Fernando Mendoza path to Week 1 Raiders starting job still open

Maybe it’s coach speak.Maybe Klint Kubiak is using the Raiders’ unsettled quarterback situation to send a message throughout the locker room: Nobody should get comfortable.Every job must still be earned.Or perhaps Kubiak truly believes rookie Fernando Mendoza has a path to overtake Kirk Cousins and become the Raiders’ starting quarterback.And maybe Kubiak’s reluctance to name a starter is a direct challenge to the rookie: Keep fighting.

Keep pushing.The door hasn’t closed, and there is still time to walk through it.If so, Mendoza has roughly a week to make his move.“We got another week.

I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job,” Kubiak said after the Raiders’ preseason win over the Texans.“It should always be that way for all positions.

So, let’s keep going.”The comment was not exactly a declaration that Mendoza is breathing down Cousins’ neck.The Raiders have been careful throughout the offseason to avoid putting that kind of pressure on the rookie.From Tom Brady to general manager John Spytek, the organization has consistently made it clear that it does not want to rush Mendoza.

Cousins was brought in to provide precisely that protection, a proven veteran capable of running Kubiak’s offense while Mendoza adjusts to the speed, complexity and pressure of the NFL.That remains the most logical plan.But until Kubiak officially names Cousins the starter, Mendoza has an opportunity.However narrow it might be, the door remains open.The question is what Mendoza can do over the next week to force Kubiak to keep it that way, or perhaps open it even wider.It starts with avoiding the type of mistake he made against the Texans.Mendoza’s 80-yard pick-six was the quintessential rookie error.

One play after Mike Washington Jr.ripped off a 33-yard run, Mendoza tried to go right back to him through the air.

The decision itself was defensible.The throw was not.Mendoza delivered the ball behind Washington and directly into the arms of Tex...