Mike Gesicki – June 11, 2018
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Monday, June 11, 2018
TE Mike Gesicki
(QB Ryan Tannehill told us last week about a great one-handed catch you had down the sideline. Unfortunately it was a day that we weren’t allowed to watch practice. I was going to ask you how often you’ve been targeted in 11-on-11s and have you caught most all of the balls thrown to you? Do you have a ballpark idea of how much you’ve been thrown to?) – “Yes, I mean I’ve been out there, doing my job and all of that kind of stuff. When the ball comes my way, I try to make a play on it. That’s one of my strengths, at least that’s how I feel. When the ball comes my way, it’s my job to make the play whether it’s one-handed, two-handed, low, high or whatever it is.”
(How much time do you spend on one-handed catches?) – “I do practice them. Just getting the work and repetitions this way so when it does happen, it doesn’t take you by surprise; but when you go to make that one-handed catch, it’s not something that you plan in your mind. ‘Alright, I’m going to go with one hand on this one.’ It just kind of happens. It’s just natural that your hand just goes to the ball.”
(Are you one of those players that you want your quarterback to know when you’re covered, you’re open?) – “Absolutely. I think that, especially being a tight end and being a bigger guy and being a faster guy – more athletic – and all of that kind of stuff, I think that’s one of my attributes that I would like for my quarterbacks to know.”
(Just throw it and give you a shot?) – “Absolutely.”
(TE Durham Smythe said that the playbook is about twice what he had at Notre Dame. What’s the experience been like for you trying to get a handle on it?) – “It’s been a lot thrown at you at once, honestly. We’re in, I think, Install 10 now. It’s not like you are getting it the night before. You’re getting it 20 minutes once you come in, you look through it and then you go out there. There’s a lot going on. I think the good thing is being able to have these OTAs and this time period now, that way when training camp comes around, you get to go through it a second time. For me, this is different. This is a different system. This is more terminology. It’s a lot but it’s something that I’m excited about because now I have a challenge. It’s something that I’m really striving to master. When I get to that level where I can really play fast, play aggressive and play to my strengths, that’s what I’m excited about.”
(What kind of acclimation is the level of talent you are playing against? Have you found already that it’s a lot harder to do some of the things that you used to do when you’re playing against these linebackers and these safeties?) – “Obviously these guys are extremely talented. It’s definitely another level and another step up in terms of talent, athleticism, speed, strength and all of that kind of stuff; but I still feel pretty confident in my ability to use my attributes, my size, my speed and my ability to make plays. Honestly, it’s just getting the mental aspect of the game down right now. I think I’ve been here five or six weeks, something like that. I’m just excited for when I’m here five or six months. When I’m at that point and I have all of this stuff down, before you know it Ryan (Tannehill) calls a play, clap, line up and I’m set and I’m already looking at the defense rather than ‘Alright, I have this here and if I motion here,’ all of that kind of stuff.”
(What is it like to play like that when you’re thinking more than you’re used to?) – “I feel like it’s freshman year all over again type of thing. You get in and it’s a whole lot at once. I think that today, personally for me, it was a huge step forward. I think I did a really good job today of just focusing in the huddle and knowing, ‘I’m the F here. I’ve got this. I’m lined up here. I’ve got this route but if two come, I’m hot.’ That kind of stuff. I think that was kind of a credit … I had a lot of help this weekend. I got with Bryce Petty on Friday and was able to just go out and work with him for a little bit. He was mentoring me a little bit and it’s good. I think that shows the leadership and the guys that are in this organization.”
(Any big plays from you today as far as why today – outside of obviously feeling a better grasp mentally – were there any big plays from you today?) – “I had a couple of catches. Honestly, I’m not worried about the production on field right now. I’m not worried. ‘Man, I only had one catch yesterday. I didn’t score a touchdown today.’ Or anything like that because we’re sitting here and it’s June. We don’t have a game for another three months. What I’m most concerned about right now is just showing the coaches, showing the quarterbacks, the guys around me, my teammates and trying to earn their respect that this kid knows what he’s doing, he knows his job, he knows his role, his assignment and I want him on the field. I want him to make a play for us.”
(You don’t want to be that guy where the quarterback is grabbing him and telling him what to do?) – “Absolutely. There’s been times where I’ve been that guy. ‘What do I have here?’ That’s just natural. I’ve been here five or six weeks and just like all over the other rookies, (there’s) this acclimation period. Like I said, today, for me personally, I felt pretty confident out there. (I was) not really second-guessing myself, lining up quicker, being able to adjust to the defense and just playing fast.”
(Tell us a little bit about the whiteboard in your hotel room. We heard a little bit about that. Is that unusual? Does everybody or most guys have that? What are you getting out of that time?) – “I can’t speak for anybody else. I’m not sure. But (Tight Ends) Coach (Shane) Day is unbelievable when it comes to his teaching strategies and how he wants us to learn and all of that kind of stuff. That was something that he suggested. I grabbed the white board and me and Durham (Smythe) got in the hotel room – me and him are roommates – and he’s getting there, calling out a play, calling it out quick and you draw it up. We’re just trying to simulate the huddle and simulate knowing everything on the fly and not just your job, but knowing everybody’s job because I know for me, personally, I’ve got to know the Y, the F, the H, the X, the Z. I’ve got to be able to go anywhere and everywhere. There’s a lot to know. There’s a lot to learn, but I think that’s a very helpful strategy that me and him have been doing.”
(So you guys are calling out plays and quizzing each other?) – “Yes.”
(So he has his turn on the board and you have your turn on the board?) – “Yes.”
(And you have to tell both assignments for the F and the Y?) – “The F, the Y, Z, H, X, everybody. You draw up the whole play and sometimes the Y is in on protections, sometimes the F is out and it’s all … Everything is all over the place.”
(So did you borrow the board from here or you went out and bought your own whiteboard?) – “We had a board in the tight ends room and I said, ‘Hey coach, can I have it?’ And he said, ‘I’m not using it.’ So I grabbed it and brought it home.”
(Are you spending a little time doing that most weeknights?) – “Yes.”
(So it’s like a thing after dinner or something?) – “When we get back to the hotel. Honestly, I’ll stay here late just because I don’t want to go back to the hotel anyways. You’re just locked up in a hotel room. So I’ll stay here and just do whatever extra work to, honestly, just kill time to stay out of that hotel and just continue to get better.”
(Don’t punch the whiteboard?) – “(laughter) Yes.”
(So you guys didn’t watch the NBA Finals or anything?) – “We did. We did watch the Finals. That was like, ‘Oh, yes. There’s a basketball game tonight. We have something to do. We can watch some basketball.’ That was good. That’s why I was hoping that they pushed it up a little bit and went into five, six or seven (games) or something like that.”
(I asked TE Durham Smythe this question and I’ll ask you. In your case, you played in from of 100,000 crazy fans every home game on Saturday. This stage won’t be too big to you.) – “No.”
(Is that an advantage?) – “No. I don’t think it’s an advantage. I think you’re playing and I’m lining up next to Danny Amendola. It’s not too big for him. He’s been in the Super Bowl. Your opponents … You’re playing teams that have been in Super Bowls before. You’re playing teams that go to the playoffs. Maybe for other rookies that are coming from smaller schools in terms of acclimation, but once you get here and that ball is snapped that first play, it doesn’t matter how many people are in the stands because you’ve just got to do your job.”
(There was a video on social media of QB Ryan Tannehill kind of teaching you a way he wanted you to run a route. How valuable is that for him to do that?) – “It’s awesome. He’s a really great mentor (and) a great leader. Especially for me being on the offensive side of the ball, I get to see his attributes as a leader. He’s vocal. He’s doing all of the right things. For him to take that time and help me out, and that’s not the only occasion he’s done that. He’s done it several times. Sometimes if we’re doing some RVA (routes versus air) stuff, he’ll get up there and make sure that he’s throwing with me. He’s done a really good job helping me and I think that just shows the teammate and the person that he is.”
(Does it surprise you at all that QB Ryan Tannehill did that?) – “No. It doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ve heard great things about him. I met him here on my 30-visit and had lunch with him that day and got to kind of know him a little bit. I think that’s just who he is.”
(How important is it to know exactly what the quarterback wants from you, especially the option route stuff?) – “It means everything. You’ve got to have 100 percent chemistry with him. He’s got to have all of the trust in the world that you’re going to be where you need to be and where he thinks you’re going to be at that exact time. I think building that chemistry and building that confidence, that’s a huge thing. For him to get back and know ‘I know I can go to Mike here because I know he’s going to get open. I know I can put it here and he’s going to make the play.’”
(So when you’re in the huddle and they call a play and you don’t exactly know what you’re supposed to do, who do you turn to?) – “Whoever is to my left and right. (laughter) Whoever is there to help.”
(It’s normal for veterans who have been in the system to take most of the first team reps as TE MarQueis Gray and TE A.J. Derby have done. Have you gotten any first team reps at all in 11-on-11s?) – “Yes. Everybody is kind of getting their shot and getting their opportunity. Right now we’ve got six tight ends in the room and everybody’s had their shot. Everybody has been in with the ones. I’ve been anywhere from ones to threes. Honestly, I could care less about a depth chart. I don’t care if there’s six tight ends and you’ve already got me at seven. It doesn’t bother me right now because I just want to be able to learn this playbook, learn what I have to do, play fast and play confident, because that’s when I’m at my best. When I get to that level, when I get to that stage in this acclimation period and in these OTAs and into training camp, that’s when I’m going to be lining up there with the ones and feeling really confident that ‘I can beat him here. I’m going to go make this play.’”
(Through this break that you’re going to have after next week, who is going to be whiteboard quizzing you? And what happens to the whiteboard?) – “That’s a great question. I’m not going to be able to bring it all the way from Florida to New Jersey, so I’ll just go out and get another one. I’m sure my dad will be at home just waiting for the opportunity to help me out and call some plays and see how much I know because I’ll get on the phone with him and tell him ‘Oh, man, this stuff is hard.’ So when I get home, he’ll give me the opportunity to continue to use the whiteboard, continue to get better and all of that kind of stuff.”
(It looked like you guys went to Top Golf instead of having your third day of minicamp practice.) – “We did.”
(How did you enjoy that and how cool was it to …) – “It was awesome. It was cool to have that … You’re going in and you’re expecting the third day of minicamp. The two days prior were pretty long and you get there on Thursday morning and I think they showed us a clip from Happy Gilmour. They said here’s a little motivation for you. (laughter) We went out, watched that and then went to Top Golf. It was cool. It was a great experience for all of us as a team to just kind of get that chemistry going. It was a fun experience.”
(What’s the chemistry like in the tight end room? Obviously you have some veterans in there and then there’s the rookies in there. Rookies are supposed to take the veterans job.) – “It’s really good. I’ve said this before talking with other people, you don’t get this sense that people are competing for the same job because if I have a question and I turn to A.J. (Derby) and ask him the question, he’s giving me the answer right away. He’s trying to help me out. Everybody is trying to help each other out to make the best out of our entire tight end room, which is really good. I think it’s making everybody else better. When everybody else is at their best competing and challenging each other, everybody is really helpful.”
(What are you going to do to unwind after we get through these next few days?) – “I’m not … There’s zero unwinding going on, I promise you that. My foot is on the gas from now until February.”
(Was there a point where the heat really got you, where you really saw how serious it is down here?) – “Yes. The scary part is (you say) ‘Oh, man. It’s hot,’ and (other people say) ‘it’s not even hot yet.’ It’s just like, ‘Alright, well.’”
(It gets much, much worse. What was it, 140 degrees on the field once?) – “That’s comforting. (laughter)”
(TE Durham Smythe said he sweated through like three pairs of gloves during practice. Do you have something where it surprised you?) – “Yes, today we were in the bubble and it was like awesome. (laughter) When you get into the bubble it’s just like the greatest thing in the world. When I go home and when I run, I might … Honestly, I’ve thought about running in sweats and a sweatshirt just trying to simulate that heat so when I get back, it’s not taking me by surprise. We do come back a week early as rookies and (get) acclimated more to the heat.”
(Do you want to play games in the bubble?) – “(laughter) No. I was at the stadium the other day and it’s really nice. I’m excited to play there.”
(Who’s the best golfer?) – “Not me. I couldn’t tell you but I’m damn sure it wasn’t me.”
