Fans of the Las Vegas Raiders need to buckle up because the debate about exactly when rookie Fernando Mendoza should start under center isn't going away until he actually steps on the field in a regular season game. And then more hot takes will be made about his play soon after. But I digress.
With Kirk Cousins in the building, the Raiders don't need to throw Mendoza to the wolves of what is an incredibly difficult schedule. That said, experience can be a great teacher, and Las Vegas has made it clear that it will be a meritocracy; the best player will play for the Silver and Black.
Perhaps Week 6's game against the Buffalo Bills would be a nice time for the Raiders to trot out their prized possession at quarterback. Maybe it should be after the bye week. It could even be Week 1. But Adam Schefter has a stern warning for Las Vegas about starting Mendoza at the wrong time.
ESPN's Adam Schefter doesn't think Las Vegas Raiders should start Fernando Mendoza until December
On the latest episode of The Adam Schefter Podcast by ESPN, Schefter dove into the schedule release for all 32 NFL teams. For the Raiders, he noted that someone in the building in Las Vegas was upset with having four road games in November, which is quite a scheduling miscue.
But Schefter also believes it has massive implications for when Mendoza should start.
"Four road games in November for the Las Vegas Raiders. So, look, I think they're going to want Kirk Cousins to start the season," Schefter said. "And if you're going to want to turn to Fernando Mendoza, the number one overall pick, at some point in time, I don't know that you're going to want to do it in November when you have to go play four road games. Do you see the games there, Dan, on the schedule?"
"They have five games in November. Four of them are on the road," Schefter's co-host Dan Stanczyk said. "The first one, Week 8 at the Jets. Week 9 at Niners. Week 10, they come back home. And it's not an easy game at home. They got the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Then Week 11 at Denver. Good luck in that one. Week 12 at the Cleveland Browns. Pretty good defense. I think you're absolutely right. I don't think you want to throw Mendoza into that mess. No way."
"That's not a great time to have to go to your rookie quarterback if they haven't gone to him by then," Schefter said. "So, we could be seeing Kirk Cousins up until about December 1."
Honestly, that is a fair enough point from Schefter and Stanczyk. Mendoza is the single-most important person in the organization right now, and to best protect their investment, the Raiders need to be careful with exactly when and how they employ him for the first time.
If he's the best quarterback in training camp and the preseason, though, then this is a huge argument for just starting Mendoza out of the gates. Then, by the time Las Vegas reaches this ridiculous stretch of games, the rookie has some seasoning and experience already. A fighting chance, at least.
And if Mendoza is not deemed ready by the coaching staff by the beginning of the year or very early on, then the Raiders might be better off waiting until after the Week 13 bye and letting his career begin with three games at home and two road matches with the Cardinals and Chiefs.
As always, the NFL schedule-makers did the Silver and Black no favors, particularly as it pertains to Mendoza. But Schefter's warning about throwing Mendoza into a potentially blazing mid-season fire is a point well-received, and perhaps correct.
That said, if Mendoza is the franchise quarterback that Raider Nation and the organization believe him to be, then I'm sure he'll fare just fine.
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