Fernando Mendoza has always had a unique way of communicating.
Fans remember him yelling emphatically into the camera in post-game interviews during Indiana's national championship run, they've heard his eccentric conversations and seen his brainy but completely genuine personality shine through since he dove head-first into the spotlight.
And even after the Las Vegas Raiders drafted him, Mendoza kept it up. Every media appearance is must-watch because the young quarterback has such a refreshing and unparalleled way of expressing himself and looking at things while honoring his teammates and coaches.
His enthusiasm, some may say, is over the top. Raider Nation sees it as endearing.
When Mendoza took the podium at Raiders HQ on Wednesday for the first time as the starting quarterback, though, something was different about him. Now, fans hadn't heard from him in months after a media tour following the draft and sparse press conferences during the offseason program.
But the rookie signal-caller seemed calm. His authentically nerdy undercarriage shined through, of course, but Mendoza was cool and collected. He wasn't erratic or overwhelmed, as he's seemed at times. Fernando sounded like he was ready for the moment. He sounded like a franchise QB.
Fernando Mendoza's stoic demeanor was just what Raider Nation needed to hear
It appears that months in the lab with coaches Klint Kubiak, Andrew Janocko and Mike Sullivan, as well as fellow quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell, gave Mendoza a sense of tranquility. He is no longer the new kid on the block who is bursting at the seams to learn an ocean of info.
Mendoza is taking it one wave at a time because he can keep his head above water. He's no longer worried about sinking, but rather swimming as fast as he can. Without the threat of hitting the sand beneath his feet, he can glide through the daily operation without fear of sinking the entire ship.
Football is fun. But the NFL is a serious business. And it's not that Mendoza shouldn't be himself, or that he wasn't during Wednesday's press conference, but there are heightened expectations and responsibilities that come with being a starting quarterback in this league.
He knows that he has to play - and play very well - before he can start saying anything remotely controversial or soundbite-worthy to the media. Mendoza understands the assignment and is fully prepared for it; Kubiak even told reporters yesterday that he was studying through their presser.
Some of you may be wondering - what's the big deal? The guy toned it back in the press conference, big whoop.
While it may not seem like a lot, it shows that Mendoza has grown. It shows that he is taking this opportunity with the utmost seriousness. It displays a reverence for the position that he is in and for those who have put him in it.
Not only did he make a statement in which he was incredibly grateful to Kirk Cousins and his family, but he hit on every note. He talked about the work, he echoed the ongoing mentality that he just has to do "his one-eleventh," and Mendoza calmly let everyone know that he's ready for this moment.
Mendoza referred to himself as more confident and developed. He talked about the process that he has, not the one that he is going to build. And this is all just 24 hours after having the starting job dumped on him, as Mendoza had "no inkling" that Cousins was going to be traded.
Sure, Mendoza acknowledged that he has always prepared to play, and of course, he has. The motto in the Raiders' quarterback room is that you are always one play away. But Mendoza isn't one play away anymore. When Las Vegas takes the field, he'll be under center. He'll have the reins.
Based on this presser, Mendoza sounds ready to shoulder that responsibility.
Why calmness will serve Fernando Mendoza well in his first game
The easiest thing to do is panic.
Young players, especially quarterbacks, feel the weight of the world on their shoulders and, due to a lack of preparedness, don't trust what they see. They second-guess themselves or they lack faith in those around them. Mendoza displayed none of that at the podium on Wednesday.
Will it be tougher to maintain that fortitude when live bullets start flying on Sunday against a league-best defense that the Seattle Seahawks will trot out there? Of course. Is it any easier that he'll be playing in front of 65,000 screaming fans of both teams? No. But it's not supposed to be easy.
And Mendoza doesn't need it to be.
Raider Nation knew that they had the right guy for the long haul, but plenty of questions remained about what Mendoza would show in the short term. And obviously, it is much more important what he shows and accomplishes on the field than what he says to the media.
But the general vibe from him after being named the starter was that he expected that this moment would come, and that not only was he prepared for it, but that Mendoza couldn't wait for it. He's not in over his head or panicking because he isn't ready.
He spoke calmly to the media, often taking a second to pause and think before he spoke, which was new, and that displayed a demeanor that Las Vegas fans can believe in. Mendoza was surgical with his words and didn't say a wrong thing during his 15 minutes with reporters. He hit it out of the park.
Fans can only hope that he does the same when he hits the field at Allegiant Stadium to the sound of a roaring fanbase that has been waiting for him to take the field in Silver and Black for almost a year now.
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