Even though it’s the worst-kept secret in the NFL that the Las Vegas Raiders will select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, the team can’t actually treat him as a member of the franchise yet. While the Raiders have likely given him some stuff to work on, he can’t work with an actual coach on the staff.
That hasn’t stopped him from putting in some work. Former Raiders player and NFL executive Louis Riddick recently revealed that Mendoza has been working with former quarterback and San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese to learn the style of West Coast offense that head coach Klint Kubiak is going to run.
Many rookies don’t have the luxury of getting to learn the system they’re about to play in before they get drafted. Riddick gave some more insight into what Mendoza has been doing.
“[Mendoza is working on] everything from … how are your feet are supposed to be positioned so you can best get out from underneath center with efficiency and timing… It’s something that’s repeatable, something you realize you can really depend upon,” Riddick said on “Up and Adams.”
More Details About Mendoza’s Training
Griese and Kubiak coached together on the 49ers in 2023, so they should know each other somewhat well. It was a wise choice for Mendoza to choose Griese to work with.
According to Riddick, Mendoza is already making strides and could be ready to quickly adapt to Kubiak’s offense.
“The emphasis of the play fakes, when you’re doing play action, because everyone says, ‘Fernando didn’t play under center. He doesn’t know how to execute play action. The ball handling is going to be weird to him.’ These are all the things that Brian [Griese] is drumming into his head, the timing and the footwork and how it’s supposed to match up with how the routes are run, and when the ball is supposed to come out of your hand,” Riddick said.
“Brian was a technician. That’s what allowed him to survive in the NFL. … For Fernando, obviously, it’s a lot of new learning. He talked to me about that when I went out there for his pro day. But he’s already way ahead of the game. He’s already on it. Brian has already texted me and said, ‘Look, he’s way ahead of where maybe people think he is at this point, in terms of learning what the West Coast system is all about, the kind that he’s going to run under Klint [Kubiak] out there in Vegas.’”
This Will Help Mendoza Compete for Starting Job
When the Raiders signed Kirk Cousins, there was some debate about who would be the starting quarterback in Week 1. On one hand, the team doesn’t want to rush Mendoza on the field. On the other hand, it’s going to be very difficult to keep the No. 1 pick off the field.
Cousins has played in Kubiak’s offense, so that gives him a bit of an edge, but the fact that Mendoza is already working hard to learn it will help him close the gap. It should be an exciting quarterback competition in training camp.
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