Fernando Mendoza hasn’t been with the Las Vegas Raiders long, but he’s already learning a lot about the franchise and its fanbase. It has been a very long time since the team had consistent success.
They haven’t won a playoff game since 2002. Despite that, the fan base remains as loyal as ever. Mendoza recently spoke with Maxx Crosby, and he was asked about his thoughts on the fan base so far.
“The fans are awesome, they’re crazy,” Mendoza told Crosby on “The Rush” podcast. “I didn’t understand the Raiders mantra and culture growing up in the East Coast in Miami. I got to then understand a portion of it when I was at Berkeley because Berkeley’s right next to Oakland, and a lot of my teammates in Berkeley were die-hard Raiders fans, and just being around Oakland, getting to experience the Raiders, I’m like, ‘Okay, these guys are crazy.’
“And then now being in Las Vegas and, you know, interacting with a lot more Raiders fans, being a part of the Raiders organization, it’s been such a blessing. And you know, whatever they have to say about the Raiders organization, I know whenever I go to a fight every single Sunday I know I want the people who are going to ride and die, and those are what the Raiders fans and Raiders culture has portrayed to me so far. So I’m hyped, and I’m blessed to be a part of it.”
Mendoza Should Quickly Become Fan Favorite
On the surface, Mendoza doesn’t have the personality of a classic Raiders quarterback. He couldn’t be further away from the likes of Ken Stabler. However, he’s going to quickly become a fan favorite if he can play well.
Mendoza is much closer to Derek Carr when it comes to personality, and even he makes Carr look like Deion Sanders in comparison. That said, he’s effortlessly likable and is tough as nails on the field. Those are the types of qualities that fans love. Now, he does need to win games, but it’s easy to see him being beloved by the Raiders’ fan base in short order.
Mendoza Could Have Slow Start to Career
Everybody is very eager to see what Mendoza can do on an NFL field. He was the Heisman Trophy winner for college football last season and won a National Championship.
He’s got enough experience for the Raiders to justify starting him in Week 1, but he may have to wait. The team signed Kirk Cousins in free agency with the idea that he’d like start to open the season.
Now, Mendoza can change that thought process if he looks great in training camp. He’s going to have to clearly outplay Cousins to start in Week 1. The Raiders may still be cautious, as once they start Mendoza, it’ll be difficult to bench him. That’s why Cousins is almost certainly going to be the starter, but Mendoza won’t make life easy for him. The veteran will have to play at a high level to keep the promising rookie on the bench.
Fernando Mendoza Has Strong Message for ‘Crazy’ Raiders Fans