Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza once again became a viral sensation during an interview with ESPN's Laura Rutledge on Thursday night. During the fourth quarter of the Raiders' 22-20 preseason victory over the Houston Texans, Mendoza delivered a memorable exchange with the broadcast crew.
Play-by-play announcer Joe Buck initiated the interaction by saying, "Hi, Laura! Hi, Fernando!" The rookie quarterback responded with a distinctively formal greeting to Buck. "Please tell Mr. Buck I say, ‘Hello,'" Mendoza said, concluding with a salute to the camera.
The exchange elicited laughter from Rutledge, Buck, and analyst Troy Aikman. When Rutledge asked why Aikman did not receive a similar greeting, Mendoza replied, "Oh, of course. I mean, he’s a legend. I think Mr. Buck needs some love, because Mr. Aikman is already, you know." The broadcast team responded with further amusement and praise for Mendoza's unique personality.
"You see, there it is. Back to Mr. Buck," Buck commented. "That’s the stuff. He is unique. And yeah, I’ll take that. We’ll take the love from Fernando Mendoza. And he says all the right things."
Aikman added, "What a refreshing personality he is," calling Mendoza easy to root for.
However, Mendoza's performance on the field during his second preseason start was not as smooth. On his second pass of the game, he threw an 80-yard interception returned for a touchdown to Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz. Mendoza, who played the first half, completed eight of his 15 passes for 86 yards and the single interception.
This marked a difficult outing for Mendoza, contrasting with his first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, where he completed 10 of 16 passes. Despite these struggles, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has not yet named Kirk Cousins the Week 1 starting quarterback. The Raiders' final preseason game is scheduled against the San Francisco 49ers next Thursday.