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Shortly after drafting QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall in last month's NFL Draft, Raiders GM John Spytek gushed about his meetings with the Indiana signal caller. He said that Mendoza winning the Heisman and leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and National Championship was not what clinched his selection. But rather his mental approach to the game. Now Raiders offensive coordinator is getting to experience that firsthand.
Andrew Janocko sat down for an interview with Paul Gutierrez on the Raiders podcast Upon Further Review and lit up when talking about Mendoza's approach to the game.
"He's asking questions that you might not have thought about in a couple of years," Janocko said.
"He's somebody that wants to know the whys of everything, the story behind everything. What we're calling, but why are we calling it.
"He's really just a sponge that wants to know everything. So it's a lot of fun working with a quarterback like that because he's coming in as a blank slate in this offense - never been in this offense before - and just asking a ton of questions."
Janocko joined Klint Kubiak's staff with the Raiders. It's his first NFL offensive coordinator job, but his work as a quarterbacks coach is extensive.
Over the past five years coaching QBs in the NFL, Janocko has helped several veterans put up some of the best numbers of their careers, including Sam Darnold last season, Derek Carr the year before, and Kirk Cousins back in 2021.
He has also seen what it looks like when a young QB doesn't have "it" from his two years coaching Justin Fields in Chicago.
From the sounds of it, coaching Mendoza more closely matches Janocko's positive experiences with veterans than when coaching Fields who flamed out after just three seasons and is now a journeyman backup with the Jets.
Janocko knows what the mindset is supposed to look like. And Mendoza's got it.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders OC says rookie QB Fernando Mendoza thought process years ahead
Continue reading...
Andrew Janocko sat down for an interview with Paul Gutierrez on the Raiders podcast Upon Further Review and lit up when talking about Mendoza's approach to the game.
"He's asking questions that you might not have thought about in a couple of years," Janocko said.
"He's somebody that wants to know the whys of everything, the story behind everything. What we're calling, but why are we calling it.
"He's really just a sponge that wants to know everything. So it's a lot of fun working with a quarterback like that because he's coming in as a blank slate in this offense - never been in this offense before - and just asking a ton of questions."
Janocko joined Klint Kubiak's staff with the Raiders. It's his first NFL offensive coordinator job, but his work as a quarterbacks coach is extensive.
Over the past five years coaching QBs in the NFL, Janocko has helped several veterans put up some of the best numbers of their careers, including Sam Darnold last season, Derek Carr the year before, and Kirk Cousins back in 2021.
He has also seen what it looks like when a young QB doesn't have "it" from his two years coaching Justin Fields in Chicago.
From the sounds of it, coaching Mendoza more closely matches Janocko's positive experiences with veterans than when coaching Fields who flamed out after just three seasons and is now a journeyman backup with the Jets.
Janocko knows what the mindset is supposed to look like. And Mendoza's got it.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders OC says rookie QB Fernando Mendoza thought process years ahead
Continue reading...
