From Raiders Training Camp: TE Michael Mayer

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer spoke today after training camp, and we have it all for you.

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders are in their fifth week of training camp, and with one preseason game left this weekend, the intensity is ramping up.

Tight end Michael Mayer spoke today after practice, and we have it all for you. You can watch the entire press conference and read the transcript below:

Darrell Craig Harris, Raiders Today

Tight End Michael Mayer 

Q: We didn't get a chance to talk to you that first day in pads, kind of saw that you were lined up against Maxx Crosby. It felt like it was one of those "welcome to the NFL" moments? 

Mayer: "It was. First day of pads; my technique was all over the place. I hadn't been hit in four, five, six months. And he showed it and I got embarrassed. And I think that was definitely my 'welcome to the NFL moment.' From there, I'm just trying to get better, trying to learn from it. I've gotten extremely better just going against Maxx in practice every single day. He's bringing it, I'm trying to bring in as much as I can, and I know it's going to help me this season and in the long run." 

Q: Was there an appreciation for it afterward and could you guys talk about it? 

Mayer: "No, we didn't talk about it. I hope there's an appreciation on his end, there is on mine for sure. He's making me better every single day I'm out there." 

Q: Back when you got drafted, you talked about going into your last year at Notre Dame you really wanted to emphasize improvement as a blocker. How has that kind of carried over to the NFL adjusting to bigger, stronger players? 

Mayer: "I'm learning every day. I'm learning a lot. It's different. It's definitely different. That's probably the biggest thing I've noticed coming from college to the NFL now, the blocking technique that you've got to have. I'm learning every day, I'm improving at it every day, and there's a lot I need to get better at in terms of that, too. So, that's one of my main focuses right now, for sure." 

Q: When people talk about you, they use the word "teachable." A lot of guys get drafted and that's not the case. Where does that come from in you, have you always been that way? 

Mayer: "I think I grew up that way and I think it's the way I was raised. And I think I was also born that way a little bit. That's just kind of instilled into me if you know what I mean. And so, coming to the football field every day since I was three, four or five years old, it's always been kind of been, 'What can I get better at? What can I learn from? What is the coach, the teacher, what are they trying to say to me right now?' And Coach Jerry [Schuplinski] has done a great job with that. Coach [Mick] Lombardi, Coach [Josh] McDaniels have all been there, really helping me improve, helping me get the offense down. That's another whole category that we could talk about is me really trying to get this offense down and play as confident as I can out there. And so, we're getting there." 

Q: It seems like you've hit the ground running as a receiver and I know you said that's something that comes more naturally to you. What do you think makes you a tough cover out there? 

Mayer: "I think I use my big body very well. I can get into guys, I can burst off of guys, I can understand their movements. I can understand, 'Is he going to have outside leverage here, inside leverage? What do I need to do? Where do I need to stem?' I could do that very well in college because of how much I knew the offense. After the first year of starting there, my freshman year, I kind of knew everything the next two years, so I could really do what I wanted to do in my route game and really understand concepts and things like that. So, I'm trying to get that down here as much as I can, too." 

Q: When it comes to blocking as a tight end, you're blocking everyone from defensive tackles, defensive ends, cornerbacks and safeties. The thought process that you have to do pre-snap and then deal with whoever you have to deal with, is that a challenge and do you feel like you're getting better at it? 

Mayer: "100 percent. It's been a challenge since the first day of camp. That's something I'm going into practice every single day trying to get better at. I try not to think so much, trying to learn from my mistakes. Because really, the last thing I want to do is go out on the line and have to think so much to where I'm playing slower than I usually play. And so, I'm trying to stay away from that as much as possible." 

Q: At Notre Dame, the offense ran through you. Here, there's a bunch of stars and you just have to contribute. How much does that make you better that you don't have to go carry the load and you've got a bunch of great players around you?
Mayer: "I think at the end of the day, it's just me coming to the facility every single day and trying to play the best ball I can play. Do whatever they're asking me to do, come in and improve as much as I can and things like that and everything will work out. They know what I can do, and I know what I can do. So, at the end of the day, it's about coming here and trying to improve every day." 

Q: Nothing comes easily, but you said the blocking techniques were one of the hardest things to adjust to in the NFL. You talked about your history as a receiver. Do you think you've picked up on the receiving end quicker and why is that? 

Mayer: "I wouldn't say I picked up on it quickly. I would say there's still a big learning gap in the blocking game and in the route game coming to the league. I feel like anybody would say that. But for me, in the offseason, being able to run routes like I want to run routes and have quarterbacks throwing me the ball, it's a little bit easier than training for the combine and doing a bunch of blocking stuff. So, I was getting way more work with quarterbacks and route running before the combine and after the combine before I got here for camp and in the spring. So, it just came a little bit more naturally." 

Q: Now that you've had some time in this offense, what are the things you like about it in terms of how it uses the tight end? 

Mayer: "Oh, we do a lot of stuff. We've got to know a lot of stuff; we do a lot of stuff. All 11 guys are dependent upon each other, so everybody has to know what they're doing. If one person messes up, they can screw up the entire play. And that starts with the quarterback, and it goes all the way down. So, I've got to really know what I need to do. Every other tight end in the room needs to know what they need to do. And that's kind of why I love this offense, it's very dependent upon everybody. Everybody has to know what they're doing." 

Q: You got the chance to play on Saturday, you started the game, blocked a little bit, caught a pass. What was your experience like? 

Mayer: "It was good. It was good to get the first one under the belt, for sure. I had a lot of fun. They were a great team. It was fun to be out there with Jimmy [Garoppolo] on that first series. But like I've been saying, I've got my first little action under me, but at this point it's keep improving, trying to get as better as I can and learn the playbook as much as I can, and things like that." 

Q: Even though it's just a preseason game, were there any nerves going in and then you felt like once you made that catch you kind of got settled a little bit? 

Mayer: "I think after the first play I always settle in pretty well, like that’s what I've always told people. I got nerves for every game, that's just kind of how it is. I care about playing well. I care about the game of football. I want to do well for my team and my coaches, so I always got nerves going into games and even probably coming into practice I got some nerves. So, once I get out there and get that first play, second play under my belt, I'm kind of just out there playing ball doing I've been doing my whole life.” 

Q: Coach McDaniels has a lot in the playbook to start the season and adds things week to week. How important is it, especially as a rookie, to have that down going into the season? 

Mayer: "It's huge. Because you're not going to play if you don't have it down, you know what I mean? So, you got to have it down. They're going to demand that you have it down, and I'm in the process of that right now. And I'm going to get it down, I can tell you that.” 

Q: You have a cool family history of three guys getting drafted into pro sports. Are you close to your cousin and did you have any stories growing up? 

Mayer: "I am, yeah. So, we grew up like 10 minutes outside of Cincinnati. My cousin, Luke Maile, actually plays for the Reds right now, which is something that's really, really special. He was kind of that older, older brother. I got an older brother that's two years older than me, but my cousin Luke was like 10 years older than me, so he was the one that was really playing sports. I was going to all his high school sports when I was really young and then he went on to play Kentucky. We actually talk a lot; we text back and forth. He has kind of helped me out with being a rookie -- What do you need to do? What does it take? He was in my shoes at one point. I know it's different and he was in the minor leagues, but he's been helping me tremendously through that. I've got a great family. I've got great friends, great people at home who really helped me out all the time. My Mom's great. So, that's what it's been about for me improving as much as I can playing football, while you know staying connected to my family and friends to try to kind of get me through camp and get the season rolling.” 

Q: How difficult is it to learn all the verbiage of this offense? 

Mayer: "It's not easy. I mean, I'll just say that straight up. I know in college, my offense was very, very simple. One, two-word things. Here, there is a lot more that goes into it. There’s checks, there's alerts, there's things like that, reloads, and so it's just about repetition for me. Really repetition, if I fail at it, alright cool, I'm going to go back and do it again until I get it. And that's kind of my mindset. That's my mentality as of right now. We got one more preseason game left and so I'm really trying to wrap my mind around this offense and really get it down before the season starts.” 

Q:Obviously, you're not the first Notre Dame tight end to wear No. 87 for the Raiders. How many conversations have you had with Dave Casper and what's been his advice? 

Mayer: "Yeah, in the spring, when we had that alumni dinner and all the players came back, me and Dave sat by each other at the same table. We had conversations for hours about football, about life, about everything. Since he played, the game of football has evolved tremendously. So, he was asking tons of questions on why do you guys do this? Why do you do that? We did this back then; we did that back then, and that worked for us. So, we were kind of walking through that. We were explaining to each other why we kind of do some of the things we do. But he's a great contact to have and I'll be able to hit him up and I know if he wants to talk, he’ll be able to hit me up too.” 

 Q: When you have the amount of success that you've had in college, obviously you're going to get a lot of attention going into the draft. There was a lot of talk about you being the first tight end. When two guys get picked in front of you, is that something that motivates you? Are you going to measure yourself against them? 

Mayer: "No, it's not something that I think about every day to try to motivate myself. Look, I would come here and do the same thing if I was the fifth tight end taken, or if I was the first, that's just kind of how I'm wired. That's how I am. I like to focus on myself, focus on what I can do to improve. That sort of thing is just kind of out of my control. That's not anything I put any thought to. You know, was I a little mad? Draft night, maybe, but the next day I woke up, got drafted by a great organization and now I'm here in a great offense with a great coach and we're just trying to get better every day.” 

Q: You said you and Maxx (Crosby) didn't talk after that first day of pads, but he shared with us some really high praise for you. So, I'm guessing you got to know him a little bit. What's that relationship been like? 

Mayer: "He's the biggest routine guy that I've ever met in my entire life, and I think that sets the example for me and the entire rookie class and honestly the entire team. That dude, he's eating healthy every single day. I know I get in here early, he's in here early with me every single day. He's in here late with me every single day. Like, that's somebody that you really want to follow, you want to be behind when he's leading because you know he's going to lead the right way and do the right things. So, it's somebody that I've really tried to look upon what he's doing on his everyday routine schedule and try to mimic, does this work for me? Does that work for me? But he's been great since the first day I got here. I remember the second I got drafted he DM-ed and said:Congratulations, man. Let's go!’ I said 'Hi" to him the first day here and it's been good, and we're going to have battles all season long.” 

Q: What are your thoughts about your fellow rookie Aidan O’Connell? 

Mayer: "First of all, yeah, we played Purdue at home two years ago. I think Aidan played a little bit that game, and we always joke about that because we beat them up pretty good. But he's been great. I've been very impressed with him. His composure is something that I've never really seen before and in a rookie that just got here. He's got great composure. He's got great control when you're in the huddle with him. You can hear him clearly, you know what he's saying, and he's got that confidence in his voice and that confidence in the way he's standing and being in the huddle that you know we're going to make this thing work. This is our play, this is what we're doing right here, focus right now, do the best on this play you can. And he doesn't panic. He could throw a pick, he doesn't panic. And that's what I love about him and that's what you really want out of a quarterback too.” 

The Silver and Black return to preseason action when they play the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.