It is going to be very difficult for the Las Vegas Raiders to block out all of the noise and excitement surrounding Fernando Mendoza this offseason. While the main goal will be to install an entirely new offense and defense, as well as a new special teams approach, Mendoza will be ever-present.
And it is fair to say that he is the hottest commodity at Raiders HQ right now, because as he goes, so does the Silver and Black, at least in the long run. Fans seem more optimistic now than they ever have been, and they are doing their best to temper expectations and not put more pressure on him.
But without being at the team facility and stuck with piecing together a random assortment of videos from the Las Vegas media, fans will have to take the players and coaches' words for it. And it is hard not to start having visions of a Lombardi Trophy with Klint Kubiak's two-word description of Mendoza.
Klint Kubiak said everything Las Vegas Raiders fans want to hear about Fernando Mendoza
Kubiak spoke to reporters on Wednesday after Day 2 of OTAs wrapped up, and he was asked about his early impressions of the prized No. 1 overall pick. The two words that he used to describe Mendoza may have Raider Nation feeling irrationally confident about the future, for how early it still is.
"As advertised," Kubiak said. "He has not disappointed. He's working his tail off. It's very important to him. (He) asks a lot of great questions. When he gets on the field, he's no BS. He's all ball."
As advertised.
Raiders fans know exactly what kind of player Mendoza was billed to be: A Jared Goff or Joe Burrow-type player whose floor was thought to be Sam Darnold, now a Super Bowl winner, and whose ceiling could be in the Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning echelon of quarterbacks. That was his advertisement.
For Kubiak, after just rookie minicamp, a few days of the offseason program and two days of OTAs, to be saying stuff like this about Mendoza is incredibly promising. It means that the young player is probably ahead of schedule, and Kubiak also detailed why that may be.
"I think anything you put in front of him, he's going to attack it," Kubiak said of Mendoza. "Anything that's new, he spends extra time on; you can tell he fixes things from one day to the next. Very coachable."
Progress is the name of the game for a rookie quarterback, and it sounds like Mendoza is already making leaps and bounds, in large part because of his attitude and approach. News 3 LV's Alexa Belcastro echoed Kubiak's sentiment by giving her analysis of where Mendoza has already improved.
"Fernando Mendoza already looks more comfortable operating under center than he did during rookie minicamp. Footwork and timing continuing to develop early in OTAs," Belcastro wrote. "Mainly looks like he’s thinking less and playing faster. More comfortable with the footwork, timing and operating under center compared to rookie minicamp. Also worth noting the command he’s showing in the huddle early in OTAs."
Does any of this mean that Mendoza is a perfect player and that he's made it? Absolutely not. But the Raiders' signal-caller of the future is at least wildly trending in the right direction in the early going. But how will Kubiak and the staff measure his success or know that Mendoza is making progress?
"Completions," Kubiak stated. "Getting the ball to play-makers and letting them work on time. That's the progress we want to see."
Simple enough.
Not everything that Mendoza has done so far has impressed Kubiak, however. When asked about his role and acting skills in the Raiders' Step Brothers schedule release spin-off, Las Vegas' new coach didn't seem to be a fan of Mendoza and Kirk Cousins taking part.
"I'd love for them to focus on football more."Kubiak on Step Brothers schedule release
Of course, this comment was probably made in jest; it is tough to tell with Kubiak. Either way, it was hilarious to hear. And if that is the worst thing that Mendoza has done thus far, then Raider Nation should sleep pretty soundly at night.
Just imagine a world where Mendoza becomes everything that the organization and fanbase want him to be. Think about how far a player of that caliber could take the Silver and Black. And then come back and realize that Kubiak is already saying Mendoza is "as advertised."
That is high praise, and something to write home about in the early going.
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