Fernando Mendoza didn't take many snaps under center in college, so he's learning with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a new quarterback, and he’s hardly ever played under center before. As astounding as that seems, it’s relatively common in the NFL these days, as Fernando Mendoza mostly directed the Indiana Hoosiers from out of the shotgun during his college career.
There’s a lot that goes into it, as Mendoza explained in comments picked up by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
“It’s the added footwork. Instead of being back there in shotgun, you really have to get back to make sure you get depth,” Mendoza said. “Still be on time, still decipher the defense. And with that, it’s really having an emphasis on those first two steps, on securing the snap and getting out out of there and powerful with having quick feet.”
The Raiders quarterback is getting an earful about exactly how to do this from a number of sources, including head coach Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan.
“I think it’s going to be that repetition under center, getting those quicker feet, and just you can always be faster faster and more efficient in your reads and decisiveness,” Mendoza said.
To further complicate the learning process, Mendoza has been taking snaps from a fellow rookie who’s also learning the NFL game. The Raiders have been using newly-drafted offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III, who was taken in the third round out of Texas A&M, to provide the snaps.
Zuhn won’t be cast in that role during the regular season, however. The Raiders signed Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, and he’ll be the starting center when veterans report. Zuhn is expected to slot in at guard, but he has the versatility to play across the line.
“We didn’t do very much under center at A&M, either, so it’s been great getting those extra reps,” Zuhn said.
The ideal scenario for Mendoza would be to learn his under-center mechanics by the time the veterans report so he can start taking in the finer points of NFL quarterbacking from veteran Kirk Cousins. It’s a long journey that typically comes with numerous expected mistakes, which is why the Raiders signed Cousins.
The Raiders have said the best players will play, but that could be problematic even if Mendoza outplays Cousins in camp. Kubiak is on record as saying he doesn’t want to open the season with a rookie quarterback under center, especially given how few snaps Mendoza has taken there.