The Las Vegas Raiders have Fernando Mendoza, and while Kirk Cousins looks to be the starter right out of the gate, the coaching staff will eventually hand the keys to the team over to the rookie QB.
Aside from performing on the field, Mendoza will also have to convince the veteran players to follow him as their leader. Mendoza will need to go from convincing players his age to follow him to grown men in their late 20s and 30s, which won’t be an easy task.
Nonetheless, Maxx Crosby is giving the young Raiders signal-caller blunt advice, which is to stay true to himself as Mendoza heads into his first season in the league.
“If you’re not genuine, guys pick up on that real quick because college is different,” Crosby told Mendoza during the Raiders QB’s appearance on the July 7 edition of “The Rush With Maxx Crosby.”
“You’re growing as a man; you’re trying to figure out who you are and evolve as a leader, and you’re still going to school. You’re just trying to figure out life and how to operate. But once you get to the league, everyone’s a grown man. Dudes have full families.
“They have different types of motivations, and everyone’s coming from a different walk of life. So being genuine, you’ll never go wrong. And trust me, I’m a little weird too. I do a lot of s—. I’m not saying you’re weird, but I’m off the wall sometimes, and I’ll say some s—.”
Fernando Mendoza Should Remain True to Himself
Moreover, Crosby continued with his advice for Mendoza and noted that he shouldn’t overcompensate for something he’s not or tone down who the quarterback truly is around the Raiders’ veteran players.
“You never want to be a toned-down version of yourself,” Crosby added. “And you never want to be over the top trying to prove, ‘I’m the funny guy in the room’ or ‘I’m the greatest leader anybody could be.’
“Leaders just lead, and good people are just good people. Guys gravitate toward that. So, the people giving you that advice, they’re 100 percent spot on. Kirk [Cousins] and all the people who have mentioned that as well, it’s spot on.”
Nakobe Dean on Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza
One of the players that Mendoza will need to lead, despite being on the opposite side of the ball, is linebacker Nakobe Dean. Ahead of Mendoza’s rookie season, Dean spoke with the NFL Network on June 26 and shared his thoughts on the young signal-caller.
“They use the new word ‘aura’ [and] he got a lot of aura around him, just being a guy with a lot of positive, infectious energy,” Dean said. “He is always smiling. Every time I see him, he has a smile on his face.
“He always got something nice to say. He always says what’s up to you, no matter what. My first impressions of him have been great. I think you got a coaching staff, you got an offense, and you got a team that’s ready to ride behind him and get the best out of it.”
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