Mike Gesicki – September 19, 2022
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Monday, September 19, 2022
TE Mike Gesicki
(How much have you come down from everything from yesterday?) – “I mean, I try to stay right here all the time. Never too high, never too low. So, obviously an exciting day, but it’s a new one. A new day. Ready to keep rolling.”
(So you’ve been obviously a pro and handling a different role – fewer targets up until yesterday. How have you been able to do it? Are you just patient and calm by nature?) – “That’s pretty much all I know. I know that we’ve got two all-world receivers out there in Jaylen (Waddle) and Tyreek (Hill). Yesterday, I think Jaylen had 19 targets and Tyreek got like 13. So I mean, those guys are spectacular players. We get those guys the ball and they make plays. My biggest thing is when my opportunities present themselves, I’ve got to make the most of them. So that’s what I try to do and that’s pretty much all I know how to do.”
(The first week, we talked a lot about defense. Yesterday, it was offense that basically carried the Dolphins. Can you talk a little bit about that familiarity of ‘okay, the defense is not having a good day, but it’s time for us to step up like they did last week?’) – “Yeah, I think that just goes back to kind of what we preach. We talk about complementary football. So when the defense is playing great, they’ve got our backs, and vice versa, we’ve got theirs – special teams, all that kind of stuff. It’s a three-phase game. There’s a lot that goes into it. The coaches do a great job preparing us and then it’s our job to go out on Sundays, and like I said, make the most of our opportunities. So whether it is a defensive-sided game, or an offensive-sided game, we just got to be able to pick each other up no matter what the situation is.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us last week that obviously he intended to get the ball more than just once in the opener. He seems like a good communicator with players to. Did he share that with you that, ‘look, be patient, we’re going to get you targets that you can get typically?’) – “No, not really. I mean, he pulled me aside before the game and told me that the first third down, I was going to have an opportunity. But that’s pretty much all it is. I think you kind of go in to the game and you kind of know what plays are up. You don’t know the flow of the game or how it’s going to go. That’s pretty much all it is.”
(Is it still fun for you? Obviously winning is a lot of fun. Is it fun for you with a different role? As fun as past years?) – “I have fun playing this game. We play a kids game for our profession and we get paid a lot of money to do it. So it’s definitely something that I don’t take for granted.”
(Speaking of fun, what are the responses to the griddy?) – “Well, pretty much all of training camp.. – Durham (Smythe) was living with me during training camp and I would like joke around, like walk to the garbage can and like griddy to the garbage can. The first time I did it, he like started cracking up. So it was just kind of a joke. It obviously still is a joke. And I said to him, I was like if I score a touchdown, like I’m just going to do it. I’m going to be trending on all social media for doing it in such a hilarious fashion. And the opportunity presented itself, like I say, and I don’t know if I made the most of that opportunity, but it was funny. (laughter) I was too excited. I hit it in about fast forward. So maybe (I should) slow it down. But that’s what I do. I have fun. I enjoy myself. I had an opportunity to make a play, made the play and then was able to celebrate it.”
(Did you go practice in the mirror last night?) – “I’ll be practicing until my next opportunity.”
(Do you have any teammates that can help you out with that?) – “I’m sure there are. I’m sure there’s a lot of guys that have a lot more rhythm and a lot better dance moves than myself. But I think I take pride in just letting it all out yesterday. I don’t think anybody was expecting Mike Gesicki to attempt to hit the griddy. I feel like I owe Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase an apology, if anything. But that’s pretty much it.”
(Is patience going to be very important this year, because of what you talked about the targets? You never know which game you’re going to have a lot of targets for the game. Other games you might not.) – “Yeah, I mean, it’s not about me. I think that’s the biggest thing you’ve got to understand. This thing isn’t about me; it’s about the team. And like I said, we’ve got two all-world receivers out there. To this point, it hasn’t drawn the attention from defenses that you would anticipate. So those guys are going to make their plays. And when I have an opportunity, and my number’s called, I’ve got to make the most of mine.”
(I think you were four-for-four in the red zone yesterday. But what did you learn about the red zone offense? Because I think against New England, you had two opportunities, one in which you were trying to run out the clock at the end of the game, but you were a red zone target. What did you guys learn about the red zone on offense?) – “Yeah, I mean, we obviously, put in our game plan for the red zone on Fridays. We go out and execute it. And then it’s all about getting down there, honestly. So you have a bunch of plays that you practice, but if you don’t get down inside the 20 and have an opportunity to run those plays, then there’s some opportunities right there. So I mean, we got playmakers. We got guys all over the field that can make plays and we got a quarterback willing to (throw) the ball to the open guy.”
(You seem to take as much joy into QB Tua Tagovailoa doing well as anyone on the team. Obviously, you’ve had a relationship for a couple of years. Why is that so, beyond just wanting your quarterback to do well, obviously?) – “Because he’s – I mean, I’ve said it. I feel like I’ve answered this question 100 times, but he’s dealt with so much criticism and outside noise from people that aren’t in the building, people that aren’t aware of the situation, people that don’t know the play call, people that don’t know the situation. But they’re still going to say and do anything they want because it draws attention to a negative situation. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in. People want to be negative. Rather than understand that he’s a young quarterback and he’s only getting better and he’s made plays for this organization for the third year now. And now this year, people want to hop on the bandwagon, hop on the train, and if I was him, I wouldn’t let him.”
(I don’t know if you’re a big soccer fan, but there’s a pretty huge event happening at the stadium on Friday. Argentina and Leo Messi are here. Do you know anything about?) – “If they want me to come over and hit the griddy for them, I’ll give him my best effort. (laughter) So if you guys can get me over there to meet some of the guys, sure I’ll be there.”
(You got the Bills on Sunday. Right now, they’re really the class of the NFL. What excites you most about going up against the best?) – “Yeah, I mean, they’re obviously one of the teams to beat. They’re playing exceptional ball. They’ve got a game tonight that I’m sure we’ll be we’ll be tuned into. But they’ve got playmakers all over the field in all three phases. They’re extremely well coached. And like you said, they’re at the top right now. So it’s going to be a fun challenge and something that I’m sure everybody in the locker room is looking forward to.”
Connor Williams – September 19, 2022
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Monday, September 19, 2022
OL Connor Williams
(What are your plans for the off day?) – “Rehab, ice, take a little breather. Maybe the hammock a little bit. We’ll see.”
(What was that experience like, a game for the ages for QB Tua Tagovailoa? Obviously you’ve been around QB Dak Prescott when he’s had big games too. What’s it like for an offensive lineman when a quarterback is so in the groove and having one of his great career games?) – “It’s just a privilege to be able to block for somebody like that. Just to see him firing on all cylinders and executing back there, you love it. You just can’t wait to see what he dishes out.”
(Emotionally, how was it in that fourth quarter?) – “It was a very strange game and I think we stayed levelheaded throughout the whole game, whether it was the first quarter or the fourth. I think that was the epitome of it was we just kept on churning and kept sticking to our roots and our guns, and it finally came out well.”
(What was the flight home like?) – “It was great. It was obviously – we were all on Cloud Nine. It was a great team win. It was a great team win to be able to hunker in all together and everything, so it was a nice flight home.”
(The team hadn’t acquired WR Tyreek Hill when you signed on the first team or agreed to terms on the first day of free agency. How have your expectations changed as far as how good this team can be since the day you signed?) – “I mean we have players all around the board. I think definitely having Tyreek, you hear stories but just to have him as a teammate and be able to see what he does, definitely when you look up and see the plays he makes, it’s just unreal. We’re just lucky to have him.”
(What did you learn about the offensive line this week? T Terron Armstead isn’t 100 percent and you’ve got OL Austin Jackson on IR. T Greg Little steps in and seemed to turn in a pretty good performance. What did you learn?) – “Greg did a great job. We have a great o-line group. We have a great room. Everyone is just going to step up and do as needed, and fit in where they’re needed. I think that’s o-line play at the end of the day because you never go through the 17 games healthy. I think everyone is just (putting their head down) grinding and you can just count on all of them.”
(Playing next to young guys – OL Liam Eichenberg in his second year and OL Rob Hunt in his third – just observations on each of them.) – “They’re both individually great players. They’re getting better day-by-day, week-by-week and understanding the scheme more. I think we’re all understanding the scheme more. Great players and great guys in the locker room. Great guys to be around. Great guys to play with.”
(It was your first road game playing center. How was that experience and how much of it was what you expected?) – “The silent count went well. It didn’t give us any troubles or anything. Like any away game, it’s a challenge. You go into somebody else’s home and you have to steal it from them. I think we did a great job just hunkering in all together.”
(Do you think you guys have been able to find some consistency in terms of the first game it didn’t go your way in terms of what you wanted to do offensively. You scored a lot more in the second game. Are there some things that you see between both games that you guys are continuing to do well?) – “I think it’s about stacking bricks and understanding our identity as an offense, as a team. And just understanding who we are and being able to believe in who we are and go out and execute like that.”
(Besides QB Tua Tagovailoa, who else spoke much in the fourth quarter in the huddle? Who said something much during those possessions that all ended in touchdowns?) – “There wasn’t much communication. I think we all knew our assignment. We all knew what we needed to do. Obviously Tua is our leader and is our dawg. So he was speaking up when we needed. We just all hunkered in, like I said, and go all together.”
(What kind of statement can the team make this coming Sunday?) – “It’s the NFL. It’s always week by week. This is obviously a great team and they’re well respected. But it’s the same as any other week and any other division game. It’s going to be a challenge and we’re going to meet that challenge by the process of taking it day by day.”
(Are you going to watch Buffalo tonight? Do you usually watch the opponent when you can on TV?) – “Obviously you’ve got the night off and Monday Night Football, a team you’re playing that week and a team in the division, you want to take a glance at them and see if you can see what they’re working with and everything.”
(One other huddle question. Besides obviously calling out the next play, was QB Tua Tagovailoa encouraging in the huddle in the fourth quarter? Or was it simply here’s what we are running next?) – “I think that everything that happens on the field should stay on the field. We’re teammates. We’re a team. We’re players. There’s some things that can’t be said for that bond but Tua is our leader and Tua is our dawg. We believe in him and we go to bat for him and have supreme confidence in everybody on the field when we’re all together.”
(How did the texts look on your phone after that game? Blowing up with friends?) – “Yeah, everyone was excited. My family was excited. Everybody was juiced up.”
(Anybody that you were especially surprised to see a text from? An old teammate? An old friend?) – “You get those one game every couple years where it really blows up from everybody. Definitely just hearing from a lot of people that were excited to see what we were producing.”
Tyreek Hill (Postgame) – September 18, 2022
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
WR Tyreek Hill (transcribed by the Baltimore Ravens)
(on going out with cramps) “At the beginning of the second half … You know I played the first series. I began to feel a little cramp in my body, man. And I just told coach, ‘It’s from all the blocking you have me doing.’ (laughter) It’s all fun and games, but you know, I went inside, and the trainers took care of me. And I was out.”
(on if QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance today validated what he’s been saying all offseason) “Man, I don’t have to say too much, man, all you got to do is look at his game film. It’s Tua, and who he is and how consistent he is. You know that last drive we had, it really showed me who he is as a leader. You know, getting everybody inside of the huddle, telling guys, ‘Make sure you run the ball to the official or hand it to Connor [Williams].’ Just small things, you know, to save time. And, you know, be able for us to go down the field and make a play.”
(on the emotions of the last drive) “You know what, everybody was feeling good. And, you know, especially coming back, the defense had been doing such a tremendous job in the second half against a very good offense. You know, so the offense, we were just riding off a high. We had scored two straight touchdowns, so you know we were feeling good.”
(on what he saw on the 60-yard touchdown) “I’m cheesing already. I’m cheesing, man. I did my thing to Tua, ‘yeet,’ and he knows when I do that, ‘yeet,yeet,’ just throw it no matter what and I’ll make a play for you. So, he already knows that’s kind of the chemistry that me and him built this offseason. Just being able to see cover zero together. You know, because I’ve seen it, he’s seen it, the whole stadium [had] seen it.”
(on if 22 catches between him and WR Jaylen Waddle is just scratching the surface) “Yeah, man, I mean you know, I still feel like we’ve got a long way to go. You know, it’s still early during the season and I think we complement each other well. Whether I’m blocking for him and a screen, or he’s blocking for me, I know that each and every play, each one of us is going to have each other’s back. At the end of the day, it’s not about either one of us. You know, this is a team sport. We’ve been fortunate, we’ve been blessed to play this great game of football. So, you know that there’s only one football. We’ve all got one goal, and the goal is to win.”
(on if the long touchdown was a checkdown or the actual play call) “It was already the play call. No, it was already the play call, you’ve just got to dress it up a little bit – ‘yeet, yeet.’ This is it right there, so this is one of those. So, it’s one of those.”
(on what made him come back onto the field after being down big and having cramps) “That’s just my mindset. I just feel like everything I’ve been through in my life … You know, like my grandparents raised me, always raised me to not be a quitter. And that’s always been my message, you know, to this team, to my kids. No matter what you do, you make sure you go out fighting. Make sure you go out swinging. Because, I know at the end of the day, I’ve got a group of guys behind me who’s doing the same thing. And that’s always going to be my mindset. I don’t care if the score is 42-0 going into the second half, I’m still going to be out there fighting, because that’s what this team paid me to come in and do. You know, lead by example. Because if I quit, the whole team quits, so that’s my mindset.”
(on what he thought about Mike McDaniel’s play-calling down by three scores) “It’s crazy, man, because I was actually just talking about it … Me, Teddy [Bridgewater], and some other guys. It was just like he was out there playing Madden. Just lining us up quick and was like just, ‘Tua, get it to the guys that you know can space create.’ That’s what we were able to do, stretch the ball down the field. Get Chase [Edmonds] involved, get Raheem [Mostert] involved. You know, everybody was involved today.”
(on what message they sent to the league by the way they played today) “We’ll never give up. No matter the score, no matter who we’re playing, no matter the challenge. I know this team here is going to give everything that we’ve got, and we’re going to do everything technically sound, and everything deliberate.”
Duke Riley (Postgame) – September 18, 2022
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
LB Duke Riley (transcribed by the Baltimore Ravens)
(on the defense at the end of the game and how they stepped up) “There were some plays that we could have made, things that we could have done better. We came out and made plays when we needed to. Got the ball back to our offense. We had two fourth-down stops, which were big. I know we didn’t have any turnovers, but to us, the fourth-down stops are like turnovers. Getting the ball back to our offense and our offense had our back. They had a couple plays, and we do need to make a couple of adjustments, but I give all credit to the offense. They did their thing. They made some great plays. They were resilient. We were resilient. We fought all day. We never thought that we were going to lose. That was one of my favorite wins.”
(on the locker room energy after the win) “This is one of my favorite wins of my entire career. You were in someone else’s home. You are down by that much in someone else’s place, things usually don’t come back and play like that.”
(on WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle performances) “Them having our back like that, it’s everything. It’s our offensive line protecting Tua [Tagovailoa]. Tua [Tagovailoa] putting the ball where it needs to be and those guys making the plays and holding on to the ball. We already knew they were going to try to stop those guys, but we got them the ball, made plays and we got the win. That’s the main thing at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter what the score was. We came out with a ‘W.’ We can go back home, correct our mistakes and be proud of ourselves for not giving up. It’s the 24-hour rule. We need to move on to next week. We will have another quick turnaround. We’ll have another great opponent. We’ll need to keep doing what we are doing. Growing as a team and keep improving as a team.”
Xavien Howard (Postgame) – September 18, 2022
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
CB Xavien Howard (transcribed by the Baltimore Ravens)
(on what it was like to see Tua Tagovailoa light it up) “I’ve been seeing it in Tua [Tagovailoa]. I feel like he is only getting better each game. He almost had 500 yards throwing as a quarterback. I told him to just keep working and keep doing his thing.”
(on if Tua Tagovailoa hears the negativity throughout the game) “I feel like he brushes it off his shoulders. Like I’ve said, I’ve been seeing him working hard in practice and it is paying off now.”
(on if Tua Tagovailoa had some swag on the walk-off touchdown) “Yes, he can do that, but he really wants to keep getting better. We have the Bills next week and that is what we need to focus on.”
(on the celebration in the locker room) “We fought hard. We got the win and that is all that it’s about.”
(on the difference of QB Lamar Jackson between the first and second half) “You know, you have to play four quarters of football. We played four quarters of football, especially in that second half. We made adjustments and made plays.”
(on having Tyreek Hill on the offense) “It helps the defense out a lot. They helped get the defense out of a hole and gave us energy. We have to keep it going and we have to play better in all three phases.”
River Cracraft (Postgame) – September 18, 2022
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
WR River Cracraft (transcribed by the Baltimore Ravens)
(on how it felt to catch a big touchdown after coming off the practice squad) “It’s amazing to be a part of this team and to come back in the fashion that we did. I think it’s the first real obstacle of adversity. I think we handled it well. We were down early and fought back.”
(on the locker room’s energy) “Electric. Very electric. Coming off a win like that, it’s huge. It’s important for the team. It’s exciting. We are looking forward to next week.”
Eric Rowe (Postgame) – September 18, 2022
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
S Eric Rowe (transcribed by the Baltimore Ravens)
(on beating the Ravens) “We knew it was going to be tough from the jump because, I mean, it’s a good team. I know everyone was thinking about last year and how we crushed them, but every year is a new year, so coming in we knew it was going to be a tough game. We didn’t really expect to be down like that at the half, but we came back and played through some adversity.”
(on the second half) “After halftime, we came out, we just kind of gave a speech like, ‘Hey, just the adversity that we’ve been talking about all year. Every game it’s not going to go like our last week’s game. So, you know, we’ve got to learn to fight through it.’ Then, once the offense scored and we made a stop, then that’s kind of like the slight little spark that we got. Then a couple of deep balls to Tyreek [Hill] and our defense said to ourselves, ‘We’ve got to hold it down.’ The momentum started shifting.”
(on the defense playing big at times during the game) “The two stands that we made, the one on the goal line and the one in the middle of the field, on fourth down, I mean those are huge. We know this is a power running team. They’re very good at it. That just kind of shows us that as a defense, we can stand our ground.”
(on the Dolphins offense in the second half) “It’s great, because we saw the work that they’ve put in since the springtime, training camp, and preseason games. It was hard work. It feels good to see it finally show out in the season, and in this game. I know the defense, we kind of slipped, but the offense had our back. Just to see them perform the way they did, it’s great.”
Raheem Mostert (Postgame) – September 18, 2022
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Sunday, September 18, 2022
RB Raheem Mostert (transcribed by the Baltimore Ravens)
(on getting the win) “It feels amazing. Just the resilience that the team has to go out there, be down [three] possessions at halftime, and then come back and handle it the way we do best. This was unbelievable. It’s crazy, but you know, at the end of the day, the best team is going to win and we were the better team. It’s great leadership out there, especially E-Rob [Elandon Roberts]. He held it down for the defense.”
(on the QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill combination) “This guy is special. When you see ‘10’ out there you want to cover him a certain way. Then you got ‘1’ just launching the ball. That’s two touchdowns right there, put us right back in the game. You know, you’ve got to count on those playmakers, especially with [Jaylen] Waddle and [Mike] Gesicki, and all those guys.”
(on the comeback) “It’s easier not to stay down. We just got to fight back, and that’s what we did today. We just got to keep pushing. We’re on to next week. We’ve got the Bills next week, and we’ve got a short week against the Bengals. Just looking forward to these matchups.”
