Las Vegas Raiders TE Coach Luke Steckel from OTAs

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders are riding a wave of optimism under Antonio Pierce's leadership, and as they barrel towards training camp, OTA season is well underway.

Las Vegas Raiders tight ends coach Luke Steckel spoke from OTAs, about what many think is the best TE room in the NFL.

For your convenience, you can watch the entire press conference below or read the full transcript, allowing you to engage with the content in the way that best suits you.

Tight Ends Coach Luke Steckel

Q: Michael Mayer was on the roster and then you added Brock Bowers to the mix. I'm sure you were pretty happy, but how do you go about kind of marrying those two players together? Coach Steckel: “Yeah, it's probably not an answer we give in the spring, a lot of that stuff will be determined on a game-by-game basis. The number one quality of great coaches is great players. And I'm very fortunate because I got some great players in our room and being able to use the skill sets of both those guys because I think they match well off of each other. And really, it's all the way down to one through six. We got six great tight ends in our room, and they all have a versatile skill set, so it's just going to be on a week-to-week basis, how can we use them best to attack what the defense is showing on film. But it's nice when you have guys that have that versatility. Mike can do a lot of things. Brock can do a lot of things. The rest of the tight ends have a very defined and versatile skill set, so I'm excited once we do get to the season of seeing how we can pair those guys and work through it, but yeah, excited to have both those guys in our room.”

Q: You were an assistant o-line coach with the Bears last year. I know you had coached tight ends before, but what kind of went into that transition and how does that kind of help you now? Coach Steckel: “I've been real fortunate in my career to work in every position room on offense. The offensive line was kind of the last one to check off on the list and got an opportunity to work in that room last year and it really is a different world. It's a different perspective. Those five big guys up front, the way they approach the game and the reads and calls they have to make on every single play is a lot different from the skill positions, and I think it made me a better coach. It expanded my vision of what offenses are looking to do to attack a defense, and it gave me a better appreciation for what those guys do up front. Chris Morgan is the offensive line coach in Chicago, and he's been in this league a long time and has a great reputation. And I was very fortunate to learn under him for a year and I hopefully can take what I learned last year and apply that to some of the stuff we do as tight ends in the run game, knowing how we help out in protection and where the o-line might have issues or where they need our help. It's really widened my perspective and given me a better appreciation for how everyone's tied together.

Q: I know we put a lot of attention on tight ends as receivers nowadays, especially how the game is changing, but blocking is still obviously a pivotal task for them. What goes into sharpening your skills blocking? Coach Steckel: “I mean, first things first, I tell our guys they're going to earn all their opportunities in the pass game by blocking in the run game. So, that might be an old school mentality. That's kind of my approach, is tight ends are blockers first, and then when we can go make plays in the pass game that's just icing on the cake. So, that's stuff we're going to work on, especially this time of year. There's no pads on. We're trying to take the physicality out of OTAs and we don't want anyone getting hurt or having any big collisions on the field. So, that is stuff we will try to work in individual a lot and really fine tune our footwork, our hand placement, our pad level, and it's really things I got to emphasize as a coach in our individual periods this time of year before we're able to put the pads on in training camp and ramp up the physicality and actually block NFL players on the other side of the ball.”

Q: We talked to Michael Mayer last week and he told us how excited and fired up he was to be here and be part of this, and he was learning the new offense and felt like it was a little simpler than it was lastseason. What have you seen from him in particular that gets you excited about what he could bring to the table? Coach Steckel: “Oh man, I mean, how much time you got? Mike Mayer has been outstanding. Like I cannot say enough good things about Mike Mayer, his professional approach for a guy that's only in his second year. He's got me and everyone else fooled. I mean, the leadership he's shown in the room, the energy he brings every day. He's an incredible teammate. He's encouraging his fellow teammates, his fellow tight ends, the entire offense. I mean, I can't say enough good things. He's been absolutely outstanding. I had really high expectations because of his reputation as a player and as a person before I got here, and he's exceeded all of those. I mean, if there's a fan club, I'm the president of the Mike Mayer fan club. He's been outstanding. It's been a real pleasure being able to coach him because he's eager to learn. As you mentioned, we're still all in this learning process. We're trying to lay the foundation right now in OTAs. You're not going to win any games in April or May, but you're building that foundation to win games. Mike's been outstanding. You know, I'm happy to hear that he finds it simpler. And I don't know what previous offenses he’s been in were like, but it's our job as coaches to make the complicated simple. So, if it's feeling simple to him, hopefully that means us as a coaching staff are doing something right. But we're going to continue to build, our installs are in the infancy stage right now. We're going to keep building on those and there's a lot more of the playbook coming his way and coming all of our ways. But we got to get him processing, all our guys, the faster they can process the faster they can play. And I've already seen some of those steps being taken, so excited about the progress Mike's made and the entire tight end room.”

Q: For you personally, coaching is obviously in your blood. Is it something you always wanted to do? I know you’ve dabbled in some other things after college, but is coaching something that was always drawing you? Coach Steckel: “Yeah ,the short answer is I don't know any better. When I graduated from college, I kind of thought to myself there's got to be something else out there, so I kind of dabbled in some stuff and took about a year, year and a half to see if there was anything out there that I had the same passion for, the same energy and enthusiasm for, and the answer was no. I got into coaching several years after my father had finished his career, but I was lucky to get my foot in the door with him being out of the league for so long. And I’ve just been trying to carve out my own role in every building I've been in. We got a really, really special job. We're so fortunate. We're so blessed. I walk through these doors every day and feel like the luckiest guy in the world. And when you work with people that we have in this building, the coaches, the support staff, our front office, and most importantly the players, it makes a great job even better. Been really fortunate. It is in my blood as you mentioned, my dad was a coach, my uncle was a coach, and they're two of the best coaches and best men I've ever known. Growing up I used to say, if I got to live in his shadow, I'm going to enjoy the shade because it's a nice shade to enjoy. Been very fortunate and hopefully I can do this for as long as we'll have me around.”

Q: When you found your way back to coaching, you probably had a conversation with your dad. What was his advice to you? Was he positive about it, or was he trying to steer you away from coaching? Coach Steckel: “Oh, absolutely. I mean, we both have the game of football to thank for a roof over our heads our entire lives. And since he started his career, the two messages he always passed along is, number one, there's no substitute for hard work. There's no cutting corners. There's no easy way. If there was, we'd all take it, and the ones that do usually end up failing. There's no substitute for hard work. And then the thing that he really imparted upon me was the relationships in this business. It’s an intense job. We're very fortunate to do what we do. And there's a lot of people that do things out there in the world that are far more important than what we do. But it's an intense job. You go through the highs and the lows of a football season and through those short time periods, you can build some pretty significant relationships with your fellow coaches and with your players. And that was always something I saw from him having the players over the house for a cookout, calling them on their birthdays, calling to congratulate them when they've had a child or whatever the case may be, and that's important to me. And that's what I told the players when I first got here, the two most important things to me and the only two reasons why I wanted to get into coaching was to win a championship and build meaningful relationships. And I think I think we're starting to do that with the tight ends in our room and I hope they see me as someone they can come to with any issue, football or otherwise. I really put a premium on those relationships because it's why I do this and it's why I love it.”

Q: In terms of looking at Brock Bowers, for a rookie he seems pretty polished from what I've seen on the field. What excites you most about working with a player like Brock so far?? Coach Steckel: “Well, first and foremost, I have to say I'm surprised it took this long to get to Brock Bowers. I thought that was going to be like the first five questions. Brock, he's a football player. He's obviously a very accomplished player, accomplished a lot at the collegiate level. He's made of the right stuff. He's tough. He's smart. He works hard. He comes in with the mentality of trying to get better and improve every single day. So, when we drafted him, of course as the tight ends coach, I was through the roof excited. But he's still a rookie and he understands that. It's not a guy you have to bring in and explain to them, ‘Hey, everything you accomplished in college means nothing.’ Because he understands that and that's the approach he's taking every day. He's trying to define himself as a professional football player now, but obviously he's got a unique skill set. He's a very talented player, but what means the most to me are the intangibles he has. The toughness. I talked about, the intelligence, the work ethic. He's just a pleasure to coach. I'm very fortunate to have him in our room.”

Q: The role of tight ends obviously has evolved a lot over the years and especially with a guy like him who can play so many places. How does it change your job when you’re coaching a guy that can do so many different things? Coach Steckel: “It goes back to that versatility I was talking about. A lot of tight end rooms, you might not be spending time on certain routes in the pass game because you might not have guys with the skill set to go execute certain routes in our route tree. But he's certainly a guy, and he's definitely not the only one in our room that you can line up in the slot, you can line him up out wide and you can use him in a variety ways. And that's something we work through as a coaching staff, where can we put our players in the best position to succeed? Right now, we're throwing a lot against the wall and we're trying to figure out what sticks. So, that's for Brock personally, but that's for us as an offense as a whole. That's what this part of the year is about. It's about installing your playbook, figuring out what we're good at, what we're not, what Brock's good at, what he's not, and vice versa for all of our players. So really once we get that figured out, when you define a role for everybody, that's when you really start to take off.”

Q: With Brock and Michael in the tight end room, how much of it is the two competing against each other for reps but also realizing that they can be a dynamic duo together on the field? Coach Steckel: “We're going to compete at everything we do, and that's within the room, that's within our teammates and other skill positions. And that's obviously against everyone in this league. Going back, I mentioned this about Brock, Mike's no different and it's the same for Zach Gentry and Harrison Bryant and Cole Fotheringham and John Shenker. They're all made of the right stuff. I am so fortunate to have the guys that we have in our room because they work hard, they play hard. They're extremely intelligent. They're very talented. So, those two guys, are they competing every day with each other? Absolutely. That's the expectation we have for them, but you wouldn't know that by watching how they interact. They're extremely encouraging of each other. I talked about Mike being a great teammate. That's something I preach in our room, is we got to be the best teammates on the team. And I've seen that from all of our guys, encouraging, helping out. Brock's not saying a whole lot right now. He understands his role. He's a rookie, he's in the position of taking advice rather than giving it right now, but when he does see something, I think he's confident enough to speak up. To watch the interaction between those two specifically, and really the entire room, has been really encouraging.”

Q: You talked about growing up in a coaching family. What impresses you most about Antonio Pierce’s leadership? Coach Steckel: “Oh, absolutely. I mean, he's another guy. Like I said, how much time do we have? I didn't know AP prior to getting this job. We spent some time on the phone getting to know each other before I accepted the job and jumped at the opportunity. As soon as he offered, I didn't let him finish the sentence. I was all in. I can't say enough good things about him. Obviously, he's got a storied career as a player. He's an accomplished coach. His leadership, he's a leader of men, and I've heard him described that way by a number of people, but until you're in the building to see it firsthand, you probably don't truly appreciate it. But all of us, coaches, players, we're following his lead. He's the captain of this ship. And he's leading by example with his work ethic, with his attitude, with his approach, with his energy. And it's really been a blessing to work for him. Can't say enough good things about AP.”

Q: When Davante and Maxx were talking last week about trying to pick a starting five for a basketball team, they mentioned Cole Fotheringham, and I think a lot of people were surprised. Does he have that athleticism? Have you kind of seen that in him? Coach Steckel: “Cole is a great athlete. I've never seen him on the basketball court. I know one thing about NFL players, they all think they're better at basketball than they actually are. But I've never seen Cole out there hooping, but I'll take them for their word. He's a great athlete. He's another guy, not to be repetitive, but the versatility. I trust Cole in the run game, I trust him in the pass game. There's a lot of different things we do with tight ends, moving around, putting them up different parts of the formation, and he's really responded. He's had a great offseason so far and his athletic ability is definitely showing up on the football field. As for the basketball court, you'll have to ask those other guys.”

Q: I know you've talked about how cool it is to work with AP, but what about having Marvin Lewis around? What have you learned from him? Coach Steckel: “Talk about a guy who's just filled with so much wisdom and has been in this league and has so much experience. A lot of times you get the opportunity to ask them questions and a lot of times you get the opportunity just to sit back and observe and just to watch the way he carries himself and how he's helped out everyone on the coaching staff from AP all the way down. His presence in the building is definitely felt, and he's another guy whose reputation obviously precedes him. So, when he walks into this building, everyone is kind of watching him and following his example to some extent, and when he opens his mouth to say something we're all listening. So, I've certainly learned a lot from Coach Lewis and we're really grateful he's here.

Q: How have the tight end group and QB group meshed so far? Coach Steckel: “Yeah, I think it's gone really well. One thing I tell our tight ends is anything those guys in the red jerseys tell them trump's whatever I have to say. As long as they're on the same page with those guys, we're going to be all right at the end of the day. You can see those guys starting to build some camaraderie, the relationship in the pass game, quarterbacks explaining to our guys and the receivers, ‘Hey, here's what I'm expecting on this route or this pass concept.’ The tight ends and receivers communicating back to them, ‘Hey, here's the coverage look I saw.’ That communication is so critical. And at the end of the day, us coaches will never be out there taking a single snap, so whatever the quarterback sees or whatever the quarterback expects, okay, it's up to our other skill players to be on the same page with him and I think they're taking good strides towards building that relationship.”