Raiders fans finally got to see Fernando Mendoza, their potential franchise quarterback, make his NFL debut against the New England Patriots in Week 5. But as was expected, the rookie star still has miles to go.

Mendoza finished the game going 6-of-8 for 48 yards, taking over Kirk Cousins in the Raiders’ final possession of the game. By that time, the Patriots had already posted a 45-17 lead against Las Vegas. But Mendoza struggled against the New England defense, which, to former Raiders QB, Derek Carr, was not so surprising.

“He’s a rookie. He’s gonna make mistakes,” former Raiders QB Derek Carr said on Home Grown, breaking down one of Mendoza’s incompletions in the fourth quarter. “This is nothing alarming. This is nothing bad. There’s a great learning clip for him.

“… Raiders fans, this is a message to you. You want him to start, okay. There’s going to be lumps. This is the defense you’re going to see. The blitzes, the crazy looks. If I just saw him undecided on that hitch, and I’m taking away the free access now, and now I’m gonna heat you up. Now, I’m going to make sure you sit. There’s so much to learn. But he’s showing so much promise.”

Nevertheless, the young quarterback made sure that he took home some important lessons from the field.

“For that play, I’ve got to stand in there, take a hit for the Silver and Black and hit DT over the middle on a choice route,” he said about the fourth down scramble. “That is totally my fault, and I let the offense down on that play.

“It was a little in between running scramble drill, what do I do? Because it’s fourth down…I need to stand in there and throw DT the ball over the middle.”

Well, it was certainly a necessary experience for the young quarterback. After all, his reps, even though they began with just above six minutes left on the clock, gave him some material to evaluate.

“I’m [going to] keep on controlling the controllables,” Mendoza said after the game. “But it is good to have some regular-season snaps to go off, evaluate and get better from. So, if in the future I am called upon, I at least have a little experience rather than none.”

This was always bound to happen. During the offseason, it was reported that Mendoza struggled against first-team defense. To go up the totem pole, he needs to be trotted out for these teaching moments to understand what is expected to go against. Even Raiders minority owner Tom Brady had said that Mendoza needed to earn his time.

“He’s got to go out there and earn it like everybody else,” Brady said on FOX Business. “… [Like] everyone at their age, none of these young players, none of these rookies have ever had a meaningful snap in the NFL. Their career and their journey will be determined by the work that they put in, by the adversities that they overcome, by the kind of teammate and team player that they are. And it’s all the same in business.”

For what it’s worth, head coach Klint Kubiak is happy Mendoza got to take some snaps.

“He did a good job,” Kubiak said after the game, acknowledging that Mendoza needed the exposure. “All reps are valuable. Very important for him.”

Now, the Raiders are preparing for their Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills. If Mendoza gets a chance to play against Jim Leonhard’s schemes, he can certainly learn a thing or two and take a step ahead in his quest to become QB1 for the Raiders someday.

The post “There’s So Much to Learn”: Derek Carr Gives Honest Verdict on Fernando Mendoza After NFL Debut appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.