Graney: Raiders need not hold anything back with Fernando Mendoza

Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak will throw the entire playbook at Fernando Mendoza on Sunday and that’s a good thing. Feet to the fire, is right. Let the rookie quarterback rip.

Don’t hold back on anything.

If not now, when?

Mendoza will make his first start for the Raiders when they entertain the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium.

The quarterback arrived at such reality when the Raiders traded veteran Kirk Cousins to Minnesota on Tuesday. It’s time for the No. 1 overall pick in Mendoza to play.

And do so without restrictions.

“I’m very comfortable running our playbook with Fernando,” Kubiak said, “He’s been through every situation that (Cousins) has been through in training camp and during OTAs. He just hasn’t had the game reps, but we’re not going to ask him to do anything that we haven’t done in practice.

“Fernando has done everything we’ve asked him to do. I think he’s exceeded those expectations, and we all know that live bullet Sunday is far different from practice. However, he showed us that he’s ready, not only physically but mentally. He puts a lot of work in. His teammates know how prepared he is. It’s not just lip service, but he has shown it on the practice field.”

Confidence is key

The live bullet that is Seattle’s defense can be as potent as any. If he can discover enough success against it, Mendoza’s confidence is sure to increase. That’s important for such a young player.

Which means Kubiak should trust Mendoza in any situation. The rookie learned from Cousins — who knew the offense inside and out after working with Kubiak at previous stops — everything he needed to.

There’s nothing that should surprise Mendoza.

No down-and-distance he shouldn’t be able to attack as Cousins did.

Mendoza is a different player. Has young legs. He will be able to make plays when things break down far more than the 38-year-old Cousins.

And, according to Kubiak, has the arm to advance the ball down field.

“I see him progress in his accuracy, in his total command of our system, his ability to get in and out of a huddle, operate two-minute drills, situational football,” Kubiak said. “I think, just every aspect, like any rookie, you’ve seen growth. But his most important piece of production is his ability to throw a football accurately and make good decisions, and I’ve seen those two things really jump out.

“Our expectation is for him to lead the offense, to lead the operation, and to go play a game here Sunday and be the leader of the team, be the leader of the offense. We have to prepare him and give him a lot of reps to get him comfortable. So, our expectation is for him to lead the offense.”

A learning curve

There will be a transition. Mistakes made. Ups and downs. But in allowing Mendoza to have use of the entire system will only enhance his maturity and readiness as a starting NFL quarterback. There is a long way to go, for sure.

Mendoza said there are times quarterback coach Mike Sullivan will reference back to the “Spring Fernando.” It shows how much improvement Mendoza has made. How much confidence he has gained. How much more developed he is. Whether it’s under center or connecting with teammates or handling an NFL scheme. He’s just better now.

“I believe one of our mottoes in the quarterback room is to always stay ready and always stay prepared,” Mendoza said. “And that’s something that all three of the quarterbacks, when we were all here, we always, all three of us, prepared like the starter. We were all in there doing our routine, doing it together, watching film together, going over the game plan together, tweaking and seeing which adjustments we’d like to make.

“And so, I believe (backup Aidan O’Connell) and I will continue that rhythm in order to prepare and do our job and execute the offense. Because at the end of the day, the quarterback is only 1/11th, and I need to do my job to best showcase all the other talents we have on the offense and on the team.”

Let the rookie rip.

Don’t hold back on anything.

If not now, when?

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @edgraney on X.