PTI - Could Cousins Start OVER Mendoza Week 1?

Episode Date: April 2, 2026

Mina Kimes and Pablo Torre discuss the Raiders potential QB Room, Jalen Hurts, and the Final Four. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm substitute teacher Pablo Torre, and I hope to earn an A for effort. I mean a times or a B for B team. Who about that? Come on. That hurt to say, right? That hurt to say that you're actually satisfied with a B in any hypothetical word of art.

Especially because, as you know, a B is an Asian F. It's an F. An F minus at this rate. Welcome to PTI, by the way. Mike and Tony are off square dancing. I believe. So I am pleased to be joined by my great friend from NFL Live in the Mina Kimes show featuring Lenny, Meena Kimes. There is that familiar and almost tauntingly strong feedback in favor of my opponent. But we begin today with the Raiders agreeing to terms

with Kirk Cousins, Fidavit. The Falcons cut cousins last month after two seasons. The 37-year-old joins a team coached by Clint Kubiak, who was his quarterback's coach, an offensive coordinator for three seasons with the Vikings. Vegas will also presumably take Heisman trophy, winner and national championship winner Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the upcoming draft, and I know you could not be more excited for that.

Mendoza also had a strong pro day yesterday. So who do you expect to start in week one? I think it could be Kurt Cousins. And I say that, and it's not an indictment on Fernando Mendoza, who I think will be the first overall pick. I think he should be the first overall pick. He is accurate. He is tough.

He is large. But he also hasn't done a lot of the things. things that the Raiders head coach and play caller, Clint Kubiak, wants him to do, which is play under center throw over the middle of the field. Pablo watching Fernando Mendoza's entire season in Indiana, I can count the number of snaps he played under center on one hand. He also threw over the middle of the field at a low rate. That's just not what Indiana asked him to do. It is, however, something that Kurt Cousins has done forever. He did it in Minnesota with Kubiak, and you saw him do it once he returned to health in Atlanta. So to me, it makes

sense to bring him in so that you can onboard Mendoza slowly as he acclimates to the offense and gets him comfortable without forcing the issue. Yeah, first off, I just love that these two guys are together on a depth chart. We're going to fast forward past the draft and just acknowledge the two most linked in athletes in sports history are connecting. They are finally together. It's kind of perfect. And you're right to point out that they're also different despite that basic vibe. I think that if you're trying to protect and raise a young quarterback, which is the hardest thing to do in the NFL, you want him to be the guy who comes in in relief at some point and not the guy who goes out there and then maybe gets relieved by Kirk Cousins. And I'm thinking about

this because I've talked to our friend Alex Smith, number one overall pick before. I've watched. I remember the stories that Peyton Manning expressed what it's like to be thrown out there when the team is bad enough to draft you at number one overall and how it could be that the pressure can be destructive. Well, you made another crucial point there. The team was bad enough to draft Mendoza and the team is improved, but I still have some reservations about the build. They signed the highest paid center, Tyler Linderbaum, great for Mendoza.

But the rest of the offensive line was pretty atrocious last year. And this is not the most dominant group of pass catchers, shall we say. That's one of the worst things for Las Vegas about the Max Crosby trade being undone. They can't get another skill player in the first round because they don't have that pick any more. So that's another reason why I think it makes sense for Mendoza to sit. Not only do you want him to learn the scheme, get comfortable playing at her center, but you also want to make sure that that offensive line isn't going to get him killed. Can I also just ask you whether there's been more of a she's all that style prospect than Fernando Mendoza?

Because the guy, as you point out, it's like the big revelation is like, wow, he's tall and has muscles. And I'm like, did he just take off his glasses for the first time? Like, we're being surprised that this dude is actually a good athlete somehow. He doesn't wear glasses, but spiritually he wears glasses on the field. All right, let's move on to another quarterback, the scrutiny on Jalen Hertz. Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler report that team sources are pointing the finger at Hertz for some of the team's offensive struggles. Specifically, Hertz is criticized for his unwillingness to leave the shotgun to move under center,

another one, his resistance to pre-snap motion, and his reluctance to just let it rip. Pablo, what do you read into this report? Yeah, I'm reading the list of offensive coordinators, play callers that Jalen Hertz has had, and it's six and seven years, right? And so, look, I believe that a report like this indicates that A.J. Brown and his various discontents

and the various controversies that you can hear listening to Sports Talk Radio in Philly all the time, certainly there are a lot of people in the building who are frustrated by Jalen Hertz. But to me, the question is, we just watched the worst Eagles offense under Nick Sariani last season. And if I'm taking anything away from that, it's the fact that this dude maybe should open up his aperture in terms of what he's comfortable with on the field. That's a through line in these topics so far. But he also has been failed by his coaching staff.

And I think that's indisputable too. Yeah. It is an interesting through line, right, talking about these quarterbacks and whether or not they play under center. But the difference, of course, is that for Nana Mendoza, he just wasn't asked to do it. And also most college quarterbacks don't do it. So I think there's reason to believe you can get him to do it in the NFL and he's going to be good at it. We're asked with Jalen Hertz. We have now watched him play in this league for many years with many different coaches.

And while a lot of the issues last season were due to the offensive coordinator, Kevin Petula, who was fired, I do think at this point is undeniable. The guy has his preferences. Now, where I would quibble is with anyone who says because of those preferences, the offense can't be successful. We are only a year removed, right, from this team making it to the zero ball with a very successful offense. I think, though, the lesson from that offense and the times when the Eagles have looked good with Hertz is that it's come with a dominant run game. When the Eagles have a dominant run game, opposing defenses have to bring a safety into the box. Jalen Hertz gets to face the kinds of coverages that he likes to throw at, which is specifically getting one-on-ones outside.

And what happened last year, the Eagles run game also cratered, and there was sort of a cascading effect. So to bring this back to Hertz and what the Eagles needs to do get better, I'm of the belief they can still be successful with him. He is going to be their quarterback moving forward. I just think what we have learned about him over the years is they got to run the football better to create the conditions for him to succeed. Yeah, and I should point out that it's not unfamiliar to have a quarterback who won a Super Bowl, who thinks, amid all of this mediocrity on his coaching staff at the offensive play caller position, that maybe I should be the one to call some of these plays, right?

Like, that's a very ancient trope in the NFL. But, I guess the last thing is we're looking at a contract where there are two years left, I believe, and it becomes a contract that is suddenly hypothetically movable. Do you expect there to be any movement as a result of this conversation about what he's willing to be flexible about himself? I don't.

But this is an organization that made that move before with Carson Wentz, which is to say aggressively moving on from a quarterback. So there's reason to believe when you look at their GM, same GM, Howie Roseman, he will do things and take risks that other GMs won't when it comes to the quarterback position. But for me, you'd have to see some real decline from Hertz, or the offense wouldn't have to improve at all. And I think it will be better this season. Yeah.

We're about 48 hours away, by the way, from tip off of the men's final four getting back to college now. because Illinois faces Yukon in the early game, Michigan and Arizona square off later in the evening. Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo is writing that for the second straight year, the four remaining teams are juggernauts, but that the heavyweight matchups make up for the lack of madness. So, Mina, is this year's final four better or worse for not having a Cinderella or underdog to speak of? Well, it's better for my personal bracket, which is just choosing favorites. But as far as entertainment value goes, I would say it's true. suffered for it in the early part, right?

I mean, there were 21 games thus far with a point margin of 20 or more, which is an NCAA record. The theme of the tournament to this point has been dominance. It's been chalky. Now, the hypothetical benefit of that dominance and those massive

margins of victory is that we actually have the four best teams now and the basketball should be so good that it's all worth it. And I kind of think that's what's going to happen, Pablo, because for me personally, with both of these two games, I have gone back and forth a million times deciding who I think's going to win. The points margins, the odds reflect this. You have a Yukon team that obviously just knocked off Duke with championship pedigree,

going up against an Illinois team that loves to shoot threes and is really good at it. And then on the other side, I do think Michigan, Arizona, are the two best teams. And I truly don't know who's going to win that game. Maybe you can tell me. I don't know if you're confident in your picks. But all I'll say is that does bode well for this Final Four being a classic. Yeah, look, I am the guy who has historically, back on Around the Horn, RIP, I've been historically picking a 16 seat over a one seat at every possible opportunity. You know my bracket is terrible. You know that.

Now, the question of like, am I enjoying this tournament any differently? Like, yeah, I miss that. I miss the underdog. Look, I love Goliath. I just think that Goliath, you don't appreciate even the full value of dominance. If it's not contrasted against a true. underdog. And I'm looking at, you know, I'm looking at my broken bracket. And yeah, like 11-seeded Texas was the closest thing we got. And Texas just happens to be one of the richest schools in America.

So the pageant of college basketball, right? I'm not saying that the product, the games are bad. I think that we're clearly with the four best teams. That is true. I am merely saying that if we want college sports to be different in ways that resemble the true pageantry of little schools in big schools, then we certainly are not getting that anymore because of the economy of NIL and the transfer portal. That's undeniable too. Yeah, especially when you look at these teams and you see players from overseas who chose to play in college, Michigan, Arizona, in particular, because the money is there. And that does lead to this conclusion that we've arrived at where we do have these dominant heavyweights. Yeah, I'm mourning the fact that we, Mina and I are in a group chat

about Asian athletes. There's a kid called Xavier and Lee. He was at Princeton. He transferred to Florida because they were paying him millions of dollars. If you're wondering, why are we in this era in which the market seems more efficient and the tournament is more predictable, it's because stuff like that is happening, which is a complication of college sports. Anyway, there was a bell

at some point back there before I talked about Asian people. It's time for a break probably, but coming up, should we believe in the Lakers title prospects if they beat the thunder tonight? And is Kauai Leonard getting enough credit for the season? He's having on the court, Pablo, on the court.

What's his, wait, how do you pronounce that? It is mail time. I love a game. Here's how it works. You send questions to Mike and Tony. They get answered by me and Mina. I will read the first one if that's okay. If you hear.

All right. Will you believe in the Lakers title prospects if they beat the thunder tonight? Not really. I will believe in the Lakers being competitive. in it being a fun game, but I reminded of this time last year, Pablo, when these teams met in Oklahoma City, the Lakers actually demolished them on the road, and then all the flaws became apparent in the postseason. Now, I do think this Lakers team is better than that team. Over the last 14 games, they've won 13 of them. Lucas is putting up, like, historic offensive

numbers, and crucially, the defense has improved. Before the All-Star break, they were 23rd in defensive rating. Since then, they're all the way up to 12th. The problem is, and this isn't about the Lakers, the thunder have been dominant wire to wire. It's not just a pre-post thing, and they show no signs of slowing up. Now, I do think the Lakers could absolutely win this game, particularly because a fun B-plot is the MVP battle, and Luca Dant is just going to play and show up very motivated to put up a fight. But I'm not going to come out of it suddenly convinced that the Lakers are the better team solely because of one matchup. That's a very rational, data-driven argument.

I agree that the Thunder might be the best run team in pro sports, frankly. And I think I lean your direction in the macro. But to focus in on Luca for a second, it's not merely that the defense is better and the team around him has improved. I mean, you're actually the one person with personal insight into this because when you're at Eastman, the magazine together, you had an assignment to profile Luca Donchich,

and I want you to see what Luca looks like now. because he looks fantastic. But Mina, when he entered the league, what did Luca order for food in front of you? Two orders of nachos at a hard rock cafe in Spain. And I've got to say this. He does look better now than he did at age 819 when I saw him. Your honor.

Your honor, I rest my case. There is a world in which the NBA math can be complicated, also a world in which it's simple. He's one of the greatest players ever. He's in the best shape of his life in an actual way. I think it's closer than I think our brains would like to admit. Our stomachs have a different sense, is all I'm saying. Lakers have a good defense.

The Thunder have a great defense. All right. Peaking of great NBA players, I got an email about another one. Is Kauai Leonard getting enough appreciation for the season he is having on the court? Okay. So I will go off the court immediately just to acknowledge what it is that we're doing here and dancing around, because, yes, I've been asking the question, why was this secret deal that he made with this company called Aspiration, which is now collapsed into bankruptcy and was, I mean, frankly, you know, it's just go, go Google the articles, go Google my podcast to see how it is that Steve Balmer and Kauai Leonard are deeply intertwined in ways that the clippers don't want to admit. All of that is happening over there.

Secret deal, they never announced it. Huh, that's weird. Anyhow, what I've never had questions about is whether Kauai Leonard is the caliber of, player that you might want to circumvent a salary cap for. The dude is incredible. And I've, I've been watching him and I've been frustrated by him as an NBA fan because, of course, he's load managing, because he's so particular. But this season, he's been playing, he's been more than Pete Kauai. He's been a version of himself I didn't think was possible. As a three-point shooter, it's unprecedented. As a general physical specimen, he's banged up

of playing more than he ever has, it feels like. Mina, this is why you do alleged circumvention deals to get quality like this. There is no doubt how incredible he is. He's an MVP candidate. Problem being, there are lots of other MVP candidates this specific season. I think that gets to the core of the question, the actual question, which is he getting enough appreciation? I think he's not, but it's largely because of what you just said, which is,

This is the most stacked MVP field I can remember. I mean, Luca is not even one of the two front runners. And it's fair. It's accurate. And you throw in Jalen Brown as well. Yokic, it's an unbelievable season that some of these stars are having. And it has almost overshadowed the fact that Kauai Leonard at 34 years old is putting up career numbers in points per game, efficiency, true shooting. That end, well, his team's not as good.

So that plays a role in it, too. Yeah, I'm just saying, if you knew this was the Kauai U.S. going to get. Maybe they got them at a discount even. That's all I'm saying, but that's enough mail for now. I've already plugged my podcast. Let's take one. What? What? What? I just want to take one last break. Because when we come back, Mina,

there's an important story. We'll be highlighting the Yankees win over the marriage yesterday. That's funny. I wonder who cares about that story. And Brown's boss, Todd Munkin, has an interesting excuse for missing the league's annual coach's photo. Really, I was hoping we wouldn't do the Mariners story.

Happy time. people. And happy 23rd birthday Pablo Torre. That's right. My namesake. The other Pablo Torre plays soccer for Majorca in La Liga and Mina while he may be younger and arguably slightly more athletic than I am. It is worth noting that he's also shorter at five foot eight. That's right. We do have something in common though. He is known as an attacking midfielder. Well I've been called both attacking and mid often by Clippers fans. I do follow the other Pablo on social media. But as of yet, he does not follow me.

He also approximately has 17 times more Instagram followers than I do, which is an injustice. So please follow me over there at PS Torre as well. I looked him up, impressive young man, 100 international appearances, 20 goals. But Pablo, he has zero Peabody Awards, which is the same number as you. You were just nominated as you like to remind people. He didn't actually win. Yeah. Yeah.

I was a unanimous finalist. very much. Happy anniversary, Jay Cutler. Moving on. God. On this day, 17 years ago, you got dealt from the Broncos to the Bears. The trade included Cutler and a fifth going to Chicago for Kyle Orden to first and a third. Cutler spent eight seasons with the Bears leading them to the 2011 NFC championship game, which he left in the third quarter with an MCL injury as the team lost to Aaron Rogers, former of Mina Kimes house guest, and the Packers. Cutler is still the Bears' all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, which might be less a tribute to him, than a slam on the general history of bear's quarterbacking. And just like there are two Pablo Torres, we want to note here,

there are two notable J Cutlers, the other being the four-time Mr. Olympia. I remember this trade so vividly. I also remember his first start in Chicago. Four interceptions, week one, was sacked 52 times that season, pardon me, which kind of reflects the J-Colter era in Chicago. It wasn't all his fault. That said, that status. about him being the passing leader, incredibly depressing and also revealing as to why Bears fans have so much hope and stakes riding on Caleb Williams. Right, and now I'm imagining Caleb Williams with banks,

which no one should envision. Happy trails, meanwhile, to retirement for Bill Self. The Kansas coach announced last night that he will return to the team for a 24th season. Self without the door open after his team was eliminated from the tournament, saying at the time, quote, I love what I do, I need to be able to do it where I'm feeling good and help

to do it fairly well. I'll get back home and it'll all be discussed." End quote. Well, apparently those discussions went pretty positively. Self has suffered several health issues in recent years, including heart troubles. The 63-year-old has won 855 games. And his college coaching career, which is so many games.

And his winning percentage, Mina at Kansas, nearly 80%. Crazy. Legendary coach, only four years removed, right, from them winning it all. But in the time since then, the team has has not been great. Bounced by St. John's, hasn't made it to Sweet 16, so they do need a turnaround next season.

Truly a self-obsessed happiest. No errors today, though. We're running out of show. Let's go to the big finish. Oh, look, my Yankees. My Yankees just a two of three from your Mariners, Mina. Is that significant? Insofar as the Anguys have a crazy good rotation.

Freed is unbelievable. Schlitter, dangerous on the mound, as it is his name to say on television. Piston Star, Cade Cunningham, will miss at least four more games and fall out of a war. for its consideration. Is that fair? It is tough out there. Yes. All those MVP candidates, he's not among them, certainly not based on the minutes. New Brown's head coach Todd Munkin says he missed the NFL's annual coach's photo

because he was getting a haircut for the coach's photo. Your thoughts? Makes me a little bit worried about his clock management skills. Steph Curry is targeting a Sunday return at home against the Rockets. Is that important? Yes. I'm old enough to remember when Steph Curry was the most entertaining athlete in all the sports. Our last one, Iowa State star Audie Crooks, has entered the transfer portal. Is that a big deal? Huge deal. She is unbelievable.

Scored over 40 points four times last season. Come to UCLA so I can watch you in person, Adi. We are out of time. Enough personal lobbying. Thanks for watching. I'm Pablo Torre. Please check out Pablo Torre finds out, though. We can lobby for that.

I meanikimes. And we're still personal lobbying. You can get my podcast, the Me and Time show featuring Lenny. In all the same places, you can find the PTI podcast.