Fernando Mendoza Welcome To Las Vegas

[Sold My Soul]

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.

[Dr Death]

WHAT GOOD COULD COME FROM SITtING THE #1 PICK ??? we know cousins is not the future, we know fernando is a student of the game and wants to be great ...get him going and let him learn instead of wasting 4 games or more with cousins, experience is what fernando needs, not baby sitting

We all know he (Cousins) isn't the future. The coach knows he isn't the future. I'm not the coach or Tom Brady... neither are you or any of us fans. Neither coach nor Brady seem to want him to start the season. I'm sure they know more than we do. I'm all for starting the kid... I want to see him play! I also want what's best for him and the team. I think I'll just trust the Coach on this one. I find myself on both sides of the fence on here...lol.

I'm sure we will get to see plenty of Fernando this season but, it will be when the coach says so... not any of us on a fan message board.

[SkullCrusher]

We'll all know a lot more once the 3rd preseason game has ended.

[mstrbass2000]

Once again, QB play affects the O line. Our O line is likely to have a rougher go with Cousins starting.

fernando is way more mobile then cousins too and has a bigger arm

[BoKnows81]

fernando is way more mobile then cousins too and has a bigger arm

Exactly my point. And I have more faith in Doza getting the ball out faster.

[raidersince63]

Elway started his rookie season and looked like shit, so Dan Reeves benched him for a month. Elway said it was the best thing to happen to him in his entire career with respect to learning the game and the system because it gave him a third person perspective he couldn't have gotten otherwise.

Brady has said things along very similar lines.

I'll take two HOF QBs opinions infinitely more seriously than some of the voices here.

Yup, and from what we've been hearing, management feels the same way and it's fair to assume that's the reason Cousins has been taking reps with the #1s.

[raidersince63]

We'll all know a lot more once the 3rd preseason game has ended.

Yeah, mentioned this yesterday. Hell, at this point, nobody, including management knows for sure yet exactly what we have. So a lot of things as well as starting jobs can change between now and opening day.

[Raiders Baby]

I heard an interview with Mendo a few weeks ago (think it was on Maxx’s pod) where he was talking about how he interacts with Kirk.

He said that he tries to limit his questions to specific scenarios, and broadly he is more trying to observe how Kirk approaches his day.

What kind of notes does he take? What kind of questions does he ask? How does he warm up? What does he emphasize in practice? How does he interact with coaches? How does he prepare for specific opponents? How does he allocate his time?

It’s more about “how to do the job of being an NFL QB” and less about asking Kirk about the playbook etc

Hopefully, Mendoza does some of those things on his own already. But, this is his first experience being a professional athlete. Yes, NCAA athletes are basically pros at this point, but there's still a difference between NCAA and NFL.

Kirk is there to lead by example, so that when it becomes Mendoza’s team, Fernando isn’t tripping over basic rookie mistakes

[BoKnows81]

https://raiderramble.com/2026/07/19/the ... wzTy-jzgzg

[Attyla]

https://raiderramble.com/2026/07/19/the ... wzTy-jzgzg

Raider Ramble? The guy says the QB situation is a flawed argument and then proceeds to base much of his opinion piece on the perception that Mendoza has outplayed Cousins.....in a mini camp without pads against totally different players, The flaw is not the plan, the flaw is assuming that a camp without pads playing against players who are not making the final 52 is somehow defining the narrative that Cousins should not be the starter. I am on record wanting the kid to start but even I cannot make that reach of logic, The final paragraph is assuming the team is facing a dilemma after a single minicamp is both laughable and pathetic. Sorry, the writer is a hack, no offense to the guy who posted up the article. But seriously, a QB controversy that Maxx or Bowers may already be recognizing is a serious reach. The writer makes way too many assumptions and then creates conclusions that make no sense whatsoever.

Again, no offense to the poster, he is searching for articles that backs his opinion. But even he knows the controversies do not start in minicamps ever. Hell they rarely start in regular camp. If one crops up, that usually happens during preseason.

[raider_kin]

Raider Ramble? The guy says the QB situation is a flawed argument and then proceeds to base much of his opinion piece on the perception that Mendoza has outplayed Cousins.....in a mini camp without pads against totally different players, The flaw is not the plan, the flaw is assuming that a camp without pads playing against players who are not making the final 52 is somehow defining the narrative that Cousins should not be the starter. I am on record wanting the kid to start but even I cannot make that reach of logic, The final paragraph is assuming the team is facing a dilemma after a single minicamp is both laughable and pathetic. Sorry, the writer is a hack, no offense to the guy who posted up the article. But seriously, a QB controversy that Maxx or Bowers may already be recognizing is a serious reach. The writer makes way too many assumptions and then creates conclusions that make no sense whatsoever.

Again, no offense to the poster, he is searching for articles that backs his opinion. But even he knows the controversies do not start in minicamps ever. Hell they rarely start in regular camp. If one crops up, that usually happens during preseason.

So, bets on who is the starter week 1?

[BoKnows81]

Raider Ramble? The guy says the QB situation is a flawed argument and then proceeds to base much of his opinion piece on the perception that Mendoza has outplayed Cousins.....in a mini camp without pads against totally different players, The flaw is not the plan, the flaw is assuming that a camp without pads playing against players who are not making the final 52 is somehow defining the narrative that Cousins should not be the starter. I am on record wanting the kid to start but even I cannot make that reach of logic, The final paragraph is assuming the team is facing a dilemma after a single minicamp is both laughable and pathetic. Sorry, the writer is a hack, no offense to the guy who posted up the article. But seriously, a QB controversy that Maxx or Bowers may already be recognizing is a serious reach. The writer makes way too many assumptions and then creates conclusions that make no sense whatsoever.

Again, no offense to the poster, he is searching for articles that backs his opinion. But even he knows the controversies do not start in minicamps ever. Hell they rarely start in regular camp. If one crops up, that usually happens during preseason.

I am not "searching" for anything. There are many valid points within that article.

The point that I have stuck with is if the goal is to put the best players on the field, and it should be, and Mendoza is outplaying Cousins throughout the offseason, then he needs to start. O-line nonsense or not. And quite honestly, perception or not, if he cannot beat out Cousins, then we picked the wrong guy.

And if you honestly dont think that veteran players, especially the ones that would give anything to win now, wont take offense to not playing the better player, then I don't know what to tell you.

There are plenty of people on here that want to start Cousins no matter what. And im sorry, that's just plain wrong.

[Attyla]

So, bets on who is the starter week 1?

After we start camp

[raider_kin]

After we start camp

Roger that

[Attyla]

I am not "searching' for anything. There are many valid points within that article.

The point that I have stuck with is if the goal is to put the best players on the field, and it should be, and Mendoza is outplaying Cousins throughout the offseason, then he needs to start. O-line nonsense or not. And quite honestly, perception or not, if he cannot beat out Cousins, then we picked the wrong guy.

Oh, I think it is safe to say that you are searching for validating articles. Hell, it you were not that would not make sense. And no, the article is basing everything written on a very weak premise. There is NO way in hell that players are creating gaps in a mini camp without pads. And yes, the best player should play regardless, but best player is a subjective thing and criteria used to determine who is the best can take into consideration the long play. And the long play may well be letting Mendoza see the speed of the game from the sidelines to give him the best possible situation when he does go in. And he will. Playing Ward last year was required but that does not mean it was the right decision. He got killed out there. And yes, QB play can affect the line play but they still have to pass block and we saw shit with that regard. Get the line playing better and put in the guy who should take the hits, not the guy who should not. If the line does not gel, do not risk the future until it does. And that may mean the best guy is the guy you do not have an investment in.

But yea, the article was shit.

[BoKnows81]

Oh, I think it is safe to say that you are searching for validating articles. Hell, it you were not that would not make sense. And no, the article is basing everything written on a very weak premise. There is NO way in hell that players are creating gaps in a mini camp without pads. And yes, the best player should play regardless, but best player is a subjective thing and criteria used to determine who is the best can take into consideration the long play. And the long play may well be letting Mendoza see the speed of the game from the sidelines to give him the best possible situation when he does go in. And he will. Playing Ward last year was required but that does not mean it was the right decision. He got killed out there. And yes, QB play can affect the line play but they still have to pass block and we saw shit with that regard. Get the line playing better and put in the guy who should take the hits, not the guy who should not. If the line does not gel, do not risk the future until it does. And that may mean the best guy is the guy you do not have an investment in.

But yea, the article was shit.

Listen, you want to disagree with me, fine. But you aren't gonna tell me im searching for articles to validate my opinion. I've maintained that same opinion since we signed Cousins and as many know, I form my own opinions. I dont need articles to back me up. And when I say offseason, yes I mean preseason as well. Pads, no pads. It all matters. There are plenty of guys that carry camp hype into practice, pre and regular season when the pads come on.

And you want to bring up Cam Ward? He is the prefect example of a Qb that actually needed to sit year 1. Mendoza is not. The Titans were in absolute shambles. This team is not in shambles.

Anyway, like I brought to you a while back, start the bet for Week 1 starter.