Not every team has a player as accomplished as Tom Brady around to ask questions whenever something arises. In fact, no other team has that but the Raiders. The minority team owner was seen around the facility and at practices quite a bit throughout training camp. And even when he's not here physically, he has made himself available for advice and consultation. Something the Raiders quarterbacks have found especially helpful.
“I've really enjoyed having him as a resource," said veteran starter Kirk Cousins. "I mean, when I first got here, I was like, ‘Wait, so, like, I can just text him, and he'll give me 23 years of pro football experience? You know, he'll text me back?’ And they're like, ‘Yeah.’
"He made himself very available, and it's been
unbelievable. To be sitting in a meeting with Fernando [Mendoza] and Aidan [O'Connell] and saying, ‘Why don't we just ask Tom what he would do?’ And sometimes you're like, ‘Is he gonna get back to us in a day or two?’ And many times it's two minutes and we've got a response. So, that's been a joy to have as a resource."
It's one thing for a young player to beam at the thought of having a legend like Tom Brady to lean on. It's another for a 15-year veteran like Cousins to be amazed by it. A player whose career overlapped Brady's by eleven years. Though Cousins certainly has never seen the heights that Brady saw in his career and thus can still gain something from his perspective.
"Certainly, you can learn a lot from him that's new to you," Cousins continued. "But there's also sometimes some affirmation where you say, ‘okay, I'm not crazy.’ This was what my gut told me was the way to do it, but the fact that he's saying that's the way he did it, now I have a little bit more conviction and confidence in what felt right. Now I know it's right, because I know that it worked for him too. So, I think that helps as well.”
While there were a lot of questions about Kirk coming in to mentor Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders have been adamant that he is not here to mentor, he's here to compete. That has turned out to be the case. While the mentor of the group looks to be Brady. And you can't really ask for a more proven mentor than a seven-time Super Bowl winning, three-time MVP, and future first ballot Hall of Famer.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 'Just ask Tom!': Raiders QBs amazed at how available Tom Brady has been
