It is so hard for Las Vegas Raiders fans not to overreact to everything that Fernando Mendoza does, as it feels, in some ways, like the fate of the franchise rests solely in his hands. But it is important to remember that he's still a rookie and that Mendoza is just one cog in the machine, albeit a critical one.
Joint practices with the Houston Texans were always going to be a major test for this Raiders team, as it is never easy to have success against one of the NFL's best rosters. And Mendoza certainly had his ups and downs against what most would consider the league' best defense at this juncture.
While these growing pains are a tough pill to swallow in a lot of ways, and they may inhibit his chances of starting in Week 1, fans need to remember that he is growing. But even in a rocky workout with the Texans on Tuesday, Mendoza received tons of praise from his coaches, teammates and practice foes.
Raiders' Fernando Mendoza had up-and-down joint practice with Texans
First, let's dive into the performance that Mendoza had in Houston. Overall, it sounds like the Raiders got whooped pretty soundly in the trenches, which is never easy for a young quarterback to deal with. And Las Vegas struggled to run the ball, so a lot was on Mendoza's shoulders.
For just the second time during camp and for the first time against an external opponent, Mendoza played with the first-team offense against the first-team defense. He came out of the gates firing, tossing a deep pass to Brock Bowers over the head of Pro Bowl safety Calen Bullock.
When he was with the 2s, Mendoza also made a great throw to Deven Thompkins, and ESPN's Texans reporter marveled at the young quarterback threading passes in tight windows against an elite Houston defense. That is significant for the first-year player, both mentally and physically.
The Athletic's Sam Warren also noted that, despite the immense pressure on him, Mendoza made smart plays for the Raiders' offense. And he also expanded upon the rookie's big connection with Brock Bowers.
"Houston’s exceptional pass rush bore down on the rookie, hurrying his timing and progression. Mendoza handled the heat as well as he could, checking plays at the line when he saw potential pressure, and hitting his hot routes when defenders got through quickly.
"Mendoza also flashed what he’s capable of versus an elite group. On his final play of the second team period, he dropped back and rolled to his left away from pressure. Keeping his eyes downfield, he saw star tight end Brock Bowers streaking open deep down the sideline. Despite sharing barely any reps with Bowers during training camp, the quarterback slotted his throw perfectly as the two connected for the offense’s biggest chunk play of the day."
But what made more headlines during the joint practice was Mendoza throwing a pick-six to star Texans safety Jalen Pitre and another near-pick to Pro Bowler Kamari Lassiter. Despite getting credit for his poise, a lot of folks have focused on Mendoza's miscues in the session.
Kirk Cousins threw a pick to Lassiter, though, and CJ Stroud threw one to Raiders linebacker Quay Walker. And Houston's Davis Mills, one of the best backups in the league, was also intercepted by Las Vegas' Cody Lindenberg. Interceptions happen during joint practice. The goal is to learn and grow.
"You can always tell when teams come to a joint practice with the specific intent of getting better - not 'winning the practice,' scrapping, etc," The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue wrote to us. "The Raiders showed up looking to get better. That focus was clear (and IMO a sign of a shifting culture)."
Mendoza isn't the type to get rattled, either. He told the media that, on his interception, he thought that Pitre was deeper than he was. The young quarterback can be better from this experience and take all of the lessons that he learned from playing an elite defense with him.
"Anytime there's an interception, it's the quarterback's fault, no matter what happens," Klint Kubiak told reporters after practice. "I thought [Mendoza] had a really good practice. You can't turn the ball over in the red zone, so it's another lesson learned."
And Mendoza will have a chance to take his notes into a big test on Thursday night, when the Raiders and Texans face off in their second preseason game. It will be interesting to see how Mendoza responds, as Kubiak made it known that he'll get a lot of run.
"He's going to get lots of reps this preseason. He needs every one of them."
Fernando Mendoza garners praise for joint practice showing
Kubiak obviously told the media that he thought Mendoza played well, this side of his bad red zone turnover. But his veteran mentor, Cousins, also felt that the young signal-caller fared well during the joint session with the Texans.
"He did a great job," Cousins said. "He's well prepared and made some great plays and is continuing to just do what he's coached to do and pick up the system quickly."
It wasn't just those wearing Silver and Black who thought Mendoza played well on Tuesday, though. Will Anderson Jr., a $150 million defensive end who wreaked havoc on Las Vegas during the workout, also spoke highly of Mendoza during his post-practice media availability.
“A ton of respect for him. I loved his energy," Anderson Jr. said. "I loved the way he was cheering his O-line on, cheering his team on. He’s gonna be a really great quarterback in this league.”
Stroud also made it known that, while he thinks Mendoza is a good player who can get better and is already in a good situation, the Raiders also need to keep putting important pieces around Mendoza for him to maximize his abilities.
"I think he's a good player," Stroud said. "I think he'll have a lot of success in the league if he continues to be himself and put god first. And, of course, what they put around him matters. And I think he has a great coach, a great play caller. So, I think he'll do good."
Obviously, Mendoza and the coaching staff wish he could have those ill-advised throws back. But having success against one of the league's best defenses is a great step in the right direction for him, even if the day was a bit up-and-down. And Mendoza got the praise to support that sentiment.
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