If the Las Vegas Raiders do proceed with selecting Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza, the pressure is on the front office to ensure that they have all the pieces in place to ensure that he develops into their franchise signal-caller.
Moreover, with Tom Brady as the team’s minority owner, it would be a bad look for the best QB ever to play the position if Las Vegas were to fumble the development of Mendoza.
As a result, Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Fitz believes there’s pressure on Brady to ensure that Mendoza becomes the team’s franchise QB.
“Tom Brady himself needs to make sure that the infrastructure is taking care of his quarterback,” Fitz said on the Jan. 23 edition of “Yahoo Sports Daily.” “Tom Brady needs to make sure the person that knows what it takes for a quarterback to be surrounded with the right things needs to damn well make sure that the team he calls himself an owner of has that very infrastructure.
“If the Raiders don’t get it right with Fernando Mendoza, if they ruin Fernando Mendoza, not the other way around. If the Raiders ruin Fernando Mendoza, I’m looking squarely at you, Tom Brady.”
Raiders Need to Get It Right With Fernando Mendoza
Fitz added that if the team drafts Mendoza, the first year should be focused on putting everything in place to help develop him. That includes what happens on the field, such as building a stronger offensive line, and the details away from it, down to what he is eating in the team cafeteria.
“When you draft a quarterback first overall, every single person in your building, all the way down to the janitor, needs to speak the language of that quarterback. So if Fernando Mendoza has a certain way he likes things, great. Whatever you need to make sure that you are insulating him and communicating to him in the best language that gets the best out of him, all the way down to the cafeteria people.
“I need everybody in that room to have one goal, only one goal. It’s not winning games… I don’t care. What I care about is, is everybody in the building focused on development of Fernando Mendoza, because now that’s more important than when you win.”
Tom Brady Talks Fernando Mendoza
Moreover, Brady did briefly touch on Mendoza and other NFL Draft prospects’ development in a recent interview. On the Jan. 23 edition of “The Herd,“ Brady spoke with host Colin Cowherd regarding his takeaway from Mendoza after seeing him up close and witnessing the player’s success this season with Indiana.
“He’s played [tremendously] all season, 16‑0, leading his team,“ Brady said. “Again, he’s another guy that, when you hear him speak, I always judge quarterbacks and go, How would I have answered that? He’s just a very mature young man, and he’s got a bright future. Everybody coming into the league still [has] so much room for development.
“Nobody’s a finished product. I don’t care whether you’ve won the Heisman or you’re the 199th pick in the draft. It’s what do you do when you get there? How important is this to you? Are you obsessed with your job? Are you obsessed with being the best you can be?”
Raiders Minority Owner Tom Brady Receives Massive QB Warning