Training Camp Day 4: QB battle rages on, quotes from Luke Getsy’s presser

Players’ perspective

Michael Mayer spoke with the media today after practice, and while nothing he said was particularly noteworthy, it was good to hear him sound so excited about the season. At some point during the offseason, Mayer admitted that he was not very excited to come into the building every day during his rookie year. That seems to have changed. His energy today was completely different than a season ago, as Mayer spoke highly of Getsy and his offense, as well as his teammates, especially those in the tight end room with him. He and rookie Brock Bowers are working together to tackle this new offense and all its intricacies in order to help the unit work. He even said that they go as far as speaking with the elite members of the Raiders’ defense in order to learn even more about what they could be doing.

Jakorian Bennett opened up his press conference with a banger of a statement. When asked about the ups and downs of his rookie season and potentially gaining his confidence back this offseason, he responded, “I wouldn’t say that I lost my confidence. At the end of the day, I know who I am and I know what I can do. Things happen and you learn from them, and that’s what I’m doing”. I love this confidence from a second-year player who is currently in contention for a starting position. Bennett is well aware of the rookie season that he had but it did not affect his mental approach, and he seems primed and ready for another go at the starting cornerback position to begin the year in 2024. 

Nate Hobbs also stepped on the podium after what seemed like his best day of the preseason so far. He talked a bit about his teammates, singing the praises of Bennett and calling Jack Jones a top five corner in the league. But perhaps his best statement came in response to a reporter asking about the three passes he batted down in a row today. Hobbs was not happy with this result, because he felt that he dropped an interception. About the batted balls, he said, “We don’t need that,” and that he would rather have an interception because they are “game changing plays not only for me, but for us as a team. We’re not happy with deflections and pass break ups.” The defense is dead set on being game wreckers this year and causing a lot of turnovers.

Brock Bowers’ media availability was as expected: short and sweet. The Napa, California native seems to be embracing the difficulty of NFL training camp and is excited to be back close to home playing for the Raiders instead of the Georgia Bulldogs on the opposite end of the country. Bowers is pretty strictly about his business, as he downplayed his own successes so far in his humble way but had nothing but positive things to say about his teammates. Bowers does not say much, he lets his play do the talking.