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El once ideal de cracks con pasado en LaLiga que están sin equipo
Fernando Mendoza is first No. 1 QB since Baker Mayfield who won't start Week 1
The Raiders naming Kirk Cousins their starting quarterback to open the 2026 season was hardly a surprise.
While Las Vegas had been projected to draft Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall for months, the team's brass had said publicly that its preference was for a rookie quarterback to sit and learn behind a veteran. toffler.lol
But now that it's official, Mendoza has become a member of a rare group of quarterbacks from recent years.
Mendoza is the first quarterback since Baker Mayfield in 2018 not to start Week 1 after being selected at No. 1 overall.
Mayfield's situation was not particularly unusual at the time, as Jared Goff had been through the same thing in 2016.
But since then, Kyler Murray (2019), Joe Burrow (2020), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Bryce Young (2023), Caleb Williams (2024), and Cam Ward (2025) have all been their respective club’s Week 1 starter after being selected at No. 1 overall.
Since Matthew Stafford was selected at No. 1 overall in 2009, only Goff, Mayfield, and Mendoza have started the season as QB2. Sam Bradford (2010), Cam Newton (2011), Andrew Luck (2012), and Jameis Winston (2015) all started the season opener.
Mayfield made it into a game by Week 3, taking over for an injured Tyrod Taylor to lead the Browns to their first victory since 2016 with a 21-17 victory over the Jets. He took over as Cleveland’s starter the following week.
It took longer for Goff to ascend to QB1 for the Rams in 2016, as he began his tenure as Los Angeles’ starter in Week 11 with a 14-10 loss to Miami.
Mendoza's development will remain a priority for the Raiders, even as he won't receive starters' reps in the regular season.
"Early work, late work. More meetings," Kubiak said on Wednesday. "Plenty of time on the field between drills with [QBs] coach [Mike] Sullivan and [offensive coordinator] coach [Andrew] Janocko. Every player that is not starting the first game, that is helping us on the look team, we’re just trying to find every edge we can find to continue to get him better and his teammates better."
Aside from those selected at No. 1 overall, there are plenty of QBs who haven't started early and ended up being successful.
"I think there are so many examples both ways," Kubiak said. "I think the most important thing with the quarterback room or any other position is to build competition within the room. That makes players so much better faster than coaching, when they have a guy in front of them that they can look up to and see how something’s done — that’s going to accelerate their growth."
We’ll see when Mendoza becomes Las Vegas’ starter. If Cousins plays well and the Raiders are winning, that might not be until 2027. But history suggests Mendoza will be on the field sooner or later as a rookie.
Maro Itoje ready to ‘come back better’ for England after taking mini sabbatical
Itoje rested for Nations Championship games in July
Captain has had rare full pre-season with Saracens
Maro Itoje says it felt “very weird” watching England play from afar this summer but believes more top players should consider taking a break to prolong their careers. The British & Irish Lions captain was rested for his country’s three Nations Championship games in July and is now feeling the benefits of “taking a breath” after an intense year on and off the field.
In addition to the burden of leadership for club and country, Itoje also lost his mother last year and, with next year’s World Cup looming, the national coach Steve Borthwick offered his skipper the chance of a mini sabbatical. He has emerged fit, healthy and mentally rested for the season ahead having enjoyed his first full club pre-season at Saracens since 2014.
Continue reading...Sammy’s Sportsbook Whispers: What To Make Of The Crimson Tide
It’s time for this week’s Sportsbook Whispers. Alabama is a fascinating case study this year because it is ranked outside the preseason AP Top 10 for the first time since 2008. That was Nick Saban’s second season in Tuscaloosa and the Tide exceeded expectations, finishing 12-2 after a Sugar Bowl loss to undefeated Utah. Time flies, eh? Last year, Alabama finished 11-4, but the lasting image of its season was a 38-3 dismantling at the hands of eventual champion Indiana. "Alabama could not run the ball last season," newly retired bookmaker Ed Salmons told me from Las Vegas. "That was never an issue at the height of their powers under Nick Saban. I like Kalen DeBoer and there’s always going to be talent there, but they must get back to running the ball." This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Most wise guys I know who make power ratings have Bama just outside the top 10 with room to grow. I frequently share notes with handicappers, like Motoi Pearson and Brad Powers, who rank the Tide 11th and 13th respectively. One former bookmaker turned bettor is higher. "I have Alabama eighth," he admitted. "I have Ohio State one, Notre Dame and Oregon tied at two, Texas four, Georgia and Indiana tied at five. Miami seven. "Alabama acquired a ton of talent in the transfer portal, and they added five transfers in the offensive line room. So DeBoer clearly addressed their weaknesses. And the quarterback is young, but he’s a five-star recruit. "I admit I’m probably a little high, mostly because I believe in team pedigree and I like their coaching staff. That said, the market took 28.5 and 28 with East Carolina over the last few days, so that was interesting." What else? "One big disagreement I have is Houston-Oregon State," he continued. "I think the market is almost a touchdown light. I make Houston -27. Maybe I’m missing something. "We bet Florida State +3 against SMU, too. There’s only one way to bet that game. It’s Florida State or pass. My preseason number was pick ‘em, and you can’t over adjust to one result. This number shouldn’t be 3. "The books are going to write all SMU tickets, though, so I get it." Caesars Sportsbook head of football Joey Feazel expects an avalanche of tickets on Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs in Monday night’s standalone. "[Florida State] left a lot to be desired against New Mexico State," Feazel said. "They’ve struggled for a couple years now, and it looks like it’s going to be one-way action. The line is holding steady around 3, but we were at 1.5 and 2 before Week 0. "It’ll be one of our biggest handled college games of the year because it’s the only game Monday night and the NFL isn’t back yet." If you’ve been around this racket as long as I have, you know every sportsbook has an uncomfortable liability on a player to win the Heisman. Obviously, customers tend to bet players near the top, but there’s always a code-red long shot that would clean a book’s clock if he won the award. "For us, it’s Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz," Feazel reported. "We wrote a sizable bet on him at 80/1 for a big number. So that’s the easy answer. There are a lot more tickets on John Mateer and Arch Manning, but Kienholz would be the worst result for us at this point in time." Finally, we must give Bill Belichick his flowers. North Carolina was as high as 9.5-point dogs last week against TCU and pulled the outright upset at Dublin's Aviva Stadium. Or maybe the market was just too high on the Horned Frogs, who ironically lost outright as a 20.5-point favorite three years ago to Colorado in Deion Sanders’ first game as head coach in Boulder. Quarterback Josh Hoover ain’t walking through that door. He left TCU to be the new starter for Curt Cignetti as Indiana tries to win back-to-back titles. "I downgraded TCU 2.5 points," professional bettor Corbie Craig told me. Craig did have a bet on UNC plus the points. "It is worth noting TCU’s No. 1 wide receiver didn’t play Saturday, but I still moved my number nicely."