Mendoza's pick-six shows Raiders QB race far from settled

In the long tradition of young quarterbacks learning the weight of professional football through hard experience, Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza faced one of the game's oldest lessons Thursday night — that talent alone does not yet equal readiness. His pick-six against Houston in a preseason contest his team still managed to win has left coach Klint Kubiak unwilling to name a Week 1 starter, a deliberate pause that speaks to both the uncertainty surrounding Mendoza and the seriousness with which Las Vegas approaches the question of who leads them into the season that matters.