We live in such a fast-paced world.
Kids want to grow up as fast as they can. People wish the week away so they can have their two days off. America is a land of results mattering the most, so folks commonly forget to enjoy, or even go through and recognize, what often matters more than the bottom line: The process.
Perhaps that was a crazy way to start an article about Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but I think it holds true. The fact of the matter is that Mendoza has not quite, or really at all, lived up to his billing as the No. 1 pick yet on the field through the offseason program.
So, the Raiders haven't seen exactly what they need from him yet, which is to become the franchise player. Luckily, Las Vegas has cultivated an environment where he doesn't need to be the savior right away, and ideally, he never has to be. Again, it's a team game, a hard one, and the process matters.
Plus, it is still so early.
But let's dive into what some are saying about the young quarterback thus far and why my statement about him not exactly dominating in the early going can be both accurate and not ideal, but also not a big deal at all or a reason for Raider Nation to panic in the slightest.
Fernando Mendoza didn't get off to terribly hot start in Las Vegas Raiders offseason program
Las Vegas' veteran quarterbacks played much better than Mendoza during OTAs and mandatory minicamp while playing with the first and second teams, while the rookie played with the third team. This led some to believe that the heralded rookie could begin the year as QB3.
Q Myers, who first played Devil's advocate and brought the latter idea to the forefront, spoke about Mendoza's progress again on the latest episode of the Locked On Raiders Podcast. He was quite blunt when talking about the rookie quarterback's performance.
“He's not where he needs to be. I could tell you that," Myers said. "I could tell you that by practice on Wednesday. I could tell you that by some of the erratic throws. I could tell you by the fact that I'm standing there talking to (former Raiders WR) Ryan Hoag, and he says, 'Yeah, Fernando, he looks like a rookie quarterback today.' I'm like, 'Yeah, he does.' And he's supposed to because he is a rookie quarterback, right? Again, which is the beauty of not having to throw him into the mix immediately.”
Myers also noted that Mendoza has all summer to improve, as roughly three months still separate the Raiders from the regular season. Knowing Mendoza, and based on what everyone around him has said about him, fans can rest assured that he'll do everything he can to keep improving.
Now, nobody should be worried about Myers stating that Mendoza isn't where he needs to be. Is it ideal? Certainly not. Fans want Mendoza to be the guy right away. But it clearly hasn't affected his confidence or approach, which is ultimately what the team needs to protect in a non-contending year.
It should be noted that Myers wasn't alone in reporting that Mendoza has taken his share of bumps and bruises during the offseason program. The Athletic's Sam Warren also noted that, on the final day of practices, when Mendoza got to play the starting defense, he was a bit overwhelmed.
"As expected with a step up in competition, Mendoza’s operation wasn’t as clean," Warren wrote. "He was less accurate than in prior practices — he threw behind a few receivers, resulting in deflections and incompletions. Miscommunications appeared to occur as well. Mendoza also would have been sacked twice in team situations, once by Malcolm Koonce and another by JJ Pegues."
Again, rookie mistakes. But Mendoza is getting a chance to make them in practice without the weight of the world being on his shoulders, and that has to be doing wonders for both his psyche and his development. This will pay off in the long return, even if instant gratification isn't felt.
ESPN's Ryan McFadden co-signed the reporting of both Myers and Warren in his latest column. While he mentioned that Mendoza is impressing the whole building with his attitude and approach, his play on the field has left plenty to be desired at times.
"During the first day of minicamp, Mendoza's accuracy was on point in team drills. He was getting the ball out quickly to his targets. The second day of minicamp, however, wasn't as pretty. Playing against and alongside some of the projected first-team players, Mendoza avoided turnovers, but he wasn't as efficient compared with the previous day."
McFadden then compared Mendoza's performance to that of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins:
"Cousins was the best quarterback during the team's spring practices. Kubiak said that Cousins has played well thus far and that they will be counting on him in the fall. Still, the Raiders won't have a definitive answer at quarterback until training camp, when the pads come on. For now, Mendoza is behind in the race. But that was to be expected at this time of the offseason."
Luckily for Mendoza, the Raiders haven't reached the most critical part of the offseason yet. That'll come in July, when Las Vegas gets 11 training camp practices and a slate of three preseason games. Klint Kubiak has made it clear that they can make better judgements when the pads come on.
"I'm happy with his work ethic, with Jacob's work ethic, with Kirk, with Aiden," Kubiak said of Mendoza last week when asked about the young quarterback saying he's improved. "You better be getting better every day in this league or you're going to get passed up. So I hope that was be his answer and we'll find out if he was right or not come the fall."
Mendoza hasn't given the Raiders exactly what they need to see yet. But nobody in Las Vegas is concerned about it, nor wants to skip the process and just hope he can provide results. As Dylan Laube told us last month, patience will be required in this new era for the Silver and Black.
That even includes the No. 1 overall pick, who will get there. No need to worry.
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