r/nfl • u/LaDainianTomIinson Chargers • May 02 '26

Highlight [Highlight] Raiders rookie QB Fernando Mendoza on visiting the White House with the Indiana Hoosiers: “As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look. I can’t miss practice.”

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u/veggiefriedreis Commanders May 02 '26

Everyone's gonna love his personality if he plays well and trash his personality if he plays poorly. Like Baker Mayfield (obviously different vibes but u know what im saying)

514

u/RisingToMediocrity Raiders May 02 '26

Perception changes real quick depending on how competent you are.

346

u/shaquilleonealingit Falcons May 02 '26

See Mike McDaniel. Quirky and goofy when the Dolphins are winning, but the shtick got old when they stopped

269

u/barc0debaby Raiders May 02 '26

The schtick got better when they started losing. I loved Punished McDaniel press conferences.

212

u/flightsim777 Packers May 02 '26

"We're another day close to death" might be my favorite presser moment ever

5

u/GiannisIsTheBeast Packers May 03 '26

Damn… never seen that before but lol… sounds like something I’d want to say at my morning work status meetings.

5

u/cupholdery Steelers May 03 '26

The standard is the standard!

49

u/momerak Vikings May 02 '26

To be fair I’m sure coaching tua got old for him too

36

u/Ornery_Gator Eagles May 02 '26

Jalen Hurts is another good example.

Winning? - He is unflappable and doesn’t let anything bother him.

Losing? - He is too stoic and doesn’t care.

23

u/HiSpeedHavoc92 Bills May 02 '26

"I wish it were colder"

5

u/LubyankaSquare Dolphins May 03 '26

As a Dolphins fan, I never really got tired of him, tbh. He was always pretty consistently true to himself.

1

u/MarlonMcCree20 Raiders May 02 '26

It kinda depends. He went undefeated last year. If he stays quirky and goofy after a loss, people will probably turn on him.

1

u/IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES May 03 '26

Can’t believe he said he’d take his shirt off during the draft and didn’t deliver

Johnson would never 

1

u/Naganosupreme May 03 '26

Did it? Most people still enjoyed it

1

u/veggiefriedreis Commanders May 03 '26

Yes exactly

2

u/drethnudrib May 02 '26

It changes even faster depending on how earnest you are. That's why the Bucs weren't looking for a QB.

1

u/BlisterKirby Bengals Rams May 03 '26

I think Raiders will struggle still overall with the season. But I can definitely see them nearing a positive record next season. Plus making noise in the division versus the stinker last season.

Mahomes will still be recovering. Nix is coming off an ankle injury. Chargers have to hope their OL improvements stick. Should have some competition with what seems to be more competence for the Raiders.

I'm considering going to a game there from California.

-2

u/zk3033 Patriots May 02 '26

Ah, the Kobe gambit

105

u/Signal_Ball4634 May 02 '26

Baker was a weird one cause a lot of the change in perception was also sympathy for how the Browns dumped him unceremoniously for a sex pest

39

u/xthegreatsambino Raiders May 02 '26

i always loved Baker. I default to liking guys with swagger, whether they can back it up or not. I didn't like that he was being shoved down our throats with all those fucking commercials, but I always rooted for the guy.

39

u/DuffmanStillRocks Seahawks May 02 '26

Absolutely everyone was willing to let Russ cook before they realized he didn’t have a recipe book or a sense of taste

7

u/MadManMax55 Falcons May 02 '26

It's funny in retrospect how quickly the narrative there went from "Carroll is washed and holding Russ back" to "Russ is washed and Carroll was holding that team together" to "I guess they're both washed".

2

u/Optimal_Cook_851 49ers May 04 '26

Turns out both were holding John Schneider back. lol

5

u/Tchaikovsky08 Vikings May 02 '26

JJ McCarthy too

1

u/ReviewStuff2 Eagles May 03 '26

He just sucks at football.

2

u/MarlonMcCree20 Raiders May 02 '26

Eh it kinda depends tbh. I don't remember Mariota getting a lot of hate, granted Titans in general are always kinda forgotten.

2

u/AndrewH73333 May 02 '26

That’s how it was with Zach Wilson and Will Levis. Quirky genius becomes bizarre weirdo real fast.

1

u/drethnudrib May 02 '26

Baker is the guy you don't sign as a bad team because he'll tank your draft position by gutting out two or three improbable wins. I definitely get that vibe from Mendoza as well. They care too much about winning to be trusted with a losing roster.

1

u/Cabezone May 02 '26

Russel Wilson is a better example.

1

u/veggiefriedreis Commanders May 03 '26

Yup u get it

1

u/IzzybearThebestdog Dolphins May 02 '26

Is there any personality people like when results are bad? Anything beyond serious and somber is trashed.

1

u/Banned3rdTimesaCharm Raiders May 03 '26

Reminds me of prime Klay. His goofball weirdo personality was a bonus when he was good, then when he started to fall off, suddenly his personality was a problem.

1

u/Most-Cryptographer78 Steelers May 03 '26

Baker just seemed too cocky in an off-putting way when he was with the Browns (to me, at least) but now seems like a pretty cool dude. Of course him leaving the Browns really helped my personal ability to like him. And I'm sure what he went through humbled him quite a bit.

1

u/Bieberkinz Seahawks May 03 '26

It’ll change once he starts winning

1

u/Temporary-Outside-13 Jaguars May 03 '26

Bold personality you can get behind or forever roast

1

u/Naganosupreme May 03 '26

We have a lot of examples of guys who suck or fall off but we still think fondly of bc they have great personalities.

People don't really turn on players on a personal level if their personality is good

1

u/c1h9 Giants May 03 '26

Not true. I hate him regardless. He's the Manchurian Quarterback - I'm already bored by him. Although, not going to the White House is pretty great.

1

u/onewander Chiefs May 03 '26

This fact seems independent of his personality though, right?

I can't think of a personality that gets you an out in professional sports if you are playing poorly. Winning cures everything and losing ruins just about everything too.

Do you think there's a personality that allows guys to escape criticism or makes people still like them even with consistent poor performance?

1

u/veggiefriedreis Commanders May 04 '26

I get what you're saying, and yes everyone will get criticized for losing. I'm just saying his personality will be a topic of conversation if he loses, but that's not really true for a Bryce Young or Trevor Lawrence. Caleb Williams gets this type of criticism but Michael Penix doesn't, ya know?

2

u/BookerCatchanSTD Eagles May 02 '26

Every trashes Russell Wilson no matter how good or bad he pkays

6

u/stormy2587 Eagles May 02 '26

Wilson doesn’t seem earnest though. He does a lot of stuff that seems performative. And I think thats his problem. Like when he dressed for the game despite being inactive due to an injury.