Las Vegas Raiders TE Michael Mayer
Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Michael Mayer spoke today at training camp, and we have it all for you.
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00:00 (air whooshing)
00:02 - We didn't get a chance to talk to you
00:06 after that first day of pads.
00:08 Kind of saw that you were lined up
00:09 against Max Crosby.
00:10 Felt like it was one of those
00:13 welcome to the NFL moments.
00:14 Was that kind of?
00:15 - It was.
00:16 It was, yeah.
00:17 First day of pads,
00:19 my technique was all over the place.
00:21 I haven't been hitting in, you know,
00:22 four, five, six months.
00:23 And he showed it and I got embarrassed.
00:26 And I think that was definitely my
00:28 welcome to the NFL moment.
00:30 From there, I'm just trying to get better,
00:31 trying to learn from it.
00:33 I've gotten extremely better
00:34 just going against Max in practice every single day.
00:37 He's bringing it.
00:38 I'm trying to bring it as much as I can.
00:39 And I know it's going to help me this season
00:41 and in the long run.
00:42 - Was there an appreciation for,
00:43 I mean, I know that it's tough to go through that,
00:46 but was there an appreciation for it afterwards?
00:47 And did you guys talk about it?
00:49 - No, we didn't talk about it.
00:51 I hope there's an appreciation on his end.
00:53 There is on mine for sure.
00:54 He's making me better every single day I'm out there.
00:57 - You got drafted.
00:58 You talked about going into your last year at Notre Dame,
01:00 you really wanted to emphasize improving as a blocker.
01:03 How has that kind of carried over to the NFL,
01:05 adjusting to, you know, bigger, stronger?
01:06 - Yeah, I'm learning every day.
01:08 I'm learning a lot.
01:09 It's different.
01:10 It's definitely different.
01:11 That's probably the biggest thing I've noticed
01:13 coming from college to the NFL now.
01:16 The blocking technique that you got to have.
01:18 I'm learning it every day.
01:19 I'm improving at it every day.
01:21 And there's a lot I need to get better at
01:22 in terms of that too.
01:23 So that's one of my main focuses right now, for sure.
01:26 - Like when people talk about you,
01:27 they use the word teachable.
01:29 A lot of guys get drafted high there.
01:31 That's not the case.
01:32 Where does that come from?
01:33 Have you always been that way?
01:34 Where's that?
01:36 - I think I grew up that way.
01:37 And I think it's the way I was raised.
01:40 And I think I was also born that way a little bit.
01:42 That's just kind of instilled into me,
01:44 if you know what I mean.
01:46 And so coming to the football field every day,
01:49 since I was three, four, five years old,
01:53 it's always been kind of, what can I get better at?
01:55 What can I learn from?
01:56 What is the coach?
01:57 What is the teacher?
01:58 What are they trying to say to me right now?
02:00 And Coach Jerry's done a great job with that.
02:01 Coach Lombardi and Coach McDaniels have all been there,
02:04 really helping me improve,
02:05 helping me get the offense down.
02:07 That's another whole section category
02:09 that we could talk about,
02:10 is me really trying to get this offense down
02:12 and play as confident as I can out there.
02:14 And so we're getting there.
02:16 - Right, well it sounds like you've hit the ground running
02:19 as a receiver.
02:20 And I know you've said that's something
02:21 that comes more naturally to you.
02:22 What do you think makes you a tough cover out there?
02:25 - I think I use my big body very well.
02:28 I can get into guys, I can burst off of guys.
02:30 I can understand their movements.
02:32 I can understand, is he going to have outside leverage here,
02:34 inside leverage?
02:35 What do I need to do?
02:36 Where do I need to stem?
02:38 Things like that.
02:38 And I could do that very well in college
02:41 because of how much I knew the offense
02:43 and how much I was,
02:44 after the first year of starting there, my freshman year,
02:46 I kind of knew everything the next two years.
02:48 So I could really do what I wanted to do in my route game
02:51 and really understand concepts and things like that.
02:53 So I'm trying to get that down here as much as I can too.
02:56 - When it comes to the blocking end of it,
02:58 still learning the offense.
03:00 And then as a tight end,
03:01 you're blocking everyone from defensive tackles,
03:03 defensive ends, cornerback safeties,
03:05 whatever the case might be.
03:06 The thought process that you have to do pre-snap
03:09 and then deal with whoever you have to deal with.
03:11 Is that a challenge?
03:11 And do you feel like you're getting better at it?
03:13 - A hundred percent.
03:14 A hundred percent.
03:14 It's been a challenge since the first day of camp.
03:17 That's something I'm going into practice every single day,
03:19 trying to get better at.
03:20 Trying not to think so much,
03:21 trying to learn from my mistakes.
03:23 'Cause really the last thing I want to do
03:25 is go out on the line and have to think so much
03:27 to where I'm playing slower than I usually play.
03:31 And so I'm trying to stay away from that
03:32 as much as possible.
03:33 - At Notre Dame, you were the big fish.
03:35 The offense ran through you.
03:37 Here, there's a bunch of stars.
03:39 So you just have to contribute.
03:40 How much does that make you better
03:43 that you don't have to go carry the load?
03:44 You've got a bunch of great players around you.
03:46 - Yeah, I think at the end of the day,
03:47 it's just me coming to the facility every single day
03:50 and trying to play the best ball I can play.
03:53 Do whatever they're asking me to do.
03:56 Come in and improve as much as I can and things like that.
03:59 And for me, everything will work out
04:01 and they know what I can do and I know what I can do.
04:04 So at the end of the day,
04:05 it's about coming in here and trying to improve every day.
04:07 - And nothing comes easily,
04:09 but you said the blocking technique's
04:10 one of the hardest things to adjust to,
04:12 the biggest difference in the NFL.
04:13 You talked about your history as a receiver.
04:16 Has it been a little bit easier?
04:17 Do you think you've picked up on the receiving
04:19 and quicker and why is that?
04:20 (papers rustling)
04:22 - I wouldn't say I've picked up on it quickly.
04:24 I would say there's still a big learning gap
04:26 in the blocking game and in the route game,
04:28 coming to the league.
04:28 With anybody, I feel like anybody would say that.
04:31 But for me at least, in the off season,
04:35 being able to run routes like I want to run routes
04:38 and have quarterbacks throwing me the ball,
04:40 it's a little bit easier than in the off season,
04:41 training for the combine, doing things like that,
04:44 doing a bunch of blocking stuff.
04:45 So therefore I was getting way more work
04:47 with quarterbacks and route running before the combine.
04:50 And after the combine, before I got here
04:51 for camping in the spring.
04:53 So it just came a little bit more naturally.
04:56 - Now that you've had some time in this offense,
04:57 what are the things that you like about it
04:59 in terms of how it uses the tight end?
05:01 - Oh, we do a lot of stuff.
05:02 We got to know a lot of stuff.
05:03 We do a lot of stuff.
05:05 All 11 guys are dependent upon each other.
05:08 So everybody has to know what they're doing.
05:10 If one person messes up, they can screw up the entire play.
05:13 And that starts with the quarterback
05:14 and it goes all the way down.
05:15 So I got to really know what I need to do.
05:19 Every other tight end in the room
05:20 needs to know what they need to do.
05:22 And that's kind of why I love this offense.
05:24 It's very dependent upon everybody.
05:26 So everybody has to know what they're doing.
05:29 - Got a chance to play on Saturday.
05:31 You guys started the game, blocked a little bit,
05:33 caught a pass.
05:34 What was your experience like?
05:35 How did you come out of that game?
05:37 - It was good.
05:37 It was good to get the first one under the belt for sure.
05:40 Had a lot of fun.
05:41 They were a great team.
05:42 It was fun to be out there with Jimmy on that first series.
05:45 But like I've been saying,
05:46 I got my first little action in under me,
05:49 but at this point it's keep improving,
05:51 trying to get as better as I can
05:53 and learn the playbook as much as I can
05:55 and things like that.
05:56 - On the back end of that,
05:58 even though it was just a preseason game,
05:59 was there any nerves going in
06:00 and then you felt like once you made that catch,
06:02 you kind of got settled in a little bit?
06:03 - I think there's always,
06:04 I think after the first play,
06:05 I always settle in pretty well.
06:07 I guess what I've always told people,
06:09 I got nerves for every game.
06:10 That's just kind of how it is.
06:11 I care about playing well.
06:12 I care about the game of football.
06:13 I want to do well for my team and my coaches.
06:15 So I always got nerves going to games
06:17 and even probably coming into practice,
06:19 I got some nerves.
06:19 So once I get out there,
06:21 get that first play,
06:21 second play under my belt,
06:22 I'm kind of just out there playing ball,
06:24 doing what I've been doing my whole life.
06:25 - Michael, Josh has a lot in the playbook to start,
06:29 but he's one of the few coaches in the NFL
06:31 that adds voluminous as a week to week.
06:33 How important is it,
06:34 especially as a rookie,
06:36 to have that down going into the season?
06:38 - It's huge.
06:39 It's huge.
06:40 'Cause you're not going to play if you don't have it down.
06:42 You know what I mean?
06:43 So you got to have it down.
06:45 They're going to demand that you have it down.
06:48 And I'm in the process of that right now.
06:50 And I'm going to get it down.
06:51 I can tell you that.
06:53 - You have a cool family history
06:55 of three guys getting drafted in different sports.
06:57 Are you closer to your cousin?
06:58 And does your granddad have any stories growing up?
07:01 - I am, yeah.
07:02 So we grew up like 10 minutes outside of Cincinnati.
07:04 And my cousin, Luke Mailey,
07:06 he actually plays for the Reds right now,
07:07 which is something that's really, really special.
07:09 He was kind of that older, older brother.
07:11 I got an older brother that's two years older than me,
07:14 but my cousin Luke was like 10 years older than me.
07:17 So he was the one that was really playing sports.
07:19 I was going to all his high school sports
07:20 when I was really young.
07:21 And then he went on to play Kentucky.
07:23 And we actually talk a lot.
07:24 We text back and forth.
07:26 He's kind of helped me out with being a rookie.
07:28 What do you need to do?
07:29 What does it take?
07:30 Things like that.
07:31 'Cause he was in my shoes at one point.
07:32 I know it's different.
07:33 He was in the minor leagues,
07:34 but he's been helping me tremendously through that.
07:37 And, you know, I got a great family.
07:39 I got great friends, great people at home
07:42 that really helped me out all the time.
07:44 Anytime I need it, my mom's great.
07:45 So that's what it's been about for me,
07:48 improving as much as I can playing football
07:50 while, you know, staying connected to my family and friends
07:53 to trying to kind of get me through camp
07:55 and get the season rolling.
07:57 - Michael, how difficult is it to learn all the verbiage
08:01 of Josh's offense?
08:02 I mean, it's one thing to learn a playbook.
08:03 It's another one to learn all the verbiage.
08:05 How difficult is that?
08:07 - It's not easy.
08:08 I mean, I'll just say that straight up.
08:09 I know in college, my offense was very, very simple.
08:12 One, two word things.
08:14 Here, there's a lot more that goes into it.
08:16 There's checks, there's alerts,
08:17 there's things like that, reloads.
08:19 And so it's just about repetition for me,
08:22 really repetition.
08:24 If I fail at it, all right, cool.
08:25 I'm going to go back and do it again until I get it.
08:28 And that's kind of my mindset.
08:29 That's my mentality as of right now.
08:32 We got one more preseason game left.
08:33 And so I'm really trying to wrap my mind around this offense
08:36 and really get it down before the season starts.
08:39 - Obviously you're not the first Notre Dame great tight end
08:42 to wear number 87 for the Raiders.
08:43 I just want to know how many conversations have you had
08:46 with Dave Casper and kind of what's been his advice
08:48 from the time you've been in college
08:49 and now being with the Raiders?
08:50 - Yeah, in the spring, when we had that alumni dinner,
08:53 when all the players came back,
08:55 me and Dave sat by each other at the same table.
08:57 We had conversations for hours about football,
09:00 about life, about everything.
09:01 Since he played, the game of football
09:04 has evolved tremendously.
09:05 So he was asking tons of questions on
09:07 why do you guys do this?
09:08 Why do you do that?
09:09 We did this back then, we did that back then,
09:11 and that worked for us.
09:12 So we were kind of walking through that.
09:13 We were explaining to each other
09:15 why we kind of do some of the things we do.
09:17 But he's a great contact to have,
09:19 and I'll be able to hit him up.
09:20 And I know if he wants to talk,
09:22 he'll be able to hit me up too.
09:24 - Michael, when you have the amount of success
09:25 that you had in college,
09:27 obviously you're going to get a lot of attention.
09:29 Going to the draft,
09:30 there was talk of you maybe being the first tight end.
09:32 When two guys get picked in front of you,
09:34 is that something that motivates you?
09:34 Are you going to measure yourself against them?
09:36 Or you get to play both of them this year too?
09:38 - No, it's not something that I think about every day
09:40 that I try to motivate myself.
09:43 Look, I would come here and do the same thing
09:44 if I was the fifth tight end taken,
09:46 or if I was the first.
09:47 That's just kind of how I'm wired.
09:48 That's how I am.
09:49 I like to focus on myself,
09:51 focus on what I can do to improve.
09:54 That sort of thing is just kind of out of my control.
09:56 That's not anything I put any thought to.
09:59 You know, was I a little mad the draft night?
10:01 Maybe, but the next day I woke up,
10:03 got drafted by a great organization,
10:04 and now I'm here in a great offense with a great coach.
10:08 And we're just trying to get better every day.
10:11 - You said you didn't talk,
10:12 you and Max didn't talk after that first day of pads,
10:14 but he shared some really high praise for you.
10:16 So I'm guessing you got to know him a little bit.
10:18 What's that relationship like?
10:20 What's it been like getting to know him?
10:21 - He's the biggest routine guy
10:23 that I've ever met in my entire life.
10:25 And I think that sets an example for me
10:27 and the entire rookie class,
10:28 and honestly the entire team.
10:31 That dude, he's eating healthy every single day.
10:34 I know I get in here early.
10:35 He's in here early with me every single day.
10:37 He's in here late with me every single day.
10:38 Like that's somebody that you really want to follow.
10:42 You want to be behind when he's leading,
10:45 'cause you know he's going to lead the right way
10:46 and do the right things.
10:48 So it's somebody that I've really tried to look upon
10:52 what he's doing on his everyday routine schedule
10:55 and try to mimic, you know, does this work for me?
10:57 Does that work for me?
10:58 But he's been great since the first day I got here.
11:01 I remember the second I got drafted,
11:02 he DM'd me and said, "Congratulations, man, let's go."
11:06 And you know, I said hi to him the first day we were here
11:09 and it's been good.
11:09 And we're going to have battles all season long, probably.
11:13 - Have you been able to wrap your head around
11:14 catching the ball from a Purdue guy, Aiden O'Connell?
11:17 And what are your thoughts
11:18 about your fellow rookie quarterback?
11:21 - Yeah.
11:22 First of all, yeah, we played Purdue at home two years ago.
11:27 I think Aiden played a little bit that game.
11:28 So we all joke about that
11:29 'cause we beat him up pretty good.
11:31 But he's been great.
11:32 I've been very impressed with Aiden.
11:34 His composure is something
11:36 that I've never really seen before
11:38 in a rookie that just got here.
11:40 He's got great composure.
11:41 He's got great control.
11:42 When you're in the huddle with him,
11:43 you can hear him clearly.
11:45 You know what he's saying.
11:47 And he's got that confidence in his voice
11:48 and that confidence in the way he's standing
11:51 and being in the huddle that, you know,
11:53 we're going to make this thing work.
11:54 This is our play.
11:55 This is what we're doing right here.
11:56 Focus right now.
11:57 Do the best on this play you can.
11:59 And he doesn't panic.
12:01 He could throw a pick.
12:02 He doesn't panic.
12:03 And that's what I love about him.
12:05 That's what you really want out of a quarterback too.
12:08 - All right. Thank you guys.
12:09 - Thank you.