Raiders Rookie Quarterback Is Trying To Master Process Of Taking Snaps Under Center

Rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza is trying to master the Las Vegas Raiders offense, and it’s not an easy task at all. One of the biggest challenges is about Mendoza’s inexperience taking snaps under center, as he operated out of the shotgun during his remarkable run at Indiana. 

We haven’t heard much about this specifically, though. Most of the comments have been about his overall learning process, but Mendoza finally talked about how it’s been going in a report from Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. 

“There’s a lot more under center variables that I’ve been learning, getting a lot of extra reps in, and I feel a lot more comfortable under center,” Mendoza said. “It’s a great offense. I really believe in coach [Klint] Kubiak’s offense.”

The first part of this comment isn’t unusual at all. As Smith noted, plenty of quarterbacks come out of college with little or no experience under center these days, but Mendoza’s process is far more publicized because he’s expected to become the franchise quarterback for a team that finished 3-14 last year. 

The second part of this quote requires a bit of explanation, and it’s sort of hilarious in a way. The initial stories about Mendoza’s learning process had him questioning everything about the Raiders’ new offense, including why they're doing what they're doing, and this didn’t exactly come off the right way.  

Now Mendoza is trying to correct that initial impression, even though it’s probably not necessary. He’s clearly immersed in the learning process, and the rookie quarterback seems borderline obsessed with doing and saying things correctly.

That’s a good thing for the most part, but it does come with a bit of a double-edge sword. The endless media inquiries about all this are about who’s going to be under center for the Raiders in Week 1, and Kubiak has been trying to balance his praise for Mendoza and veteran QB Kirk Cousins, who is the prime option right now. 

The other part of the guessing game is when Mendoza will start if Kubiak does stick to his plan to go with Cousins in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. There are already betting lines associated with every possibility, and they’ll become even more volatile once training camp starts. 

When the games begin, however, the fun and games get serious. No one knows at this point if the Raiders have done enough with their roster to win more games, nor do we know if Kubiak is going to be a successful coach, although w’re going to learn a lot in a hurry in the first month.