Garoppolo, Mayer Working Hard to Build Rapport
During the offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders traded their star tight end, Darren Waller, to the New York Giants. Las Vegas then invested a second-round draft pick on what many experts thought was the best tight end in the most recent NFL Draft.
Waller's time in Las Vegas and the Raiders decided to spend such a high draft pick on the same position shows that Coach Josh McDaniels and the Raiders value the tight end position.
For Jimmy Garoppolo, getting on the same page with rookie tight end Michael Mayer will be key to the team's success.
Fortunately for the Raiders, McDaniels has coached some of the best tight ends the NFL has seen over the last decade, and Garoppolo's experience is invaluable to the rookie's growth.
"We're just trying to teach him the intricacies," Garoppolo said. "I think the tight end in this offense, there's a lot of little nuances that go unnoticed. Going back to Rob Gronkowski -- Gronk was awesome at it. He knew the plays, he knew what we were trying to do."
"I think Mike, along with the other tight ends, they're all kind of learning that. Once they get that down, we'll be in a good spot. And I think he's done a great job so far. It's tough as a rookie to play that first game, so I was proud of him on Sunday."
While Mayer didn't catch any passes, Garoppolo is still encouraged by what he's seen from Mayer so far. Garoppolo shared that, like with any rookie, Mayer has shown some positive things and some things he can work on.
"He's very physical, very physical; I think that's where it starts, especially with the tight ends," Garoppolo said. "You have to set the tone with those D-ends, does a good job with that. He understands what we're trying to do. Just some of these rookie mistakes, simple things. We all have to fix little things, but no, he has the right attitude for it. It's not easy as a rookie."
The Raiders have a ton of pass-catching options who can be a threat to opposing defenses at any given time. With that being the case, there will be games like last Sunday where Mayer and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow go without many looks. Their value to the offense, however, cannot be understated.
The Silver and Black remain on the road this week as they travel to play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 1:05 p.m. EDT/10:05 a.m. PDT.
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