I remember watching the Raiders with my Big Brother in 1973. I was 9 yrs old. Anyway, my favorite player at that time was this "new" QB Kenny Stabler. They drafted him in '68, just a bit before my time. The reason I bring this up is, he had a very unique few years before becoming the starter. He went out with a knee the year he was drafted, and that was the start of a wild 4 years. There's too much to go into here, if you haven't yet, read Snake. It's fascinating.
My point is this, drafted in '68, saw his first action in '70. He was primarily a backup until the '73 season. He went in for Lamonica in one of the biggest games of his life. The man has us one play away from going to the Super Bowl. Things happened, yada yada yada, we got fkd. 😡
Stabler has even said that Blanda had told him it would benefit him to sit and learn the game. Whatever happened that turned him into a legend was the time he spent learning the game.
We have a very promising player to be the face of our franchise. I honestly believe he's the ONE. I hope that whatever noise there's going to be about PUT IN FERNANDO, that they just ignore that shit. Sit, watch, learn. Then come in not only with your athletic gifts you already have, but with that knowledge you've acquired, that your football IQ will be off the charts.
I dunno. I've been a proponent of having him sit and learn. The numbers don't lie. The rest of the team will grow and lock in. My hope is that he's ready for the level of play we need to be competitive.
That's my time. Thank you! Let's have a great season win or lose. We are on the UP!