First off: this isnt an anti Kirk post. This is just an analysis.

People keep citing the "Kirk leads the league in TDs" statistic, which is true. However, I dont think its as meaningful as some people think. Look at our box scores splits on our losing streak:

Rams: 3 3 0 15
Bills: 7 6 0 17
Pats: 7 0 3 7
Chiefs: 7 6 0 14

Almost all those TDs are coming in the 4th Q. I wont call it "garbage time" because the game's still been winnable in a lot of those situations, and he's keeping us close, but its definitely a reflection of situation football forcing the issue, rather than Kirk having our offensive production consistently high. And its great that he can do it in the 4th when we need it, but then the question is why he isnt doing it for the first 3 quarters

Those 3rd quarter goose eggs are especially damning. We have to be able to get momentum coming out of halftime.

I'm not calling for Fernando on Sunday, but I dont think it would be unthinkable either - Kirk isnt making himself quite as unbenchable as his most ardent supporters say.

Jerry Jones, come and get this guy off of my team. 29 and already has two major knee surgeries, it’s only going to get worse from here. Mark my words, he wont be a Raider next year, get as much as we can for him NOW.

I think the NFL has a weird ego problem when it comes to quarterbacks. Everything gets framed as either you’re the guy or you’re not, and I think we’re seeing it with Kirk and Mendoza.

We’re 3-4. Kirk leads the league with 16 passing TDs. He’s had some rough stretches, sure, but he’s played well enough to keep his job. Meanwhile, our running game is a mess and our defense is giving up 30+ points every week.

Yet somehow the conversation keeps coming back to when we should bench Kirk for Fernando.

Why are those the only two options?

Keep Kirk as QB1. Give Fernando a small, intentionally designed role. A handful of plays to start, maybe a scripted drive or two as he gets comfortable. Let him face actual NFL starters, try some different looks, and see if it helps the offense. If it works, expand it. If it doesn’t, scale it back.

I’m not suggesting we pull Kirk every time he makes a mistake or turn every game into a QB competition.

I understand that QBs aren’t as interchangeable as other positions. Timing, chemistry, preparation, all of that matters. But I don’t think those are necessarily reasons to avoid trying something different.

And that’s really my frustration with the NFL. We rotate players everywhere else to maximize what they bring to the team, but at quarterback, giving another guy meaningful opportunities is treated almost like an insult to the starter.

Kubiak has already said there’s no controversy, and I’m glad he’s sticking with Kirk. I just wish the conversation wasn’t always about replacing somebody.

Why can’t we develop Fernando while we’re still trying to win with Kirk?

Is there a legitimate football reason we couldn’t at least experiment with this?

EDIT #1: Reading through the comments, I think the strongest objection is the limited practice time and potential disruption to offensive rhythm. That’s fair, and I don’t think it’s something you can just ignore.

But I also think people are interpreting this as a demand to split QB duties, and that isn’t really what I’m suggesting.

I’m interested in whether there’s a small enough, useful enough package for Fernando that it could justify the preparation involved. If there isn’t, fine. That’s a football decision.

What I find strange is how quickly the conversation becomes about protecting Kirk’s job or waiting until Fernando replaces him. I don’t think those have to be the only possibilities.

Maybe this particular roster isn’t suited for it. I’d just rather understand why than assume meaningful QB rotation is automatically a bad idea.

And that is AJ Cole in terms of passer rating

This is a slight nitpick but at the same time I'm not complaining about the result, I'm simply making an observation: Did anyone else see on that Tre Tucker YAC run that if he cuts it back to the right sideline it would have been a touchdown?

Raiders are currently 31st in points allowed, and 5th in points scored. Who, or what position(s) would you go after to help things out? A run stopper DT and a veteran corner could really help out.

We took away 9 points (not including the miss)off the board. If we would’ve taken those points after the second td it would’ve been 28 rams to raiders 29 after the rams td 35 to 29 a td on the next drive could’ve won it for us. Next time even though it sucks we gotta start taking the field goals. The lack of the run game hurts us the most in the red zone but keeping the pressure on the other team could force them into even more turnovers.

Basically the title I’m curious to know the nations thoughts on what we should do if anything before the trade deadline.

Derek Carr (Kirk Cousins) is good for two touchdowns and 200+ yards with his super athletic TE Darren Waller (Brock Bowers) his safety net across the middle Hunter Renfrow (Mike Mayer) and his super quick but not super amazing WR1 Henry Ruggs (Tre Tucker).

Defense, unfortunately, gives up 33 to our 30 and we lose

Anyone got a mask and some sani-wipes? Cause it feels like 2020 in here!

Spytek give the Colts a 5th and Nailor, Lets go!

Beat the Jets and we're 4-4, then a four game gauntlet then Mendoza time after the bye.

In a recent conversation with The Athletic, Anderson said in reporting for the book he learned Brady to be a relationship-driven leader, “rather than an orderer, or a classic masculine NFL type of leader.”

One anecdote that stands out to Anderson came from Jed Weaver, a former tight end who spent much of his NFL career as a backup and was a late addition to the New England Patriots’ 2004 team. After one game that season, Brady spotted Weaver’s parents outside the locker room and made a deliberate detour.

“Great to see you again, Tom and Rhonda,” Brady said, per the book’s retelling. “Did you enjoy the game?”

“I played for four different teams in my career, and guys around the league would say, ‘Tom Brady is a pompous jackass who thinks he’s so cool,’” Weaver said in the book. “But ask my parents what they think of Tom Brady. He blew their minds. I was a backup tight end who’d only been around a month, and he treated my parents like they were very important people in his life.”

As the book goes on, Brady’s introductions to new teammates — no matter how recognizable he was — become a common theme. Many former teammates described it as the moment their expectations were dulled to the more accurate reality of Brady as a human, athlete and teammate. Somehow the most unrelatable guy on the team felt exactly the opposite, helped early in his career by quirks like his unmistakable canary-yellow Jeep Wrangler and the teasing of his teammates.

“He’s a little bit of a soft kitty in some man categories,” former Patriot offensive tackle Matt Light remarks at one point. “But Tommy can chug a beer.”

In hindsight, the shine of Brady’s seven Super Bowl rings can glare on his history as an underdog. That story is well documented: from high school backup to climbing the depth chart at Michigan to being selected with the 199th pick on a Patriots team that looked like it wouldn’t even have room for him.

“If Tom was like anyone else in the world and had allowed his circumstances to determine his mindset,” Brady’s former roommate David Nugent said in the biography, “he never would have become anything in the NFL.”

I figured he'd be snatched up by a contending team. Ah, what could have been.

He has career lows rn and Minnesota doesn’t look like they’ll solve their qb issues anytime soon so if by chance he requests a trade what would it take to get him? If I’m looney for asking this I get it but I just saw his stats were low so usually when that happens to star receivers they whine and request a trade so I’m just curious.

Everyone advocating for trading for a DT or a WR or a G or whatever it is, forget it. We aren't contenders this year and we aren't a player or two away from being contenders. Our roster construction right now is very limited by Wilkins, Geno, Jakobi, Tyree, and others counting almost $60M dead space against our cap. Accordingly, we still have a bad roster right now and a lot of people are in denial about it, for some reason.

This is a rebuilding year. Period. I know it's human nature to get impatient, but 2027 when Mendoza is a veteran, when our cap situation is much better, and when we'll be in the second year of Kubiak shaping the team in his image... that's when you make moves to improve the roster as much as possible.

Would it be stupid to sign him? Wouldn’t this be an upgrade at guard for us still? I assume he would be familiar with Kubiak and his scheme. I am speculating that the Seahawks scraps are still better than our firsts

I will be in SD during the Raider Niner game, wondering if anyone knows any good bars in SD to go watch the game. I know we have a big fan base down here lol. LMK!

Just wait until the offensive line gets even more improvement, a number one receiver is added, and Fernando takes the reins with more mobility than Kirk. I’m trusting in Kubiak. The defense… well that’s a different story.

Looks like they released Thrash as well, which would open a spot for Laulu to come back on PS (if the team and him want).