00:00You mentioned the Raiders part of this, and Mendoza now, I assume, steps into QB1.
00:06He should step into QB1.
00:07Oh, boy.
00:08There are people like, oh, Aiden O'Connell's in.
00:10No.
00:10You're out of your mind.
00:12Mendoza is their guy.
00:13And people are like, well, you're going to throw him into the fire against Seattle and Mike McDonald?
00:17Yeah.
00:18That's the whole point of the trade.
00:20You want to see what the kid has.
00:22So what are your thoughts on the Raiders finally making that decision to go with Mendoza and go to this
00:28new era that they're kind of hoping would kind of build around Mendoza as opposed to Kirk Cousins?
00:35Like I said, I feel like they really won the trade.
00:38And I think they really won the trade by a mile because now they can see what their future holds
00:42after establishing some character, after establishing how they want their program to look under Clint Kubiak.
00:47So for me, Mendoza playing, regardless of the outcome, is a positive because now you will see what he can
00:55and can't do as an organization.
00:57And you know where you can now spin that pick that you got from Minnesota to help him get better.
01:03Because I don't think this is a Cam Ward situation.
01:06I don't think the Raiders are going to be a revolving door that will eventually sink the quarterback that you
01:10took number one.
01:11I think the Raiders have a plan.
01:13I think they were willing to stick to that plan throughout the year.
01:16I think they were going to stick with their conviction, but this offer came up and this offer was in
01:21their plans.
01:22They took it to now show that Mendoza sat for a reason.
01:26I expect for Fernando Mendoza to take the field and look exactly like Kirk Cousins did.
01:31That's why Kirk Cousins was such a great match and a pairing with Fernando Mendoza because their games are simpler.
01:38I've always said that Mendoza was Kirk Cousins 4.0.
01:43He's more athletic, he's got better legs, he's got a better arm.
01:48But remember Kirk Cousins in his prime was nice.
01:51Kirk Cousins' rookie year was nice.
01:53And I expect Fernando Mendoza to really give the Raiders a reinvigorated fight as he takes the field, regardless of
02:01who it's against.
02:02Because Clay Kubiak is going to protect him.
02:05They're probably going to run the ball like 45 times in that game.
02:08I agree with you.
02:09I think, you know, at some point the Raiders had to understand, okay, we're not making the playoffs.
02:14Now, if they would have been 6-4 right now or whatever, 5-3 or something like that, it changes
02:20a lot of things.
02:21But they, you know, they just lost again.
02:24They've been losing more and more.
02:25Obviously, they started 3-0 and now they're, what, 4-6 at this point.
02:29So they kind of made that move.
02:31And I agree with it.
02:32Listen, they had him sit under a guy that, like you said, is kind of the prototype for they want
02:36Mendoza to be.
02:37Obviously, they wanted to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
02:39But they wanted him to kind of mold into that smart Kirk Cousins that we've seen.
02:45So I think it's a perfect time.
02:47Let him go the rest of the season, see what you have, and then kind of go from there.
02:51But you had to see it at some point and they just made the decision now.
02:53I think you're right.
02:54I think they might have won that trade.
