RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza had a solid preseason debut on Thursday night, tossing a touchdown to cap his second possession.
Mendoza ended up playing 53 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps in the contest against the Cardinals, finishing his night 10-of-16 passing for 97 yards with a TD and no interceptions. He also rushed twice for 6 yards.
“It was great to get out there, get my feet wet, especially the first drive,” Mendoza said in his postgame press conference. “It felt a little sped up because so much anticipation and excitement. However, I feel like my teammates around me protected me very well, and they helped me. They helped slow me down, and I think it was a good experience.”
Mendoza noted that his emotions were where he thought they would be following his first pro action.
“Especially as a quarterback, you don't want to get too emotional, because you want to be able to process, make the right checks, make the right reads, and I felt that it was good emotion,” Mendoza said. “Getting in the huddle with my guys, and in a sense, being able to break through and finally play a snap in the preseason, which is going to be faster than practice, just how it is with adrenaline, and then the regular season gets faster than that, and on and on. So, I think it was a good experience to get my feet wet.”
If there was one thing that surprised Mendoza in his debut, it was the speed of the game. Mendoza mentioned team minority owner Tom Brady spoke to the squad on Wednesday night and noted that it was going to be different from what the rookies had previously experienced.
“[A]ll of us haven't played football in a little while, so I think the speed's always going to be a little amped up,” Mendoza said. “I thought the guys did great out there today. There was one play where I scrambled to the right, and usually sometimes I'll be able to get the edge, maybe scramble for two or three yards, and it's like, 'Wow, I got it a little faster than I thought.' So, I throw the ball away and try to make the smart play to best serve my teammates. So, I would say definitely faster and hit harder. So, surprise, but no surprise.”
Mendoza’s next opportunity to play will be on Thursday night when the Raiders take on the Texans in Houston.
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