Raiders TE Mayer Might End Up Like Casper

Las Vegas Raiders rookie TE Michael Mayer has all of the God-given skills, and the work ethic to end up as good as Silver and Black icon Dave Casper.

The Las Vegas Raiders traded up to select tight end Michael Mayer of Notre Dame with the sixth pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame after he had been projected to go in the first round.

Longtime fans of Raider Nation immediately began projecting that Mayer would at least come close to playing like Notre Dame tight end Dave Casper, who the Raiders selected with the 45th pick in the second round of the 1974 NFL Draft.

All Casper did was make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Mayer has started for the Raiders this season, but they have yet to get him completely involved in the offense, as he has only 13 receptions for 159 yards, a 12.2-yard average, without a touchdown in nine games.

However, Mayer has proven to be a valuable blocking asset in the running and passing games, and the Raiders must find out how close he is as a receiver to Casper.

“The Raiders have had so many good tight ends, including Dave Casper, there's no doubt about that,” Mayer said on the rich tradition of Silver and Black tight ends. “They know how to use tight ends. I think I’m going to fit very well within the offense. ... It’s coming in, it’s doing what they’re asking me to do because it’s about winning football games, and that’s what they drafted me to do.

Las Vegas Raiders rookie TE Michael Mayer has all of the God-given skills to be great / © Candice Ward | 2023 Oct 15

“I told my family: “It’s time to get to work.’ As a rookie, it’s time to start playing some ball, getting to know my teammates, making friendships, making those relationships, and focusing on the goal of winning.”

While Mayer is starting as a rookie, the 6-4 240-pound Casper played two seasons as a reserve behind outstanding veteran tight ends Raymond Chester and Bob Moore. When Casper became the starting tight end for the Raiders in 1976, he caught 226 passes for 2,918 yards and 28 touchdowns in the next four seasons.

“Dave Casper was ‘The Ghost,’” Raiders safety Jack Tatum said. “Dave was the whitest white person I had ever seen.”

That led to his memorable 42-yard catch of a pass from quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler in a 1977 divisional playoff game in which the Raiders beat the Baltimore Colts in overtime.

The play became known as “Ghost to the Post.”

In addition, in Super Bowl XI to cap the 1976 season, Casper caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Stabler for the first score of the game, finished with four receptions for 70 yards, and was a key blocker as Clarence Davis, Mark van Eeghen and Pete Banaszak rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

“I think he’s the best tight end in the league,” Stabler said that season. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have. He’s very intelligent and just knows how to get open. He knows how to beat a defensive back one-on-one or find the open spot in a zone.

“He’s so big and strong, he overpowers anybody he goes against, blocking or receiving. If other teams try to double up on (wide receivers) Fred Biletnikoff or Cliff Branch, Casper can kill them.”

Casper, a consensus All-American at Notre Dame, also was a four-time All-Pro selection, played in five Pro Bowls and was selected to the National Football League’s 1970s All-Decades Team.

In 1980, Casper left the Raiders to rejoin Stabler with the Houston Oilers. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings before returning to the Raiders for his final season in the NFL in 1984.

In eight seasons with the Raiders, Casper caught 255 passes for 3,294 yards and 44 touchdowns, and for his 13-year NFL career, he had 378 receptions for 5,216 yards, a 13.8-yard average, and 52 touchdowns.

Raider Nation continues to hope the Silver and Black will get Mayer more involved with the offense, and if they do, he might remind everyone of the great Dave Casper.

The Silver and Black will remain at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to take on the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 8:20 p.m. EST/5:20 p.m. PST.

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