RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesFernando Mendoza early winner in Kirk Cousins, Maxx Crosby feud originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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A lot of the talk during the Las Vegas Raiders ' NFL offseason has been surrounding the friendly quarterback competition between Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza. These two are pretty different. Cousins is a veteran, having been in the NFL for more than a decade, while Mendoza is a rookie.
Now that training camp is in full swing, any rookie quarterback would love to get the chance to show his stuff in camp. Now, on Saturday, Mendoza was able to do just that.
First, the backstory. On Friday, Cousins and defensive end Maxx Crosby got into a fight , after Crosby hit Cousins twice during practice. Crosby is known for getting too physical with his own team. It's part of his identity but can also be dangerous, and expensive.
Because of this fight, the Raiders didn't let Cousins or Crosby practice with the team on Saturday. The main guy who benefited from this was Mendoza.
Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza gets first team reps at Raiders camp
Yes, Mendoza got first team reps at the Raiders' camp on Saturday. He was able to step into that starter mode and get comfortable with the team. That's invaluable experience for a young quarterback.
So, how did Mendoza do? According to Raiders beat reporter Sam Warren of The Athletic, he started slow but got better.
"Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby did not participate in team periods at Raiders camp today. As a result, Fernando Mendoza took his first reps with the first team as a Raider," Warren noted in a post on X on Saturday. He added, "Mendoza started a bit slow but got better as practice progressed. Had a few TDs in red zone, goal line drill."
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