Why did Tom Brady want the Raiders? Maybe this is why

Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds explores the early impact of Kirk Cousins in leading the Las Vegas Raiders to a surprise unbeaten start through the first two weeks of the season; Cousins starred in Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers as he plays mentor to Fernando Mendoza

As I walked out of Allegiant Stadium in the middle of last November, following the Las Vegas Raiders' miserable home defeat to the Dallas Cowboys, I looked at all the downcast fans trudging away and I thought, why does Tom Brady want to be involved with this?

As many of you know, the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has a top front office job with the Raiders, as well as being a TV commentator, and it's his job to try to build the silver and black back into a contender. But they felt miles away from contention on that night in November.

They'd just lost 33-16 to the Cowboys, Geno Smith was ineffective a quarterback and arguing with fans in the stands, star defensive end Max Crosby was so frustrated at the final gun that he launched his helmet about 40 yards across the field.

That stadium in Las Vegas is nicknamed the Death Star, and as I walked away that night, I was reminded of the very first Star Wars film and thought, like the original Death Star, this thing needs to be blown up. Not the stadium, but the football program.

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Head coach Pete Carroll was in the final throes of his potentially Hall of Fame career, and it's kind of fitting that he was in Las Vegas. It's the place where legendary names go to sell tickets, and I felt like that was what was happening there with the Raiders last year with Pete Carroll at the helm.

But this team is now laying down what seem to be proper foundations. They had the first overall pick in the NFL draft, and they used it well with the obvious selection of Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana.

And then you think, well, that means they're going to throw him into the fire straight away. That's been the way it's been done in the NFL in recent years. There aren't many teams that take a patient approach anymore.

Rookie quarterbacks are thrown to the wolves occasionally. Look at Cam Ward last year with the Tennessee Titans. Beaten from start to finish of the season, then spends the first part of the offseason rehabbing a shoulder injury that he suffered in Week 18.

Kirk Cousins with a rocket to Tre Tucker for a Raiders TD 🚀 LVvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+ Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/YztxEx5znr

The last really patient approach of quarterback that was notable was probably the Kansas City Chiefs resisting the temptation to put Patrick Mahomes in as a rookie, having him sit and learn for a year under an unselfish proven veteran in Alex Smith. And the Raiders have replicated that model, and so far it's worked.

They brought in Kirk Cousins, and the relationship between Cousins and Mendoza is not only endearing and quirky, it's also going to be very valuable.