Chris Grier – April 27, 2018 (Round 2)
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Friday, April 27, 2018
GM Chris Grier
(following TE Mike Gesicki selection in Round 2)
(Opening Statement)
“We selected Mike Gesicki, tight end, Penn State. For us, addressing that position and adding some competition was important. We had him in on a 30-visit, got to know him and spend time with him. We enjoyed being around the kid. He is very football smart. (He) spent a lot of time with (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) and our offensive staff talking football and the one thing that came out was his passion for football. The one thing everybody talks about is him not being a great blocker; but there’s a lot of really good tight ends that are pass catchers that aren’t great blockers. It is about giving effort and stuff. This kid wants to be a better blocker. He talked about a lot of good things with us and the one thing we really loved was his skill set offensively. All of the things you guys have seen and talked about, being a red zone matchup … He’s just got a very unique skill set. He’s big, he’s long, he’s fast and high-points the ball well. For us, we’re very excited to have him here.”
(What attracted you the most to him? Was it the athleticism, the numbers that he put up or the film?) – “It was the film because you get in trouble if you fall in love with the athletic numbers at the combine, because guys will go away and train and they don’t play as fast or do things; but you see his play speed on film. You see the plays, the height, the vertical jump. You see that, him going up and high-pointing the ball. For us, finding that skill set like that was very important. I think in this league, it’s a matchup league; and with what tight ends can do, he’s got a unique skill set that not many guys in this league have.”
(When you go back through his history and you look at his progression at Penn State, what did you find about his work ethic? He dealt with a drops issue at one point. He kind of pushed through that. What can you tell us about that?) – “The kid, he’s very competitive. Like everyone’s talked about, he was a very good high school basketball player. This kid has a … He’s got a streak and he’s very competitive and wants to be good. When people tell him he can’t do anything, he wants to keep pushing and prove you wrong. That comes out when you talk to the kid and when you watch him at practice and watch his practice film when he does stuff. We’re very excited for his future.”
(He was the second tight end taken in the draft. You had your choice, obviously, of a bunch of guys. What set him apart from the rest of the class?) – “Again, his skill set. He was productive for Penn State the last two years, put up some good numbers and made some big plays for them in games. And as we got to know the kid, the football intelligence and being around him multiple times, he felt like our type of guy we wanted to be around.”
(You guys have a tendency of going after big school guys. Is that by design?) – “No; but I think that that’s an advantage for players like Mike (Gesicki) and Minkah (Fitzpatrick) that have come from (big) programs or are used to the big stage. They’ll come in here and they’re not going to be in awe of anything. There are a lot of very good players that are small school players that have done well in this league. It just happened that most of these players so far from us have been from major conferences or major schools.”
(Did you hold your breath again when Tennessee traded up, that it was the same thing that happened last night where somebody trades up to the pick right in front of you?) – “A little bit. (laughter) Yes, a little bit; but we had a couple of other players that we might have considered if he was gone. It worked out for us.”
(Since the game is so important to him and because he is so athletic, why hasn’t he become a better blocker?) – “When you’re 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds … Jimmy Graham was not a good blocker coming out. These tall guys … Name a good tight end with those types of build that are good blockers at the line of scrimmage? Most of the time it is leverage and stuff and taller guys at the point of attack have a hard time getting down. This guy can bend and do it, and it’s developing that strength and stuff; but a lot of these guys have a hard time and in the college game, a lot of these guys are flexed out in space. At times depending on the offense … No disrespect to the coaches there. That’s their scheme and they win, and the kid was a productive player doing that. I think with us, we’ll spend time and he said he wants to spend time working to improve his blocking because he wants to be the best all-around tight end in the game. Every kid says that coming out and we’ll see, but we’re very excited to have him.”
(What can it mean to Head Coach Adam Gase’s offensive scheme to have a target like this at tight end?) – “He and (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and the offensive staff, and Tight Ends Coach Shane Day are thrilled with the red zone possibilities and he’s a hard matchup for people, being that big and athletic. (He can) move the chains on third down and then his speed will open up other stuff on the field for you. It is just a lot of possibilities. He’s had players in the past, as you guys know, that have had big seasons for him. He’s had a player – Julius (Thomas) – when he was young and coming out. It’s kind of the same thing, (he was a) basketball player. We’re very excited to have him.”
(It’s been said that TE Mike Gesicki was somewhat of an outspoken player back at Penn State. Is that one of the traits that attracted you to him?) – “Yes, I think you always want guys that have leadership ability and will speak out if he sees things going wrong. The one thing is, he’s a team guy. When you talk to (Head Coach James) Franklin and the staff and the other players there, they all love this kid. When you talk to other players on teams, you always ask them, ‘Who would you bring along with you?’ And every guy we talked to was like, ‘Hey, my man ‘Big Mike’ (Mike Gesicki).”
Mike Gesicki – April 27, 2018
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Friday, April 27, 2018
TE Mike Gesicki
(Were you surprised to be taken by the Dolphins or did you have any hint that they were very interested in you?) – “I visited with them last week, so … This is honestly one of the most exciting moments of my life. I’m so excited to play down in Miami, get to work and know that I’m exactly where I belong.”
(What makes you feel that you’re exactly where you belong?) – “The people in that program, the people in that organization – Coach (Shane) Day, the tight ends coach, (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase. Everybody involved, they made it seem like home when I was down a couple of weeks ago. I’m so excited to get down there.”
(You’re regarded as a very good athlete and I know that you played volleyball. Can you talk about your athletic background and what makes you such an athletic tight end?) – “My history of playing sports – whether it be football, basketball, volleyball, running track in middle school – it’s all given me an opportunity to be where I am today and helped me to be the athlete I am today and the player on the field that I am. I’m just excited to get to work in this offense, because I know that with the weapons they have, with the quarterback they have in Ryan Tannehill, it could be something very exciting in Miami.”
(What do you feel is an area that you need to continue to work on to improve?) – “I definitely need to continue to improve my run blocking and all that kind of stuff. Obviously, my best attributes are in the pass game and I need to continue to develop on the other side; but it is something that I’m so excited about. I have great coaching there and I’m really excited just to get to work and do what I know I can do.”
(You have an opportunity to come in and start right away with this organization. Is that exciting for you? How does it feel?) – “Obviously, there’s going to be talented tight ends in that room and people that I’m excited to learn from, older guys to lean on and all of that kind of stuff. I’m just excited to get in there and surround myself with talented players, mature players, with guys that have been in my shoes and just get to work. It’s an unbelievable opportunity and I’m so excited.”
(What is it about Head Coach Adam Gase that appeals to you so much?) – “Just meeting with him a couple of weeks ago and just talking with him, he’s a young coach in this league and an up-and-coming coach in this league. Obviously, he was in Denver with Peyton Manning and had success with the tight end (Julius) Thomas back then. I’m just excited to be able to learn from him and be coached up by him and get to work.”
(How does your athleticism help you out on the field, whether it is running routes, high-pointing the ball or in the red zone? What does your athleticism do for you?) – “I think my athleticism is who I am on the field. It allows me to stretch the defense, it allows me to get up the field quickly, it allows me to high-point the ball. Playing tight end, playing receiver, playing the slot, playing on the line, it doesn’t matter where. (I) just (want to) get to work.”
(Can you paint a picture of where you are right now, who you’re with and what this moment is like?) – “I’ve been waiting for this moment, honestly, my entire life. To be here with the people that mean the most to me, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
(So the dream was always to be a tight end in the NFL?) – “The dream has always been to be a professional athlete. When I was growing up, I thought it was basketball. Then I got to high school and had the opportunity to really start playing football at a serious level and since then, (the goal has been) to get to where I am now; but this is only the beginning. This is honestly just another stepping stone moving forward.”
(I think that you and S Minkah Fitzpatrick are both New Jersey kids. Do you know each other at all? Do you ever cross paths?) – “Minkah is obviously a phenomenal talent and a guy that is going to be extremely successful for this organization and is also a Jersey guy, like myself. I’m excited to get down there with him. I was training at EXOS with him leading up to the combine. I’m just so excited.”
(You said you trained with S Minkah Fitzpatrick?) – “Yes, he was at EXOS in Pensacola, Florida.”
(What were your observations of S Minkah Fitzpatrick?) – “Obviously a great athlete, a great kid. He’s all business and is a great player.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick – April 26, 2018
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Thursday, April 26, 2018
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick
(What has this experience been like for you in terms of being in the draft process and being selected by the Miami Dolphins?) – “It’s been a fun experience. It’s something that not a lot of people get to do, so I try to enjoy it as much as I can. I know Miami is a great team, a great program, a great state and a great city. It’s going to be an awesome opportunity down there. I’m going to go down there and work my hardest and just try and win championships down there.”
(When you adjusted your headset, I noticed that there are a couple of rings on your hands. Show us those and do you expect maybe…) – “I’ve got to fill the rest of them. I got to fill the rest of them. (laughter)”
(Yes, that’s what I was getting at. They give out rings for winning a Super Bowl.) – “Yes, sir. Yes, they do. Like I said, I’m trying to fill the rest of those fingers up.”
(Tell us about the suit. You look like you got dressed with South Beach in mind.) – “(laughter) I just tried to do something that wasn’t too bright, wasn’t too flashy; but also stood out a little bit. So I decided to go with this off-white color with black on black, and that’s really it.”
(Did you have an idea that Miami was interested, that this was a place you could end up and what is your reaction about being taken by the Dolphins?) – “I knew a lot of teams were interested and I had no clue honestly where I was going to be going. With every single team, I had as open (of a) mind, that I could or could not go, to that team. Like I said earlier, it’s a great program. I’m just happy to be selected by the Dolphins.”
(You played a lot of positions during your career at Alabama. Where do you feel is the best fit for you as a football player?) – “I just say wherever the team needs me. That’s what I did at Alabama. Week to week I was playing a different positon based off what the offense did and where I was needed at week to week. If the coaches at Miami think I can play multiple positions, then I’m going to play multiple positions and do whatever they need me to do.”
(Can you talk about how playing at Alabama prepares you for the NFL?) – “Honestly, Coach (Nick) Saban. He has coached underneath some great coaches like Bill Belichick, and he has been in football for over 40-plus years. He knows what the NFL is like. He knows how to get his players right on and off the field, whether it be discipline or … The scheme that we run is very complex and very similar to NFL schemes. It’s a combination of a bunch of whole different things and that’s it really.”
(What do you think helped you contribute at a high level as a freshman at Alabama and do you think it’ll translate into the NFL?) – “Yes, sir. I think it was my mental maturity. I kind of had to grow quick just because of some things I’ve been through at a young age and it kind of helped me realize what I was chasing after. I had a goal in mind and I wasn’t going to fall short of that goal. That was my mindset going in, and it is the same thing in the NFL. My dream wasn’t to just make it to the NFL, it’s to be a great player in the NFL. It’s just the beginning. Like I said, I’m going to take that same mindset I had at Alabama and apply it to the Miami Dolphins organization.”
(How would you describe that approach and that mentality and mindset that you try to take to practice as well as game day?) – “You’re only going to be as good as you are in practice. People can say to you, ‘I don’t go that hard in practice, but I play hard in the game.’ That’s not true, because if you do that, you’re hurting your team, you’re hurting yourself and at the end of the day, you aren’t going to win games and you aren’t going to play the way that you want to, or at least you’re not going to play as well as you want to. Every single day, just flying to the ball, racing each other to the ball, is going to get everybody better. Everybody is going to want to run as fast as you and beat you to the ball so when you do that and compete with each other every day in practice, it translates over to the game.”
(You mentioned playing a lot of positions, different positions in college. What allowed you to be able to contribute at multiple positions? What about your personality or your work ethic allowed you to do that?) – “I would say a couple of different things. One is my athleticism. I’m an athlete, so you can put me in multiple different spots and I could adjust to different techniques and stuff like that. After that, it’s my football IQ. Coach Saban taught me a lot at Alabama, a whole bunch of other coaches, (Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Backs) Coach (Mel) Tucker, (Defensive Backs) Coach (Derrick) Ansley, Coach ‘Shoe’ (Director of Player Development and Associate Director of Player Personnel Glenn Schumann). All of them taught me a whole lot while I was there – (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) Coach Aazaar (Abdul-Rahim). They all just taught me a whole lot. It kind of allowed me to move around, be a chess piece as you would say, or a Swiss army knife as you would say. That’s really it, those two things right there.”
(What was your interaction with the Dolphins like prior to getting the phone call tonight?) – “I only talked to them about two or three times. I didn’t have any visits with them. I didn’t do any workouts with them. I talked to them at the Combine and I talked to the DBs coach (Tony Oden) one or two times over the phone.”
(You referred earlier to some of the adversity you’ve been through. I know you had the situation with your family home after Hurricane Irene. How were you able to get through that and did it affect your preparation for football very much?) – “It was a tough time in my family’s life, but the only way we got through it was by sticking together as a unit, doing everything together, making decisions together and making sure everybody was alright. And then of course, at the foundation of all of that, was our faith. Our faith in Christ kept us all rooted in the right things, kept our minds and our hearts in the right place. So that was how we did that. It did affect my ability to play sometimes. At one time I told my family I was going to quit and just work and not go to (the) school I was going to because t was a private school, so my family had to pay. So, it did affect my mindset a little bit; but after a while it kind of reverted my mindset onto something else and it made me work harder rather than just giving up.”
(What, if anything, do you know about the Dolphins safeties – S Reshad Jones and S T.J. McDonald?) – “I don’t know too much, but I know just watching some of their games throughout the season that they’re both real good safeties. They do what they’re supposed to do and they get the job done.”
(Do you know anybody on this roster aside from perhaps RB Kenyan Drake?) – “’Mo’ (Maurice) Smith. He was at Alabama and then transferred to Georgia. He’s a DB as well.”
(What do you think is the key to creating turnovers?) – “The key to creating turnovers is simply just doing your job and being in the right place. If you’re a DB and you try to get picks, you’re going to be out of position and you’re going to be looking at the wrong things; but simply when you’re just doing your job and being in the right place, they just come.”
(You had six interceptions in 2016 and one last year. Were you concerned that might somehow affect how teams would look at you in anyway?) – “No, sir. I wouldn’t say that. I think it was because I was moving around so much. It allowed teams to kind of not target me as much. I think I was targeted about 20 less times in 2016 than I was in 2017, so there was really nothing I could do about it. I just tried to do my job as much as I could and I think teams realized that.”
(So you would like to be targeted, correct?) – “Yes. I think any DB wants people to throw at them; but at the same time, it’s a compliment and an honor if teams don’t throw at you.”
(What was your favorite team and player growing up?) – “NFL team?”
(Yes.) – “My favorite NFL team was Philly. I was a Philadelphia fan. One of my favorite players was either … I love Brian Dawkins and I love Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. All three of those guys were guys that I watched all growing up. They’re awesome players and awesome men on and off the field. I just love watching them play.”
(I’m curious, what kind of name is Minkah? Where did that come from?) – “I’m named after my father. His name is Minkah. He’s also named after his father; but my grandfather’s name is Justice. He already had named one of his sons Justice. He wanted to name another one after him but not with the same name, so he chose Minkah. It means justice and equality in either … I think its Arabic or Swahili – some form of that. So I’m named after my grandfather, but not exactly the same exact name.”
(You know that Nick Saban was the head coach of the Dolphins for a little while. Any chance that you talked to him about what it’s like down here?) – “I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. We just had a quick handshake and I gave him a hug after I got the phone call, and that was really it. I’m sure I’ll talk to him a little bit once I get done with all of the media.”
(The Dolphins have sort of needed someone who can help cover tight ends for a minute. Do you think you can do that pretty good?) – “Yes. I did that a lot in college, whether it was at the money position or the safety position. I would come down in the box and cover those bigger tight ends, and even when they moved outside I would go out there and cover them just because I’m a physical guy. I’m physical with those guys and I know they can’t run by me, so Coach (Nick) Saban trusts me to do that job.”
(What was it like playing for Coach Nick Saban?) – “It was awesome – an awesome experience. I became so much better of a player in the past three years just by sitting underneath him, watching everything that he does and move the way that he moves. I really appreciate everything that he’s done and how hard he was on me because it made me into a great man. It also made me into a great player.”
(He obviously thought very highly of you and it is one of the reasons you’re probably here, because Head Coach Adam Gase is a disciple of Nick Saban. Is it kind of rewarding that the hard work you put in college is now kind of manifesting now in the pros?) – “Yes, sir. It’s awesome just being able to see my family here enjoying this moment with me and just being able to call myself a professional athlete.”
(You mentioned how hard Coach Nick Saban was on you. Can you point to one particular time that he was hard on you that maybe helped you get to where you are today?) – “I remember one of the first weeks I got there, he was just on me; like on me bad, on me hard. At first, I wasn’t frustrated because I was used to getting yelled at but he was, even when I was making good plays, he was just finding something to tweak and finding something to fix. It was kind of getting under my skin a little bit because I’m like ‘I’m making good plays, why is he still yelling at me?’ He would see me getting frustrated one day and he just told me why he was that way and why he was hard on me specifically, and some of my other teammates. He just told me it was because he realized how great I could be and he’s not going to let me get away with slacking or not doing the right thing, whether it’s the smallest of little things. He wasn’t going to let me get away with it.”
(What similarities do you see between Nick Saban and Adam Gase?) – “Both of them are really great coaches. Both of them are very thorough in their approach to the game. They’re both great coaches. They both have good ‘reps’ (reputations) behind them. I’m happy I played for Coach Saban and I’m excited to play for Coach Gase.”
Chris Grier – April 26, 2018
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Thursday, April 26, 2018
General Manager Chris Grier
(On S Minkah Fitzpatrick) – “For us, he was a player that was a targeted player. He’s a unique kid when you meet him. (He’s) unbelievably smart (and) loves football. Obviously he’s one of Nick Saban’s favorite players. This guy played right … He came off at 18 right as a freshman and was an impact player for them. He’s been a very good football player for three years. (He has) impeccable character. There was a story … You guys have all seen his story. At the end of the day, this guy is a football player. He creates turnovers. He’s had a bunch of touchdown returns as well on those. This was a player we just felt, at that point, that we could not pass up.”
(What’s your vision for S Minkah Fitzpatrick in this defense?) – “He’s going to be a safety.”
(How do you see the free safety situation that you have?) – “That will play out here in the spring and summer. I think for him, it’s a great mix now. He has a little different skill set than the other two guys. From there, they’re going to battle it out this spring. It’s all about competition and we’ll see how it plays out.”
(It looked like after the fifth pick that you might get one or two quarterbacks falling all the way to you, or you had that option at least. Were you hopeful or expecting that some teams were going to swoop in and get them?) – “Really, the way it all played out, we didn’t think any of the quarterbacks would make it to us. For us, we talked to a couple of teams about maybe moving up or down but nothing real serious. For us, at the end of the day, if one of those guys was there, we would have talked about it; but we just didn’t think anybody would be there.”
(How does S Minkah Fitzpatrick’s skill set possibly lessen the importance of adding a premium third linebacker?) – “For us, at the end of the day, his skill set and the things he does … You’ve covered him a lot. We still need to add a linebacker. We made the trade for Stephone Anthony. Stephone is going to compete for a spot there, as well. We’ll still keep looking to add to the roster and we’ll keep adding players post-draft. I think Philadelphia last year led the league in adding players after the draft as pro free agents, and it worked out well for them.”
(CB Minkah Fitzpatrick’s ability to also defend the slot, how does that benefit you?) – “He’s like a Swiss army knife. He does a lot of things really good. You’ve heard everybody talk, it’s his skill set. He gives your defense a chance to be flexible and do a lot of different things. It’s his football intelligence, his love for football and he’s been a productive player from the minute he stepped on campus at arguably one of the best programs in college football.”
(Any thought to moving S T.J. McDonald to linebacker?) – “I think you’ve asked (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) about it, but that’s for the coaches to decide here once they get going through the spring. They’ll let Minkah (Fitzpatrick) come in and get settled in and start working with the guys and see how it all fits.”
(So of all the things CB Minkah Fitzpatrick has done at Alabama, I’m not sure that he did too much coverage of the tight ends. In fact, I haven’t seen that.) – “No. He did a lot of covering receivers.”
(Right. Exactly. So do you think the tight end thing is a thing that CB Minkah Fitzpatrick can do or that’s not going to be…) – “Personally, me? I think it’s easier to cover tight ends than it is receivers. The athletes … A lot of receivers … There’s very few tight ends … Obviously with (Rob) Gronkowski, there’s different kind of matchups, (and Travis) Kelce; but the one thing he gives you, he’s a 6-foot, 205-pound guy that runs 4.45 (40-time) and can run and cover, and he’s been a good cover guy. It’s a unique skill set at that position and his history of producing turnovers is very good.”
(Are you guys done for the night? Are you guys going to try to get back into the first round?) – “If there’s an opportunity to move in, we will. I wouldn’t say … There’s still some teams that want to move out. We’ve had a lot of calls about teams wanting to move out, so we’ll investigate every call that comes.”
(You mentioned at quarterback, you didn’t expect guys to drop there. At any point, did you have conversations about moving up a bit once a couple of them maybe started to drop?) – “We had a couple of calls with teams but it didn’t get very serious. Moving up, they wanted a lot, obviously. (laughter) And they know what you’re coming for. For us, at those spots and the opportunities, we just didn’t really take it very far. Again, Ryan (Tannehill) is our guy. We believe in Ryan. He’s going to be our starter.”
