As a result of strong team building by John Spytek and Klint Kubiak, the Las Vegas Raiders don't need to rush things with Fernando Mendoza. Yes, the fanbase, by and large, wants the promising rookie out there as soon as possible because the future can't arrive fast enough after years of disappointment.
But patience is the name of the game with an inexperienced signal-caller. As the not-so-old adage goes, franchises fail young quarterbacks much more often than young quarterbacks fail franchises. The Raiders, however, have set Mendoza up for success, and they cannot steer away from their plan.
With Kirk Cousins and even Aidan O'Connell in the building, Las Vegas has the luxury of waiting and letting the No. 1 pick grow and develop. How is that process going thus far, though? Well, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko recently detailed where he's seen the most growth from him thus far.
Las Vegas Raiders OC Andrew Janocko speaks on Fernando Mendoza's early growth
Following Thursday's OTA practice, Janocko spoke with the media for the first time since being hired. When asked about Mendoza's development and where he has improved the most in the early going, Janocko told reporters that, unsurprisingly, he is already honing his approach and process.
"I think anytime you come out there, if there's something that he needs to improve on, he takes that step," Janocko said. "Whether it be getting away from center, or it be something where he gets through a progression either too fast or he's a little too slow on stuff. Just creating efficiency for himself in the classroom, creating efficiency with his mental process, or creating efficiency as he processes on the field. Being able to take what we've done in the classroom to the individual drill. Taking the individual drill, then into the team drill."
Asking a young quarterback to come in and save the organization is ludicrous. Asking him to improve every day without the pressure of starting immediately or the risk of losing his job, however, is a tremendous process for Las Vegas to be undergoing with their star rookie.
If Mendoza can just continue to stack days and correct his mistakes one by one, eventually, he'll be the franchise quarterback Raider Nation wants him to be. And he may not have to suffer all of the bumps and bruises or risk losing his confidence to get there.
With this approach, however, it is only a matter of time before Mendoza works his way into the starting lineup. No, his playing well and being ready are not the only factors. The team needs to be ready to support and protect him as well, which is an often-forgotten variable of this calculation.
Based on what Janocko said, though, it sounds like Mendoza is controlling what he can control and making improvements in the early going. If the best thing that Janocko can say about where he's seen growth is effectively, "everything," then the Raiders should be in good hands with Mendoza.
Add us as a preferred source on Google