Fernando Mendoza took every first-team snap at Raiders practice Wednesday.
asserted
Mendoza → take → practice
The throws that have his teammates looking forward to his first NFL start Sunday?
asserted
teammates → have → start
They’ve been seeing those for more than nine weeks.
asserted
They → see → weeks
“He was out there slinging it,” the Raiders tight end Brock Bowers said.
asserted
end → sling → it
That’s what he’s done the whole time.”
asserted
he → ’ → what
There might not be a better explanation for how the Raiders got comfortable trading their starting quarterback to the Vikings on Tuesday, right smack in the middle of a season in which Cousins was playing about as well as all but 10 or 12 quarterbacks in the NFL.
uncertain
Cousins → get → NFL
At 4-5, with eight games to play, the Raiders still had a playoff race to worry about.
asserted
Raiders → play → race
And yet they just handed the offense to a 22-year-old about to make his first NFL start Sunday against the Seahawks.
asserted
they → hand → Seahawks
From the outside, that’s a pretty good leap of faith.
asserted
that → ’ → faith
Inside the building, the Raiders had months of work to go on.
asserted
Raiders → have → work
And some of the people best qualified to explain what they saw spent a lot of that time on the receiving end of it.
asserted
they → explain → it
“We’ve been seeing it all year.
asserted
We → see → it
He’s been taking reps with us,” wide receiver Tre Tucker said.
asserted
Tucker → take → us
“He’s been doing everything.”
asserted
He → do → everything
Every so often, a ball would come off Mendoza’s hand that reminded Tucker how the kid wound up in Las Vegas in the first place, by way of a Heisman Trophy, a national championship at Indiana and the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
asserted
kid → come → draft
“You just see a throw in practice and say, ‘Wow.’”
asserted
You → see → practice
Tucker said.
asserted
Tucker → say → ?
Tucker gets to see those throws behind the scenes.
asserted
Tucker → get → scenes
Come Sunday, a whole stadium full of fans who have spent the better part of nine weeks asking about Mendoza will finally get a look for themselves.
asserted
who → Come → themselves
“For that to be out there this Sunday is going to be fun,” he said.
asserted
he → go → ?
Left tackle Kolton Miller is usually too busy protecting Mendoza to see where the ball lands.
asserted
ball → protect → Mendoza
He’s heard enough in the huddle, though, to know the rookie can get everybody’s attention.
asserted
rookie → hear → attention
“I know he seems kind of quirky,” Miller said.
asserted
Miller → know → ?
“But on the field, he commands the huddle.
asserted
he → command → huddle
He speaks with volume.
asserted
He → speak → volume
That carries some weight coming from the guy whose job it is to protect Mendoza’s blind side.
asserted
it → carry → side
So does the distinction Miller makes.
asserted
Miller → do → ?
Whatever anyone thinks of Mendoza’s mannerisms, the veteran left tackle has no trouble hearing him, and there’s no confusion about who’s running the offense.
asserted
who → think → offense
How did Mendoza find his voice while Cousins was still doing most of the talking?
asserted
Cousins → find → talking
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak would take you back to April, when Mendoza started preparing for the chance he’ll get Sunday against the Seahawks.
asserted
he → take → Seahawks
A first NFL start can make a young quarterback feel like everything is coming at him a million miles a minute.
asserted
everything → make → him
Kubiak figures all those weeks Mendoza spent preparing as if he’d be the primary voice in the huddle should turn the volume down a little.
asserted
he → figure → volume
“It shouldn’t be a whirlwind if he’s been preparing the right way each week,” Kubiak said.
asserted
Kubiak → prepare → ?
“At some point he knew he was going to get an opportunity, and so he’s been preparing that way since April.”
asserted
he → know → April
Sunday brings a part of the job nobody could duplicate for Mendoza while Cousins was here.
uncertain
Cousins → bring → Mendoza
If the Raiders go three-and-out on the opening series, it falls to him to get them going on the next one.
asserted
them → go → one
Part of which requires Mendoza to understand quarterback brilliance sometimes comes down to just doing your part.
asserted
requires → require → part
“We have such a great offensive staff, and we have such a great offense,” Mendoza said.
asserted
Mendoza → have → offense
“Whether it was leaders in the offensive line, leaders in the receiver room, leaders in the tight end room, or leaders in the running back room that I believe that they’re going to help me along the way to best execute my 1/11th, so we could all move forward and be efficient and effective as an offense.
uncertain
we → believe → offense
Imagine what it would mean to Mendoza to get that first completion under his belt Sunday, to look up and see one of them on the other end of a throw he’s waited nine weeks to make.
asserted
he → imagine → throw
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
