If there is someone that knows Las Vegas Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza, it’s his former Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. Hence, when he speaks about the signal-caller, once must listen.
During an interview with ESPN, Cignetti told Kevin Clark that Mendoza has “Quick arm, good arm strength, good mobility. Got a body of work out there and he’s going to be a really good pro…if not this year, sometime soon.”
Hence, Cignetti knows destiny is bright for Mendoza. However, there is a key thing in his assessment, which is the speed on his arm. Many QBs have good arm strength, or accuracy. However, not all can unleash a pass quickly while keeping their poise.
Cignetti made a key observation
A few days ago, the world saw Jim Harbaugh in a media campaign to affirm JJ McCarthy as the best rookie quarterback. Two years later, and McCarthy has lost its job altogether. Cignetti, though, was way more cautious.
He said, “if not this year, sometime soon.” This means Cignetti could see Mendoza as a guy that could benefit from sitting behind Kirk Cousins for a year, or at least by a good portion of the season. Is this concerning for Mendoza? Not really, it’s more of a learning curve, after all, Cignetti also said he will be a very good pro.
Cousins’ role is hanging by a thread
While it seems Kirk Cousins is the one starting the season as the Raiders QB1, nothing has been confirmed yet by head coach Klint Kubiak. Also, even if Cousins starts, every mistake will be a huge talking point as Mendoza will be waiting for his chance to shine.
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