Fernando Mendoza’s appetite for film study isn’t raising eyebrows inside the Las Vegas Raiders’ building; it’s exactly the kind of mental workload Klint Kubiak wants to see from his young quarterback.
Kubiak recently addressed a question about backup quarterback Fernando Mendoza reportedly reviewing game tape the night after a preseason contest and whether that level of dedication could tip into information overload for a young player.
The head coach said it didn’t surprise him at all; in fact, he noted that with modern technology, players don’t need to be at the facility to study reps, since an iPad lets them watch film anywhere. Kubiak added that his quarterbacks are expected to process large amounts of information and that pushing them mentally is part of finding out how much each one can handle.
This Raiders QB room is on another level…
The comment matters for Las Vegas because it speaks directly to how the coaching staff is managing quarterback competition and development this summer. Kubiak specifically named Mendoza alongside Aidan O’Connell, Jacob Clark, and Kirk Cousins as players who “can carry a lot of information,” suggesting the staff sees real mental capacity across the room rather than a single starter carrying the offense.
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As roster cuts near and only a limited number of quarterback spots are likely to remain after final cutdowns, a player’s ability to absorb and implement coaching (beyond just their arm talent) may significantly influence who stays on the team.
Expect Kubiak to keep leaning on tape study as an evaluation tool over the next few weeks, using how quickly each quarterback corrects mistakes as a proxy for football IQ when trimming the depth chart.
Do you think a young quarterback’s willingness to grind extra film time on his own says more about his ceiling than his performance on the field?
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images