. I'm pretty sure if their oline held up a lot better the Chargers would have been a threat.

SkullCrusher wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 9:00 am Right it's my call to Spytek, don't fck up the obvious. But if they do and believe me I can still picture this, there's taking hits and then there is taking a beating that is doing no good for long term Mendoza. Ben Johnson is fresh on minds and he laid down the perfect blueprint on what you do for a franchise QB. A protected learning Mendoza would be a great success for '26.

Goofy Hardbaugh also gets it and in practice is trying, they just had a lot of injuries. Everything is about protecting and making Herbert better. I'm pretty sure if their oline held up a lot better the Chargers would have been a threat.

I think the Chargers lost both their tackles during the season. Herbert was playing behind a patchwork line. I don't mind the QB taking a hit. The rules now favor Mendoza starting day one. And I have this gut feeling the league sees their next poster child for a super star. He is a really good story. First Cuban American who came up from the bottom and hung in there. Passed on by his home town. Took Indiana to the top. Won the Heisman. Won the national championship. Well spoken clean cut kid. Humble but driven. Going to the traditional bad boys of football who play in Sin City. I just see them wanting him upright and successful. It is always better for the league when the Raiders are legitimate. I am not saying they are going to manipulate things. But the first cheap shot he takes, I see the league just sending a message with a huge fine or suspension.

I am not worried at all. The league wants this guy out there. Big market team with the next big deal. Win win for everyone. The league has plans for this guy. I just think they see a cash cow.

^I don't share your opinion about what the league thinks of the Raiders. We've done nothing under Goodell and I see no concerns from him about the Raiders at all.

chucker wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 8:20 am I understand the concern with adding a franchise QB, given what our oline looked like last year. But we can fix the oline in an offeason - we have some pieces on the roster, we can hire a better oline coach and have an offensive staff that works better overall, we can add in FA, and we can add in the draft.

That doesn't mean we will do any of that. We were in the same situation last year with the oline and the resources available to improve it and we fcked it up completely. When fans and outside observers predict doom and gloom, it's not a baseless prediction. I believe that they do it better this year. I also understand the skepticism of others.

I disagree from the standpoint The Raiders drafted two offensive lineman in the 3rd round, but the coaching staff never prepared them or played them. What's the GM supposed to do?

RickRyb wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 9:35 am I disagree from the standpoint The Raiders drafted two offensive lineman in the 3rd round, but the coaching staff never prepared them or played them. What's the GM supposed to do?

Bring in a proven guy, or two. Third round picks can work out early, but you can’t rely on that.

RickRyb wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 9:35 am I disagree from the standpoint The Raiders drafted two offensive lineman in the 3rd round, but the coaching staff never prepared them or played them. What's the GM supposed to do?

I think most of us wanted the team to add at least one good FA olineman last year. We added Alex Cappa. I think most of us wanted the team to hire a good oline coach. We hired Brennan Carroll - I think you need to let a coach hire his choice of oline coach, unless it's the coach's son. That should get an automatic veto from the GM. And really it should be the OC choosing the oline coach, when the HC is a defensive guy. We f[raiders_icon]cked the oline up huge last year, despite having more cap space to invest.

I do think there's reason to believe that this year will be different. I think Carroll was given more control than he should have had, because of his history. I don't think Spytek had free reign last year. But I also can't 100% say that Spytek wasn't onside with some of the moronic shit. I strongly believe that Spytek wanted Rogers and Grant to play more and earlier than they did last year though. And that he likely wanted JPJ ahead of Cappa when JPJ was healthy.

I have some hope, but they still have to show us. I think they'll be more committed to the oline this year given that they're drafting a franchise QB.

RickRyb wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 9:35 am I disagree from the standpoint The Raiders drafted two offensive lineman in the 3rd round, but the coaching staff never prepared them or played them. What's the GM supposed to do?

This is what I've been saying. We don't know what we have on the O-line because of Pete and his kid, which means the new staff will have to figure it out in relatively short order. My guess is that it's going to take OTAs, all of camp, preseason, and a good 6-8 weeks to figure out who the best players are and what their roles should be.

I don't know if Cousins is available, but I'd like to get him and let him start for the first month or so until the coaching staff has things figured out. I don't want our shiny new potential future of the franchise getting the shit beat out of him just for the sake of fan service.

Opoponax50 wrote: Sat Jan 24, 2026 9:52 am This is what I've been saying. We don't know what we have on the O-line because of Pete and his kid, which means the new staff will have to figure it out in relatively short order. My guess is that it's going to take OTAs, all of camp, preseason, and a good 6-8 weeks to figure out who the best players are and what their roles should be.

I don't know if Cousins is available, but I'd like to get him and let him start for the first month or so until the coaching staff has things figured out. I don't want our shiny new potential future of the franchise getting the shit beat out of him just for the sake of fan service.

Instead of adding Cousins and paying him a bunch of cash for a month of starts, why not spend the money in FA on adding quality olinemen who can help prevent Mendoza from getting the shit beat out of him? And it helps Jeanty too. We may not know exactly what we have until camp, but that doesn't mean we can't add talent and competition. What's the worst that happens? We have too much talent and end up with quality depth?