Why Fernando Mendoza must not follow Tom Brady footsteps with Raiders

Kirk Cousins starting the season at quarterback for the Raiders makes sense.Cousins is a been-there veteran who understands Klint Kubiak’s offense and presently offers a steadier hand than Fernando Mendoza.He might no longer possess his peak physical ability, but he gives the Raiders their best chance to win immediately.So start him.And if the 38-yer-old Cousins discovers some late-career magic, the offense comes together faster than expected, and the Raiders remain legitimately involved in the playoff race, keep starting him.

They need to ride that wave as far as it will carry them.But that is the only scenario in which Mendoza should spend his rookie season watching from the sideline.The moment the playoffs become a pipe dream, Mendoza needs to play.Not eventually.Not after another month of practice.

Not when every possible excuse for keeping him on the bench has been exhausted.Immediately.But here is the thing.Not only didn’t Kubiak say Mendoza was QB2, he actually left open the possibility of Aidan O’Connell being Cousins back up, not Mendoza.“We’ve got three guys that are ready to play.,” Kubiak recently said.

“It’s going to be some hard decisions on who’s 1, who’s 2.”No, it’s not a hard decison.It’s an easy one.Mendoza has to be QB2.Nothing against O’Connell, who has handled every situation professionally and shown he can enter an NFL huddle without being overwhelmed.But there is no world in which he should stand between Mendoza and meaningful playing time.If Cousins gets hurt, Mendoza should replace him.

If Cousins struggles while the Raiders tumble out of contention, the transition should happen then.The Raiders used the first overall pick on Mendoza because they believe he can become their franchise quarterback.Once they made that decision, his development became the organization’s most important priority.That does not mean handing him the job before he is ready.

It means recognizing that readiness cannot be achieved excl...