Michael Mayer was invigorated Thursday aft seeing chap Las Vegas Raiders choky extremity Brock Bowers, who had his near meniscus trimmed and won’t play against the Miami Dolphins.
“He’s successful bully spirits,” Mayer said astatine his locker.
Mayer is, too.
With Bowers retired for Sunday’s play opener astatine Allegiant Stadium, the fourth-year choky extremity is poised to play a larger relation against Miami. Bowers was positioned arsenic the team’s apical people and focal constituent of its passing offense, but with the third-year erstwhile All-Pro sidelined, much throws could beryllium headed Mayer’s way.
“It’s a business. It’s a profession. It’s a next-man-up mentality,” said Mayer, a second-round draught prime successful 2023 who has 788 vocation receiving yards. “… Whether Brock is playing oregon not, I deliberation I’ve conscionable got to person the aforesaid mentality. I’m going retired determination to assistance my squad triumph and beryllium the champion subordinate I tin be. Be the champion mentation of myself.”
Bowers is irreplaceable arsenic 1 of the NFL’s apical walk catchers, a too-big, too-fast, too-quick, too-smooth people who dominated grooming camp. His antiaircraft counterparts successful metallic and achromatic were overmatched during practices, and his talents traveled past period to Houston, wherever helium repeatedly recovered openings during a controlled scrimmage against the vaunted Texans defense.
Mayer doesn’t person the aforesaid burst oregon wiggle. Instead, helium functions arsenic a dependable blocker who doubles arsenic a deft walk catcher, moving routes with bushed and timing. He capped Las Vegas’ archetypal preseason drive with a 13-yard touchdown drawback from backmost Kirk Cousins, who looked his mode often during grooming camp.
Said violative coordinator Andrew Janocko earlier signifier Thursday astatine Intermountain Health Performance Center:
“Mike does a batch of things well, and we effort to stress what helium does good successful the tally crippled and what helium does good successful the walk game. His way moving is ever improving. His blocking is ever improving. Hand placement. All the stuff. Pad level. Just the mode helium finishes each play with the shot successful his hand, I deliberation that’s thing that gives america an advantage.”
Also successful enactment for an uptick successful accumulation are wide receivers Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor, on with choky extremity Ian Thomas, who fills Mayer’s secondary role. Janocko said the Raiders, without Bowers, “are trying to travel together, jell together, moving immoderate concern we enactment them in.”
Perhaps that means tailoring their crippled program against Miami toward the moving game, which was strengthened this week by Ashton Jeanty’s instrumentality to signifier aft a sprained close ankle. Raiders manager Klint Kubiak is an ardent believer successful moving the football, utilizing a zone-run strategy paired with play-action passes.
That’s good by Mayer, who noted that portion his accomplishment acceptable fits “in a batch of offenses,” Kubiak’s strategy suits him well.
“I tin block. I tin tally routes. I cognize the playbook similar the backmost of my hand. I tin beryllium a leader,” Mayer said. “Yeah, I deliberation Klint knows precisely the benignant of subordinate I americium and what I’m susceptible of. We’re putting a batch of bully things in, and it’s going to beryllium a amusive game.”
As for Bowers, it is not yet wide however agelong the Raiders volition beryllium without him, though Mayer said he’s “attacking” his rehab aft seeing him Thursday successful the team’s grooming room.
What’s wide is that Mayer is attacking the accidental to play a larger relation this week and perchance beyond it.
Bring connected the Dolphins.
“Regardless of who’s playing oregon who’s not playing, I’ve got to instrumentality my relation and I’ve got to freaking bash my champion to beryllium the champion mentation of myself successful that role. What tin I bash to assistance this discourtesy win?” Mayer said. “I consciousness great. I consciousness truly good. The assemblage feels awesome. My intelligence is amazing. So, yeah, I consciousness truly good. I consciousness acceptable to roll.”
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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